Schrader Valve...what's it for?

[Jed1154]

I have two wells with submersible pumps. THere is a litte piece of pipe on both that has a 1/4" nipple with a pressure switch on it. The pipe is a check valve. Right behind the check valve is a schradr valve. What is it for? Both of mine have little chrome caps on the schrader valve.

So, what are they for, and are they supposed to be capped?

EDIT: From my reading, i believe that valve should have a cap, but the cap should be LOOSE to allow it to suck in air to charge a tank. Now, this well has a bladder tank, so, if thats the case, should i remove and cap that schrader valve? I mean, i dont want it to put more air in my bladder tank right??

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Picture

Post some pictures of your system so we can get a better look at what you are seeing.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Sammyhydro11]

Do you have a water treatment system? It could be an air injector to remove sulfur odor or to oxidize iron.

Sammy

 

[Rancher]

I have two wells with submersible pumps. THere is a litte piece of pipe on both that has a 1/4" nipple with a pressure switch on it. The pipe is a check valve. Right behind the check valve is a schradr valve. What is it for? Both of mine have little chrome caps on the schrader valve.

The second check valve is the give-a-way, you have a submersible pump, it has a check valve built in, so the second is part of an air make up system, the schrader valve allows air into a section of pipe, normally only about 3' which will them recharge the air into a non-bladder tank, which in my opinion is the only tank anyone should ever buy, bladder tanks last an average of 7 years, galvanized non-bladder tanks last till they rust thru, 20+ years.

Rancher

 

[Speedbump]

galvanized non-bladder tanks last till they rust thru, 20+ years.

I don't know about that Rancher. The quality of the tanks I have been using in the last 10 years or so isn't any where near what it used to be.

Now, this well has a bladder tank, so, if thats the case, should i remove and cap that schrader valve? I mean, i dont want it to put more air in my bladder tank right??

If you have a bladder tank, you will want to leave the caps on and tight, or you will have air spitting at you in the house. The air that goes into your bladder tank will come right back out. The air that is in it now is above the bladder, the air from the schrader valve if the caps are off is going to be in the water.

bob...

 

[Jed1154]

Thanks Speedbump.

This well is the one that supposedly pumps 'sand'. Its going to be used for irrigation....like water hoses, sprinklers, etc. I understand the well system and the bladder tank do not 'match' since the well is clearly designed for a standard tank. So i was just making sure that the only problem would be that i would have excess air in the lines.

If i cap it tight, and some air gets in, won't i eventually end up with a tank of AIR, such that no water can be pumped in before the well shuts off or is that not the case?

 

[Rancher]

If i cap it tight, and some air gets in, won't i eventually end up with a tank of AIR, such that no water can be pumped in before the well shuts off or is that not the case?

Hmmm good question, where is Bobnh, when you need an answer... I think the answer is, that when the tank empties what ever water is in the bladder that it will also squeeze out what ever air got pumped into the bladder durning that cycle, and it will come out your sprinklers.

Rancher

 

[Speedbump]

The air will come out every cycle, just like the water.

bob...

 

[Jed1154]

Do you think it would be OK to remove the snifter valve and use its tap instead to install a pressure gauge?

 

[Rancher]

No because if it's as you described there is a check valve between it and the pressure tank, now if you remove that check valve then OK.

Rancher

 

[Speedbump]

It would only show accurate pressure while the pump was running.

bob...

 

[Raucina]

If he does not have a bleed down valve or air admittance valve, as long as presure is in the system, then the schrader valve is irrelevent. The CAP does not seal the valve as supplied originally, unless someone swapped it for a tire cap. In that case just tighten it. He needs to find out if there is the air -in valve and take it out in any case. Or stay with the plain tank at 1/2 the cost.

Just had a plain tank rust out in 3 years. Good deal though, they gave me a new tank and left the old one, which is back in service with a few minutes of brazing. The steel was paper thin at the hole area, a clear job of bad mill rolling, probably some import junque.

 

[Speedbump]

If he does not have a bleed down valve or air admittance valve, as long as presure is in the system, then the schrader valve is irrelevent.

If he doesn't have the items listed above, there would be no reason for the Check Valve or Schrader Valve in the first place.

The Schraders I sell have a little rubber gasket in the cap.

bob...

 

[Rancher]

The Schraders I sell have a little rubber gasket in the cap.

Do the schrader valves used for well systems have a weaker spring, so to allow the air to be sucked in under low pressure conditions?

Rancher

 

[Raucina]

Well app. schraders have a very loose spring for easy air admittance. Got a box right here.

Speedo - if your schraders have a rubber gasket in the cap then they wont suck air, so I think they are best reserved for tires. Well guy schraders have caps with holes in them and the cut [slot] for removal and servicing of the valve body. There is no gasket. Can't be for it to work... no wonder you push the bladder tanks - with a gasket in your Schrader valve, no air is entering the plain tank! Better get on the horn with your supplier...

Murphys law: his schrader is probably plugged anyway....

I would go ahead and put the pressure gauge into the schrader port to find out for sure if there is a leak down valve in the well - if yes, gauge zero when pump off. If no, or defective, gauge at system pressure when pump off. Or just remove the schrader when the pump is off: if you get wet there is no drain down valve.

 

[Speedbump]

Well app. schraders have a very loose spring for easy air admittance. Got a box right here.

Are you trying to tell me that an almost complete vacuum wouldn't pull on the spring hard enough to let in air?

The caps on my SS 1/8" pipe threaded valves have the same guts in them that a car tire has. They also have the slotted cap for removal of the valve stem. They DON'T have a hole all the way through the cap and do have a gasket. Don't know where yours came from. Maybe an automobile plant.

bob...

 

[Raucina]

I am saying that the schraders I have use a spring that is noticiably lighter than the tire valves.

Some of us have our leak down valve above ground OR its just a few inches into the well, perhaps only a few feet from the schrader, to not over air the tank. In such a case the vacuum is nearly negligible.

Again, if your caps have a gasket, and no thru hole, how in the hell does air get into the pipes? Some new laws of physics here?

 

[Speedbump]

We leave the cap off; Duh?

If your bleeder is too high to pull much vacuum, an upside down footvalve works everytime. No Physics involved here.

bob...

 

[Jed1154]

Well, i didnt change anything. The pump fired up and pressurized the tank and it cycles on and off as it should. The previous owners were right about the sand in it though.

When you fire it up after sitting overnight, you can get a tablespoon or so of very fine-ish gray blue sand, some black flecks and some white flecks in a two gallon bucket. After it runs a little, it clears up a bit, but it will pump it again the next day after sitting overnight. Oh well, its for the garden anyway, it wont hurt to add a little more dirt for the veggies.