Air Lock Prevention Tips
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- Zoeller Pump Company offers some insights to preventing the common issue of airlock in your sump pump. Learn what to look for and how to prevent this from happening when installing sump pumps.
www.zoeller.com
www.zoellerpump...
Best explanation I've found for why vent holes are necessary. It's also great that Zoeller is straightforward about the limitations of their built-in vent hole.
They didn't say what size it should be..
@@MykGyver 3/16
Good advice I have a pedestal sump pump no problem 4 months, but if I change over I'll do as u say thanks for this video
I love this pump because that vent hole, also does a fantast job as a siphon all I do is turn the pump on for a about 30 seconds and than I unplug it and water is pulled threw the vent it runs for days if I got a lot of water .I would buy this pump again . Mine says to put on a flat surface but that is not a good idea this makes a lot of restriction I put mine on rocks
Thank you VERY much for this video, extremely helpful and very well done
Glad it was helpful!
Air lock holes are so annoying to listen to when they spray everywhere, so I avoid pumps that need them
Have u had any trouble I have a pedestal sump pump no trouble 4 months lucky so far
i had a problem with my pump. it would run but not pump. i pull it out and gave it a good shake. lots of black crud fell off and when I reinstalled it, it started pumping again. At the time I had no idea about the air lock hole. I suspect it was plugged. Thx for the info. Im going to pull out my pump again and look for this hole.
This guy is a genius.
The weep hole is necessary in the discharge pipe even if the weep hole in the pump isn't clogged. It's rare and conditions must be just right, but I have seen pumps air lock with the pump weep hole not clogged.
Should the hole be above or below the water line?
The last slide in the video says to drill the hole even with the top of the pump. Another part of the slide says to drill it above the "on" water level, and below the check valve. Based on that, I'd say to drill it at the level of or just barely above the topmost part of the pump, which would typically be just above the highest water line.
My hole seems to shoot almost 50% of the water back into the well. Therefore the pump runs continuously
@C B LOL. I don't even remember posting this comment! Drunk maybe??? Since then I changed out my pump and in the process found out my check valve was the problem. There was an f'ing pebble caught in it. Hence water flowing back into the pit.
Same
@C B lol
@C B Its not often i LOL, but this one did it for me.
Is definitely does not shoot 50 percent of it back in. Unless you used a drill bit much bigger than 3/16. The loss in efficiency is negligible considering you elimate the risk of airlock. An airlocked pump will burn itself out and increase the risk of flooding.
My plumber drilled the 3/16" hole on the outlet pipe below the water level real close to the outlet of a 1/2 hp model 267 waste ejector. after seeing that and reading that the hole should be drilled above the water level where the pump turns on, he drilled a second hole. My concern is if having two 3/16" holes will cause the pump longer than it should since water is escaping while the pump is running. This bring me to my next question, what is the normal run time per cycle to empty a standard 18" x 30" simplex pit?. The lift is about 12ft straight with one 30 degree bend and has a check valve installed about 2 ft above the top of the pit.
Good morning! Questions like these are more fit for our product support staff. You can reach them by emailing your comment here to zcotechnical@zoeller.com or calling 1-800-928-7867 and pressing 6 from the menu options to reach one of our experts. I hope this helps!
What size Drill Bit?
3/16" drill bit.
Correct, We recommend a 3/16" hole about the height of the pump inside the pit.
Luckily for me most my systems are outdoors and do not need a check valve. Thank you for your response
You a goof lol
If you know the hole get clogged easily, why not design it differently?
My 2hp sewage pump setup worked flawlessly for 3 years but now the weep hole keeps getting clogged. Do you think my cutter is dull and allowing too many solids out of the discharge??
Good morning! Our technical support staff can help you troubleshoot your application. You can reach them by emailing zcotechnical@zoeller.com or by calling 1.800.928.7867 and pressing option 6.
With the 105 laundry pump, because the pump is so powerful, I have a loud water hammer bang at the end of it's pump cycle. Can I install some kind of water hammer arrestor on ABS piping? I haven't been able to find any...
Hello, if you continue to experience water hammer as the pump shuts off, we would recommend the addition of our Zoeller Quiet Check Valve (www.zoellerpumps.com/en-us/products/accessories/check-valves/quiet). Water hammer is usually caused when the check valve closes at higher velocities. Several other options to help eliminate it are also to make sure that the discharge piping is secured to the wall etc.. and possibly make sure that the discharge pipe does not have negative drop. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to our Product Support Department at zcotechnical@zoeller.com.
How do i prevent freezing of a pump that must be outside?
Good morning! Our Product Support experts would be more than happy to help you troubleshoot your specific application. You can reach them at zcotechnical@zoeller.com or by calling 1-800-928-7867 and pressing option 6. I hope this helps!
So what's considered "high head?" My Zoeller Waste-Mate 267-0001 Sewage Pump, 1/2 HP doesn't have the 3/16ths hole yet and this week, it got "stuck" from the air pocket as it's been drought-like conditions where I live. So I'm considering the hole now and I understand that it needs to be drilled below the check valve and above the discharge at a downward angle so that any spray lands in the sump pit...but the instructions say that if you have a "high head," you might want to avoid this.
My pump pumps up to about 3.5 - 4.5 feet before crossing through the silent check valve, then up another 2.5-3 feet before doing a 90 and heading about 40 or so feet before going downward into the city rainwater. Is the "head" the portion of pipe that water goes through until it reaches the check valve? If so, adding the vent shouldn't hurt anything, right?
If you have a question about a Zoeller product and need support, please email us as zcotechnical@zoeller.com or call 1-800-928-7867 and select option 6 for our Product Support Specialists.
Just drill the weep hole about even with with top of the pump. It will be fine. I had my pit dry out during a drought as well, and also caused air lock. After I drilled the weep hole, it never had a problem again. You won't lose that much efficiency from the weep hole. It's better than having a pump burn out and cause flooding.
@@NoName-gv6nm, totally agree. I'm happy I drilled mine.
However...
One thing worth noting for people with exit lengths installed within joist locations is that the hole introduces air into the line and this can increase noise of the respective cycles due to how air pockets get trapped within pipes. It shouldn't be enough to cause major problems, but as a result, it does increase noise within the exit pipe as water travels out and air within the pipe slides around inside the line, the severity of which depends on where and how the exit line(s) are installed within a home (i.e. - if the exit line is suspended from joists via hangers that struggle to dampen vibration caused by the water sliding around once the cycle ends or if the line pumps along an upward grade during its journey to daylight). There's a lot to it and results vary between homes and their respective configurations.
@Wolf_22 yeah I can see that being an issue for sure. It certainly causes more noise. Lucky for me, my pit is about 2 feet from the wall. Only about 5 feet of pipe. So it's dead silent in my home. Maybe there's something you can do to dampen vibration? Cheers 🍻
@@NoName-gv6nm, there is. When I first moved in, I had to run about 20' worth of exit line through the entirety of my basement + crawlspace as the endpoint was the only way to reach daylight. Since then, I've managed to get my town's mayor to martial his troops and get an 8" drain line installed in my backyard (which connects to the city main line). So, this summer I'm rerouting everything back to that through my back basement wall, which translates to disconnecting my lines from my joists and having only 3' worth of exit line in the basement before going through my basement and out at a downward angle into that 8" drain pipe. :)
Looking forward to it, too! Ha.
Here's the problem with this video's advice when installing the Zoeller Aquanot backup sump pump into your existing system. The kit comes with a check valve that screws directly into the main pump body and has a small vent hole below the flapper. That's fine...HOWEVER, in this video they clearly recommend drilling a second vent hole in the discharge pipe between the main pump base and the check valve. That is impossible in this case because by Zoeller's own design there is no discharge pipe between the main pump base and the check valve. The check valve screws directly into the main pump base. Isn't the lack of a second vent hole going to cause issues down the road.....???????????????
You dont have to use the screw in chech valve. You can simply use a 1 1/2 Male adapter to screw in the PVC discharge line and buy a 1 1/2 check valve to install it higher.
You need to put an extension on the pump 6”-8” whatever length then reattach the check valve and on that extension drill the 3/16 weep hole at a 45 degree angle downward and that is the secondary air hole when the built in one on the pump gets clogged with rust usually , does that make sense it on you tube
Hi Walt - The video is discussing general recommendations for a standard system without the DC system installed. The small hole drilled in the threaded check (think of the threaded portion as your discharge stack that you normally will drill the weep hole in) that comes with the 508 DC systems will be sufficient for providing the weep hole. The cast iron pump itself has a weep hole already installed. Both recommendations from other comments will work as well as long as the pit is deep enough to allow you to utilize a taller stack under the check valve. This is not always the case as we see these systems installed in very small pits, unfortunately.
I just had a Zoeller 1/2 hp installed into my craw space and I asked about the weep hole above the check valve and if it’s needed he said absolutely no it’s not. So what gives all you so called pro’s?
Hey Walt, your point is right on the check value on the Zoeller is screwed directly into the base of the pump making it impossible to add an additional weep hole. When I asked the owner of the company that waterproofed our pure red clay dirt crawl space and it’s a crawl believe me he said with the utmost assurance that you don’t need a 2nd vent hole the pump I’m made so that it’ll never fail. I even asked him well it’s cast iron what if it rusts shut. He said nope won’t happen. They installed an 1/2 hp pump idk the model # I thought 1/3 hp would’ve been plenty but whatever. As an aside the reason for the pump was I never had a water problem underneath the house until we got a new septic system installed and now we get ground swell water coming up from underneath because of all the dirt they excavated and replaced with 2-750 gallon tanks plus another 500gallon tank. Therefore removing the soil that would have soaked up the rainwater. UGH! Homeownership is a progressive pain in the neck the longer you live. We only have 1/2 an acre.
What happens if you drill a 1/4” hole? Just less head pressure and discharge rate?
The 3/16" is the recommendation based on our decades of testing. While a larger hole will still prevent the system from getting air-locked, it will introduce more water back into the pit (granted a small amount). This will cause the pump to work more and have less actual output. If you have any additional questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at zcotechnical@zoeller.com. Thanks!
If this is a problem why not dril it from factory?
We do include a predrilled 3/16" vent hole on a lot of our bottom intake pumps, but we still recommend a 3/16" hole be drilled in the discharge PIPE between the discharge of the pump and the bottom of the check valve, just in case the predrilled hole we made in the pump body gets clogged. I hope this helps!
so this is only if u put the pump in with water in it ? pls help
No. It should always be used when using a system that has a check valve. Air lock happens for a few reasons... but another condition that causes it is when the sump pit water level gets too low. When the water level comes back up, it causes that same air pocket. Just always drill the weep hole if you use a check valve in your piping.
Why don’t they just come with a pre-drilled vent hole?
Our Model 53 does come with a pre-drilled vent hole on the pump that you can see in the cover photo for this video, but that can become clogged up on the pump fairly easily. If a check valve is used, we recommend drilling a vent hole in the discharge pipe. This hole should be located within the basin between the pump and check valve, usually a few inches above the pump “on” level but below the pit cover. The vent hole will prevent air-locking from occurring. It's a pretty small step to prevent a bigger headache from happening down the road. We hope this helps! Should you have any further technical questions, please contact our tech support team at zcotechnical@zoeller.com or 1.800.928.7867 and press option 6.
My pump still airlocks with the hole drilled. What can I do? I'm 60+ years old and can't keep getting under the crawlspace to fix!
Good Morning Randall. If your system continually airlocks with a weep hole that is not clogging then I would recommend contacting a professional plumber to come out and look at the piping configuration of the unit. If the water is being discharged out the weep hole while the system is running - and it is still not performing or able to pump anything out then the unit may be attempting to exceed the head capacity of the pump. There could also be an issue with the check valve itself that is causing a blockage that will let the pump continually run. If you still have any questions, please reach out to us at zcotechnical@zoeller.com. Thanks!
Sorry, meant to meant this comment to anther video.
how can I order 1hp of zoeller pump
There is a Distributor locator on our website. Be sure to call them first and make sure they have the model Zoeller Pump you want. If you are having trouble identifying which pump you need our Product Support department would be more than happy to assist. You can email them at zcotechnical@zoeller.com or call 1-800-928-7867 and dial option 6. Hope this helps!
why don't you drill. if i do it i might drill on the wrong spot
Doesn’t work
The Aquanot Spin 508 Model 53 Pro Pak has a weep hole right above the discharge on the main pump. I think this is also the check value? It is a black piece and that hole is right in the threaded area....it came this way. Does this serve as the weep hole? And if so, is this hole effective for dissipating air being it's under the waterline?
I've looked at the installation instructions for this kit and it does not say it needs a weep hole drilled by the installer. I've noticed that once in a while, after the main pump shuts off, air will bubble out from the bottom of the electric pump. Thanks