Banjo Bud
Active Member
I have another thread going called New Shallow Well and have learned a lot thanks to members Valveman and Reach4. I could have just added this post to that with this question but thought it might be read more here.
I will have a shallow well pump in my garage. My application calls for a horizontal suction pipe from my spring. There is no way around it that I can figure. I have talked to a few people at plumbing stores and also Flotec valve company. Flotec told me I could not use use a foot valve horizontally. But "We have a horizontal foot valve for a mere $270." A distributor of Flotecs here locally told me a regular check valve might work horizontally but wasn't sure. I went to Lowes and had a check valve and a foot valve in my hand. I disassembled the screen on the foot valve and closely examined both valves. I can not for the life of me see a difference in construction. The spring tensions are the same. The plates that open and close are identical. The chamfers on the plates are identical. The stem lengths are identical. So, if a check valve will work in a horizontal position, (they are used horizontally all the time but on the pressure side), why the heck won't a foot valve? And likewise, if a foot valve will not work in a horizontal position, why would a normal check valve? I do understand that check valves are normally used on the pressure side of a pump, and foot valves are used on the suction side. But the mechanical workings of both of these valves are identical. The only differences are that the foot valve has a screen on it and a check valve does not, and a check valve has threads on both ends so you can put it in line. A foot valve only has threads on one end because it's meant to be at the end of a pipe.
Can anyone tell me for sure that a foot valve will not work horizontally? Or do I have to spend $270 for a special foot valve? Thanks.
I will have a shallow well pump in my garage. My application calls for a horizontal suction pipe from my spring. There is no way around it that I can figure. I have talked to a few people at plumbing stores and also Flotec valve company. Flotec told me I could not use use a foot valve horizontally. But "We have a horizontal foot valve for a mere $270." A distributor of Flotecs here locally told me a regular check valve might work horizontally but wasn't sure. I went to Lowes and had a check valve and a foot valve in my hand. I disassembled the screen on the foot valve and closely examined both valves. I can not for the life of me see a difference in construction. The spring tensions are the same. The plates that open and close are identical. The chamfers on the plates are identical. The stem lengths are identical. So, if a check valve will work in a horizontal position, (they are used horizontally all the time but on the pressure side), why the heck won't a foot valve? And likewise, if a foot valve will not work in a horizontal position, why would a normal check valve? I do understand that check valves are normally used on the pressure side of a pump, and foot valves are used on the suction side. But the mechanical workings of both of these valves are identical. The only differences are that the foot valve has a screen on it and a check valve does not, and a check valve has threads on both ends so you can put it in line. A foot valve only has threads on one end because it's meant to be at the end of a pipe.
Can anyone tell me for sure that a foot valve will not work horizontally? Or do I have to spend $270 for a special foot valve? Thanks.
