If you have a pressure tank, you have a well
Inside the city, around Old Town Manassas, most homes are on public water and have no pressure tank at all. But plenty of homes with a Manassas mailing address sit out in the county, along Route 28 and Route 234 and past Manassas National Battlefield Park, and many of those run on private wells. If you have a round or tall steel tank in your basement, garage or utility closet, with a gauge and a small switch nearby, you are one of them.
That tank is part of your water system, and you own it. When it fails, nobody from a utility comes to fix it. That is where we come in. We handle pressure tank replacement in Manassas for well homes across the 20108, 20109, 20110, 20111 and 20112 ZIP codes.
Not sure which kind of home you have? A simple clue is the water bill. If you pay a water utility every month, you are probably on public water. If you have never seen a water bill but you do have a well cap somewhere in the yard, the pressure tank inside is yours to look after.
Pump or tank? How to tell the difference
A lot of callers tell us their pump is going bad. Sometimes it is. Just as often, the pump is fine and the tank has quit doing its job. The two can be hard to tell apart, so here is a rough guide.
Symptoms that usually point to the tank
- The pump starts and stops over and over during a single shower or while filling a sink.
- The gauge needle climbs fast and drops fast instead of moving slowly.
- Pressure feels fine for a moment, then weak, then fine again.
- Water comes out of the air valve on top of the tank.
Symptoms that usually point to the pump or well
- No water at all, or water that fades to nothing and does not come back.
- A pump that runs and never shuts off.
- The well breaker trips again and again.
- Air spitting from faucets along with sand or cloudy water.
None of these lists is perfect, and more than one thing can go wrong at once. Our article on the signs your well pump is failing covers the pump side in more depth. If you are unsure, that is what our free diagnosis is for. Here is what our free diagnosis covers.
What a worn out tank does to a good pump
A healthy tank lets the pump run in long, steady cycles. It fills the tank, shuts off, and rests while you draw water from the stored supply. When the air cushion in the tank is lost, that stored supply shrinks to almost nothing. The pump has to run in short bursts all day long.
Pumps do not like that. Each start pulls a surge of power and puts a little wear on the motor and the switch contacts. A pump that might have lasted its normal 10 to 15 years can wear out sooner if it spends years short cycling against a dead tank. That is why we treat a failing tank as worth fixing soon, not someday.
The tank shell can wear out too. Tanks sit in damp basements and garages for years, and the steel can rust from the bottom up. A small weep at the base can turn into a real leak with little warning. If you see rust flakes or a wet ring on the floor, it is time to have it looked at.
If you want to see where your tank stands, turn the well breaker OFF, run cold water until it stops, and check the air valve on top with a tire gauge. It should read about 2 psi under your switch’s low setting, around 38 on a 40-60 switch. Leave the switch cover closed and the wiring alone. Our guide to checking your pressure tank pressure explains each step.
Pressure tank replacement in Manassas, step by step
When you call 703-791-3981, we start with a few questions about what you are seeing and hearing. Then we come out and look at the whole system, not just the tank. Diagnosis is free.
- We check the air charge, the tank condition and the pressure switch.
- We watch a full pump cycle so we know the pump itself is healthy.
- If the tank needs replacing, we explain why and install a Well-X-Trol tank.
- We set the new tank’s air charge to match your switch so pump and tank work together.
- We check for leaks and make sure the work meets county code before we leave.
If we find the pump is also near the end, we will say so plainly and walk you through your options for well pump repair and replacement. You can also learn more on our main pressure tank replacement page.
Around Manassas and beyond
Oasis Well Service is a family company, and Manassas-area well homes are a regular part of our week. Ken Lindgren founded it in 1987, and three generations of the family work in it today. We are licensed and insured and answer calls 24/7.
A new tank is also a good moment to think about your water itself. If it has been a while since your last test, see our page on well water testing in Manassas. For pump problems, visit our Manassas well pump repair page. We cover tanks next door in Manassas Park and out in Gainesville too, along with the rest of Prince William County.