[Kassi]

Hi!!!!

I've got a 2 story house..
Bathrooms on both floors..
Neither sinks drain very well..
Been snaked and p Traps cleaned out.
Shower/tub drains fine.

Lower bathroom toilet leaks air when the water pump comes on.
(we live in a rural area)
Toilet whistles and the flapper leaks air though was replaced just last year!

Any suggestions to help with this problem?
Is it a plumbing stack problem?


Thanking you for your time!

 

[Mike Swearingen]

Sounds like you may have two problems.
The sluggish sink drains, if they share a vent, may have a partially clogged vent problem. Someone needs to go up on the roof and clear and possibly snake the stack or separate vent pipe, and then flush it down with a water hose to see if that alleviates the problem. I would also try a good enzyme-based drain cleaner like DrainCare on both of them. A lot of gunk, such as hair, makeup, soap scum, etc. can build up in a sink drain, and DrainCare will eat it all right out without harming the fixtures or the pipes.
As far as air in the water when your pump kicks on...that sounds like it may be the pressure tank going bad with a leak in the tank bladder. Turn the pump off, drain the water pressure down, and check the air pressure in the tank with a tire gauge. If water spews out, the bladder is shot and needs to be replaced. The tank pressure should be two psi below your pump cut-on pressure (i.e. if your pump is set to 20-40 psi cut-on/cut-off, then the tank pressure should be 18 psi). If it isn't, air it up with a bicycle pump or portable air tank or compressor and see if it holds. If not, replace the tank.
That's where I would start with both issues, and it may solve both.
Good Luck!
Mike

 

[AllanJ]

Sometimes a closed faucet or toilet valve will let air trapped in the water line seep out even though the faucet does not drip or leak water.

Somehow I don't think the pressurizing tank is the source of air mixed with the water but rather the air was sucked in by the pump down at the well.

You could get by temporarily if the tank bladder is shot. All you would need to do is recalibrate the tank more often, adding air to make up for what got slowly absorbed by the water.

If air is sucked in by the pump, it is likely to accumulate in the pressurizing tank if that had separate inlet and outlet. You would probably not notice much air coming out of faucets until the tank became almost full of air. Recalibration would consist of bleeding the air rather than adding air except with a good bladder, eventually nothing more comes out the vent and a lot of air is still trapped on the other side of the bladder. After this, due to the way the air compresses, draining the entire system and refilling it would recalibrate the pressure tank somewhat.