What exactly does a check valve protect against?

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plnewb

Well-known member
Aug 17, 2023
160
SoCal
You folks all have plunged me deep into a quest that is making me think about things I've never thought of before.

It's my understanding that a check valve enforces a unidirectional flow and stops flow backward when the pump is turned off, they protect the pool's plumbing from getting damaged and the pool water from getting filled with dirt and gunk, but:

1. The check valve appears AFTER the filter, so is all it's doing is ensuring the "clean side" of the filter remains clean and doesn't get contaminated by backflow when the pump's turned off?

2. Is there any harm in having a "failsafe valve" after the check valve that I can use to manually stop backflow if the check valve ever started to fail and I needed to buy some time before I got a replacement check valve?
 
p,

The reason for a check valve is just to make sure water can only flow one direction.

It has nothing to do with clean side or or dirt or gunk.

I see no reason to have a manual valve after a check valve.. Check valves are more a convenience, and having one fail is not going to cause a major issue.

Some check valve locations..

1. Between a Chlorine tab feeder and the heater. This prevent low pH water from the tab feeder from flowing backwards into the heater.
2. In front of the main pool pump. Usually done when there is a system leak that allows the pump to drain back into the pool. Adding a check valve is the lazy to 'fix' the problem.
3. There is normally a check valve on the Spa return line used in the pool mode to create the spa spillover. This check valve prevents the spa from draining back into the pool, when the pump is off.
4. Between the pump and the filter when you have a cartridge filter.. This check valve prevent the filter from draining back into the pump when the pump lid is removed.
5. I'm sure there are more, I just can't think if them right now.

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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