Triton II TR-50 Air Relief Tube and Backwash question

[LlamaMamma]

Good morning. Newbie here, and being curious individuals, we opened up our sand filter last night to see what it looked like inside. While checking things out we discovered that the Air Relief Tube did not appear to be connected to its connector on the lower pipe assembly. Can you tell me what problems that could cause? I don't believe we accidentally disconnected it while learning, but was already an issue with our home purchase.

Additionally, we have a Pentair multiport valve on the side. I have read and watched videos about how the backwash and rinse functions work on a top mount filter with a standpipe, but wasn't sure what the water flow was like for a side mount? In backwash, does water get diverted to the lower pipe assembly instead?

Using the poolzoom parts diagram for reference. Pentair Triton II TR40, TR50, TR60, TR100, TR140 Sand Filter Parts

Thank you all!

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
Let's see if some of our folks with sand filter experience can provide some guidance.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry.

 

[griffths]

I have the Grandad of the Pentair Triton TR-100 (PacFab Superlow 100) which uses the (almost) same internal parts.

Under normal conditions you probably wouldn't notice any operational differences with or without the air bleed tube connected HOWEVER without the bleed tube connected there is no way for any trapped air to escape the filter except for the manual purge valve at the top of the filter.

So, the bottom line is....IF you do not have any suction side air leaks you will not notice any issues but if the have even a small leak, eventually the filter will start to fill up with air UNLESS you manually release it from time to time.

Personally, I would reattach the tube to be on the safe side. IF you were to have a failure of the pressure vessel (filter body) AND it was filled with air at the time of failure, it would be an understatement to say if would be loud and dangerous since air is compressible.

With the tube in place to allow the air to escape, with only water (not compressible for the purposes of this discussion) the filter would breach and the pressure would immediately fall without any fireworks.

Lastly, without the tube connected, you MAY notice a small amount of sand making its way into your pool through the fitting on the return pipe in the filter that the bleed tube would normally connect to.

To answer your question regarding the multi-port valve, there is a dedicated waste port on the valve body where the water is discharged when in the "backwash" or "waste" position.

Hopefully this all makes sence and answers your questions but if not, I am happy to clarify as needed.

 

[LlamaMamma]

griffths, thank you for your detailed response. What you explained is in line with what I was thinking. We were able to reconnect the air relief tube to the lower piping assembly and replaced the strainer which was missing from the top. I do believe we have a suction side air leak which will have to be resolved soon. This was a new home purchase and our first pool so this is all very new to us. But we are happy to have warm weather, an open pool, clean water, and our TF-100 test kit is on its way!