Galvanized Well Tank

Just got temp electrical service to a place we recently bought which has been vacant for a few years. Went to the well house and saw a galvanized tank that looks older than me. Very familiar with modern tanks and wells, but this one has me a bit confused. Had to get back home (650 miles) quickly and didn't have time to do all I wanted to on it. Put the juice to it and the pump turns on for 3 seconds, turns off for two minutes, on for three seconds, off.....etc, etc. I'm guessing the tank must be waterlogged and needs to be drained as the first step. Do the galvanized tanks have bladders? A very confusing part is there are two pressure gauges. One where I expect from the pump output to the tank, and another one on a small (gas line size) pipe from the middle of the tank to a valve and then to the pump housing. The pressure switch on the pump has a line from the switch to the pump housing as well. Is the small line pressure switch to measure air in the tank? In that case, the valve should be closed during operation? Do I need to pressurize the tank after draining? The house is uphill from the tank. Thanks for any insights. This sounds like just an old galvanized pressure tank with an air volume control. It doesn't have a bladder. It either needs to be drained down (most likely) or needs a new air volume control. You may want to consider just replacing it. Once they get a rust pinhole, they're goners, and a bladder-type works better anyway. However, here's an illustration of how they work from Ron Peeks' pump and well website: For much more detailed info on all of the above, visit Ron's site at www.peekspump.com Good Luck! Mike

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