Can’t install new air relief valve on DE filter to discharge water in right direction

[mudgie]

I’m replacing the air relief valve and pressure gauge assembly on the top of my DE filter and I can’t seem to position the valve so that it’s facing the same direction as it was before. After I took out the old valve and cleaned the filter threads, I screwed in the new valve without the teflon tape to quickly verify that it would be facing in the right direction. But it wasn’t, it was pointing directly at me. I tried several times to screw it in with it facing a different direction at the start, but that didn’t work either, it always ended up in the same spot. I compared the threads on the old and new valves and the threads start in the same place on both valves so when the new valve is installed it should be facing the same direction as it did before and the discharged water should spray behind the filter and not in front of it where the operator and the controls are. I figured it was the teflon tape that was going to help make this happen so I applied the tape and installed the valve. The valve is now pointing directly at the heater. Not the results I was hoping for…

If I loosen the clamp on the filter and reposition the lid so that the air relief valve is pointing in the right direction, will a lot of water come flooding out? I removed the old air relief valve a few days ago so I’m not sure how much water is left in the tank but I know a lot of water did drain out. I really don’t want to remove the drain plug unless I absolutely have to. It’s been in place for 15 years and it’s never leaked because I’ve never removed it. It’s really cramped quarters. It would not be an easy task at all and it would probably give me a whole new set of problems to deal with. So I’d rather leave that alone if at all possible.

After I loosen the clamp, can I slowly turn the lid until it’s in the right position or could that damage the seal on the tank? Should I take the lid off instead to reposition it? It’s a really tight spot, three feet off the ground with a tree just inches away so I don’t have much room to work.

Should I try reinstalling the new valve again and see if it ends up in a different spot? I still need to install the new gauge but I was waiting until I got this issue resolved first. Does the gauge need to be screwed in all the way or just until it’s nice and tight and easy to see? My system’s been down for several days now because of this and we’ve had some incredibly hot weather so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
Marge

 

[Texas Splash]

Marge, first the pressure gauge. It should just be snug, no need to bear-down on it and make it too tight to where you could damage the fittings. With Teflon tape, it should remain drip-free. As for your relief valve, I would be inclined to suggest the same thing since I didn't see that in your comment above. With the Teflon tape, simply thread the new valve into place until it's pointing in the direction you need it to. Instead of going that last "extra" 1/2 or 3/4 turn which places it in the wrong direction, just leave it facing directly to the rear where you want it then let the system pressure-up and test for leaks. Or have you already tried that?

 

[mudgie]

Hi Pat, thanks for the reply. You nailed it exactly on the "extra 1/2 or 3/4 turn"! The 1/2 turn had it facing me and the 3/4 turn had it facing the heater. I was hoping for an extra 1/4 turn which would have had it facing the rear, but it was just too tight and I didn’t want to risk cracking the valve. I’ll try reinstalling the air relief valve again where it’s just snug and facing the rear. I didn’t seem like the o-ring on the valve was in contact with the filter at that point but I could be wrong. These only screw in a couple of turns so that must be the right stopping point. And thanks for verifying that the gauge only needs to be snug and not screwed in all the way. I’ll let you know how it goes. Thanks!

 

[mudgie]

When I re-installed the air relief valve without the extra 1/2 or 3/4 turn, the o-ring was not making contact with the filter and it was not a snug fit. So I removed the teflon tape and started over. This time I applied a lot more teflon tape (about 8 wraps I think) and lubed the teflon wrapped threads and the o-ring with silicone and now the air relief valve is nice and snug, the o-ring is seated firmly on the filter lid and the water is spraying out behind the filter. Nothing's leaking and everything seems to be working fine. The only thing that bothers me is that the startup psi has always been 20 and now it's 10. Could a new gauge give a different reading? It just seems weird. So I'm going to monitor that a bit more closely and see if anything changes.

Thanks again Pat for your feedback.

 

[Texas Splash]

Congratulations on the DIY work. Sounds like you did a great job. Yes, gauges can be a bit finicky and provide slightly different results based on the manufacture and what product they use inside the gauge. About a year ago, I purchased a replacement gauge from a pool local store, and while it's fine for now, I won't do that again. I'll order my next gauge from the TFTestKits web site where we get our TF-100 test kits. They have a great gauge that is much better built at a good price. In any case, just remember the starting (clean) pressure on your new gauge and simply use that as a reference so that when it builds-up to 25% higher so you know when to clean. Have a nice weekend!