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If there are no other
problems, I would not be concerned about anything.
All we know is that the
pressure gauge is acting funny... but that doesn't mean
that the actual water pressure is acting weird. From my
experience, I'd say that the most likely explanation for
the weird pressure jump from 60 to 70 PSI is that the
gauge is malfunctioning. Since there is a rapid rise
from 60 to 70, and then a corresponding rapid fall from
70 to 60 PSI, it sounds like the pressure gauge is
acting "non-linear". There could be a defect
in the gauge that has caused this behavior from the
beginning.
I recall from a college
course in Instrumentation that pressure gauges employ a
tiny metal tube which is bent in a spiral. As the
pressure increases in this bent tube, it tries to
straighten out, and this motion drives the indicator
needle. I wouldn't be surprised if there was something
that interfered with the movement of the needle, or
maybe it's just a peculiarity of the design that causes
a non-linear response to the pressure.
The only way to verify
my suspicion is to replace the pressure gauge. That is
not a difficult job, but it requires draining the
pressure tank.
Bruce W. Maki, Editor.
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