Do I need an air release valve on my filter?

Jump to latest Follow Reply
P

pypeke

0
Silver Supporter
Jul 31, 2015
297
Southeastern Oklahoma
Screenshot_2015-04-18-15-15-27-1_LI (640x360).jpg

This was our old setup. Gravity made self priming easy. The lake flooded and covered the two pumps for about 3 weeks. It will probably happen again, so we moved the electrical box, pump, and filter up above on the deck. The concrete wall on the left shows the 1 1/2" pipes coming out. This is below the bottom side of the pool. We had 1 return with a pool cleaner and pump that we did not replace. So now we have 3 returns instead of 2. We have a main drain and only one skimmer.

With this setup, we never had air bubbles in the pump or coming out of the returns.

Now we have lots of bubbles and it takes a while to prime the pump. Anytime the pump is off, the water seems to go back into the pool. The strainer basket never gets full of water when we put the hose in it. Water goes back into the pool. By the time we get the pump lid back on the basket is empty again.

The plumbers added 2" pipes to the original 1 1/2" pipes, then ran the pipe up about 7 ft, then over about 15 ft, then up another 1-2 ft to the deck above. Gravity is working against us now. In the last picture you can see the new location of the filter in the top left corner.

It won't let me post another picture. Will try later.

So....is there anything we need to have installed? We don't have an air release valve since we didn't need one with the gravity setup. Do we need one now?
 
Thanks for the amazon link. Now I know what a check valve looks like. Some Amazon customers are saying the spring breaks after a few months. Is there a higher end check valve that you know of? Or is this normal with the check valve needing to be replaced often?

I don't have an air relief valve on my filter. Do I need one installed on my filter? If so, where exactly on the filter does it get installed?

"I think you need a check valve on the inlet pipe, about where the pump was when everything worked fine."
Do you mean the 2" pipe that takes water from the pool to the pump? Put it somewhere above the elbow? Or would it be better if we put the check valve up on the deck area?

We are trying to not put any more equipment down below, if possible. It is a pain to keep going up and down the stairs to turn valves. We couldn't get to that area for three weeks when it flooded.

I need to buy a new Vari flo valve since the non-metallic washer broke and fell out.

Thanks for the advice.
 
I couldn't figure out your pictures, which is why I just specified " where the pump was when everything worked fine". Whatever pipe it is between the skimmer and the pump inlet.

An air relief is at the top of the filter. Your outlet is at the top, so in theory, any air should rise and get pushed out the plumbing when the pump is on.
 
Ok. I guess the large air bubbles under the pump lid is normal. We are getting some tiny air bubbles, so I will be looking for the leak tomorrow.

We can't figure out why the plumbers put the blue shut off valve on the pipe that goes to the pump inlet. Is there a reason for it to be there? Could we put the check valve in that location and remove the blue valve? Thanks

filter set up (2)_LI.jpg
 
Intelliflo...."Do not put closer to pump inlet than 5 times the pipe size." So 2" pipe needs to be at least 10" from the pump inlet.

It looks like I have room to put a check valve 10" or farther away from the pump inlet. (Where the blue cutoff valve is.) Since there is already a pvc union at the pump inlet, I shouldn't need to add another one for winterizing purposes.

Am I right?

Now...spring check valves, ball check valves, or swing check valves????? I am thinking of getting the Jandy ABS swing check valve. The spring valves have trouble with the springs, and I read that the pressure required to open a spring valve adds pressure to the system.

Jandy has a straight run or a 90° elbow.

Waterway Truseal Serviceable check valve secures the lid with a quick opening lock ring, rather than the 8 screws used on Jandy check valves.

Both can be serviced. Have not seen the cost yet.

I read that it is better to get a larger check valve to reduce resistance and reduce clogging potential.

Any advice on what I am thinking of doing?

Thanks.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
How high above the water level in pool is the pump sitting now? Most manufacturers like to see the pump installed no more than 5 ft. above water level. If you can put a serviceable check valve back down where the suction line went into the pump's old location, that would keep the line full of water to the pump. I wouldn't use any PVC encapsulated check valve they are non serviceable. You also have to consider winterizing these lines so there should be a way to drain them also
 
Winterizing: down below where the old pump was (first picture) there is a red valve which empties water from the pipes once the skimmer and returns are plugged. It also allows the pipes running up and over to the right to empty. The horizontal pipes are higher on the right side to allow them to drain downhill to the vertical pipes and that lets all water flow out the red valve. The original electrical box was on that concrete side wall, but it has been moved up to the deck with the new pool pump.

All of the equipment was under about a foot of lake water 2 years ago after the pool was opened. Destroyed 2 pumps. It has never flooded before. We couldn't get to the pumps or electrical box for three weeks.

So the pool is behind this rock and concrete wall. The top of the wall is the pool deck. The pipes go from the returns, skimmer, and main drain down to the bottom of the pool. They come out at the bottom on a side wall as the first picture I posted shows.

The rock wall is 7 ft tall. Pool is 5 1/2 ft deep.

The pipes come down about 7 ft to the bottom of the pool (inside the rock wall), then over about 2 ft (in the open air), then up 6 ft, over about 15 ft, then up about 2 ft to the pump inlet. The pump is about 1 ft above the concrete deck (maybe 18" above pool water surface). Not an ideal placement, but nowhere else to put it.

We are concerned about the new check valve being submerged under lake water again. It has flooded twice since then.

pool wall (2) (640x335).jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply