Problem on pumping installation - no more water comes out ...

[Phil07]

Hello,

I turn to you, because after long research on the Net, I did not find any answer to my question and it seems to me that a certain number of you are quite skilled in the field.
The water network of my house is partly connected to a pumping system (drilling) to supply the sanitary facilities and the shower. There is therefore, in the cellar, a bladder buffer tank.

My problem is that the water no longer comes out of the balloon.

I checked the pressure and it is sufficient. I took the risk of dismantling the water outlet connection (with 500 liters of water which could run out) but nothing comes out. I thought something might be blocking the exit. So I introduced an iron rod which abuts at 20 cm on a very firm and steel obstacle (elbow?). So I imagine that at the exit, inside the balloon, there must be a safety valve that could have operated.
Do you think this is the case?
If so, how can I "reset" this valve?
I hope not to bore you too much with my stories, but I would like to have the opinion of people more expert than me before dismantling everything and risking damaging the installation.
I will be away for a few days and may not be able to answer you right away.
Thank you in advance.

[Phil07]

No answer ?

[Alain G]

Good evening Phil07

I assume your pump is in the well, the pressure gauge can
be defective and make you think there is pressure.

Dismount your gauge slowly and see if there is a flow of water otherwise your pump is discharged and you must reload it using the small lever on the regulator which you maintain until the pressure is restored.

Note that in North America it works like this, see for
Europe.

A gauge after 3 or 4 years even less can be defective a
because of the lime that forms inside and blocks the mechanism.

[Phil07]

Thank you for this quick response.
Today I decided to dismantle everything to understand. My biggest problem was to empty the water from the balloon.
So here is what happened. In the steel balloon, there is a bladder (large air chamber - or rather water -) which is fixed between the upper part of the balloon and the lower part. I thought this room was filled with air. However, it is in this chamber that the water is stored. The pressurized air is therefore located between the tank and the chamber. Thus, the inside of the steel tank is in principle not in contact with water, therefore no rust ...
In my problem, what happened is that an excess of air pressure between the tank and the bladder, with a low level of water in the bladder, made of lower part, in the water filling area, the rubber chamber seemed to be pinched (folded over on itself like a pancake) by creating a fold which had just obstructed the opening of the chamber. I had emptied the air, but that had not been enough to put the bladder in its place. I do not know if by emptying the air and filling with water it would have been enough to return the bladder to its normal position.
I think the right solution would have been to:
1 / empty the air through its filling valve
2 / empty the water (the most delicate) by siphoning it from the top after unscrewing the pressure gauge.
3 / inflate the air bladder (through the water inlet) so that it resumes its shape in the tank.
4 / empty this air
5 / fill the water balloon halfway
6 / replenish the air pressure in the balloon
7 / finish filling the water balloon.

This manipulation would avoid dismantling everything from below with its share of difficulties and the risk of sealing problems afterwards.
I hope these tips will avoid some of the hassle as I did. The Internet is also used for that ...

[boubka]

I thought this room was filled with air. However, it is in this room that water is stored.

really weird, I've never seen this kind of reserve on a booster.
surely a DIY!

[yanyan26]

Hello
I agree with boubka
Are you sure ? Usually it is the bladder which is inflated and which is used for the pressure of the circuit.
Can you tell us more (Balloon brand) or photo

I would rather have thought for your pierced air bladder and which could clog your water outlet but not enough element to help you
A+

[Alain G]

Here in North America it's set up like this:
The air chamber is fixed from the top and the filling valve too, the water inlet is located at the bottom of the tank and
water comes to press on the air chamber.
My tank is made of glass fiber reinforced plastic.

Bon boubka and yanyan26 confirm that it's the same in Europe

Phil07

If you can give us the make and model, it would be interesting to see how it works.

[Phil07]

Hello,

I am formal. After dismantling everything, it is the bladder that fills with water. It is fixed in the upper part at the pressure switch and is blocked by a flange in the lower part, at the level of a wide lip around a large opening (about 25 cm in diameter). The air is between the tank and the bladder.
You have the material at this address:
[url http://www.bricomatic.com/catalog/Pompe ... 1a0ced47e7
]
In my case, after checking, there was a small hole that had been made in the middle of this bladder. The water evacuating in the tank put pressure on the bladder and when the latter emptied, it ended up crushing and being pressed on the bottom of the tank by closing the evacuation.
It's fixed, but I spent some time there.
[/ Url]

[Alain G]

Phil

Congratulations on the great work!

We will always learn, here is the tank I use, it is a little more high tech and not much more expensive and very reliable.
Sorry I could not find in French.


An example of assembly:

[Phil07]

Hi,

On my balloon, it's exactly the same diagram with a steel tank and the water that is stored in the bladder.

I imagine the benefits are:
- The water is not in contact with the steel tank, therefore no anti-rust treatment necessary and no oxidation of the tank.
- very low noise during operation.

Bland: What happened to me; if the bladder is pierced, the system no longer works whereas in the other case (air in the middle) if the bladder is pierced, a certain amount of air can be stored in the upper part of the tank to serve as a buffer.
Thank you for the photos Alain.