HotCzech46
New Member
I have a deep well that was just replaced, including all of the piping. The water tank looks like new, but we discovered (too late) that it is a non-bladder tank. When they replaced the piping, they did not install a drain back valve below the well head. There is a check valve just before the bottom of the tank, and it has a schraeder valve on it (which I believe is the correct, low pressure valve needed).
The problem is when the pump cuts off, the water does not drain backwards, pulling air into the line through the schraeder valve, because there is no drain back valve to let the water drain. I can go about a month before the system becomes water logged.
I need a way to add air into the tank. Right now, I turn off the pump, remove the gauge from the snifter valve (I think that is what it is called, about halfway up the side of the tank), open a faucet at the bottom of the tank, and let the water drain. I cutoff the water supply to the house, so air is sucked in the hole where the gauge was mounted. I let it drain until I hear that air is no longer bubbling through the water which means the water level is below the halfway mark. Then I put it all back together and pump runs great and it works for a month.
Question: Can I just put air from an air compressor into the schraeder valve to charge the tank? I would open a faucet, and put air pressure in to keep pressure above pump cuton level until air started coming out of the snifter valve (I think that is what the air volume control valve is called on the side of the tank that has the float inside?). When air starts to come out, I would stop putting in air and the pump would kickon and the water would raise the float cutting off the air exiting from the snifter valve and the tank would repressurize. Does this make sense? I don't see how putting pressure upstream of the check valve would hurt, so long as the pressues was not too high (I'll keep it below the pump cutoff pressure) but higher than the pump cuton pressure.
Does this make sense?
The problem is when the pump cuts off, the water does not drain backwards, pulling air into the line through the schraeder valve, because there is no drain back valve to let the water drain. I can go about a month before the system becomes water logged.
I need a way to add air into the tank. Right now, I turn off the pump, remove the gauge from the snifter valve (I think that is what it is called, about halfway up the side of the tank), open a faucet at the bottom of the tank, and let the water drain. I cutoff the water supply to the house, so air is sucked in the hole where the gauge was mounted. I let it drain until I hear that air is no longer bubbling through the water which means the water level is below the halfway mark. Then I put it all back together and pump runs great and it works for a month.
Question: Can I just put air from an air compressor into the schraeder valve to charge the tank? I would open a faucet, and put air pressure in to keep pressure above pump cuton level until air started coming out of the snifter valve (I think that is what the air volume control valve is called on the side of the tank that has the float inside?). When air starts to come out, I would stop putting in air and the pump would kickon and the water would raise the float cutting off the air exiting from the snifter valve and the tank would repressurize. Does this make sense? I don't see how putting pressure upstream of the check valve would hurt, so long as the pressues was not too high (I'll keep it below the pump cutoff pressure) but higher than the pump cuton pressure.
Does this make sense?
