Q&A on Air Discharge from Faucets or Fixturess

Pitless Adapter Leak caused air in plumbing
Snifter Valve Malfunction leet air into pipes

Sputtering Air Problem at all house faucets traced to old Snifter Valve and Drainback Valve left on the System

Sputtering Air Problem: I've had a problem of air in my pipes sputtering intermittently from all the house faucets. The blasts of air seem to happen as the water pressure tank nears cut in. My neighbors have suggested that my well is running dry. This problem has been going on for two years.

I have a submersible well pump and a Well-x-Trol internal-bladder tank psi set at 18 for a pump switch 20-40.

I noticed last week what looks like a Schrader valve (but not sure) on the water intake line located perhaps on the well side of the check valve (attached picture).

On a whim, I borrowed a cap from my car tire valve and replaced the valve cape (which had an opening at its tip, why?).

Astonishingly, no more air is sputtering out of the faucets.

Is it possible this air valve was allowing air into the piping? Is it possible the house, constructed in the mid-70s had a bladder-less water tank that somehow used this air valve.

I should also mention that simultaneously we finally had great rain erasing the drought starting the day I put the cap on the value. Could the problem have been caused by a combination of two or more events: a low water table and this mysterious Schrader valve, and perhaps a poorly functioning check valve?

Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Perplexed. On 2018-08-08 by Bill

by (mod) - cap the old snifter valve to see if that's the excess air inlet

Right, Bill.

If you have an internal bladder type pressure tank you don't need the snifter valve. And the newer bladder tank probably has its own air pressure adjustment valve near the tank top.

IF that's the case you an either remove the snifter valve or just leave it capped as you have done.

If you still see air entering the system there could be a second drainback valve in the well but from your description that doesn't sound like the problem.

Bill, if your old bladderless water tank was repalced by a bladder type tank the snifter valve serves no function and should be removed as should the drainback valve in the well - as I suggesteed earlier.

by Bill

Thank you for your advice. With the sniffer valve capped the air sputtering has stopped now for two weeks.

I will ask a plumber to look at the well's drawback valve.
Thanks again.

by (mod) - With the snifter valve capped the air sputtering has stopped now

Sounds right. Nice going.

by Bill

Thanks Mod.

I read the suggested article SNIFTER & DRAIN BACK VALVES

The question now is does my system need a functioning sniffer valve since my present system has a pressurized Well-x-Troll tank?

Is it possible the sniffer valve system was used by previous owners who occupied the house in summer and drained the well piping in anticipation of our New Hampshire winters.

But what purpose would it serve in my present system?

by (mod) - snifter valve air leak was letting air into the water piping - left for "winterizing the system"?

I suppose yes, the old snifter and drainback valve could have been left in place as a way to drain out the pipes between house and well to leave the house with heat off in winter.

Keeping an air tight cap on the snifter valve may be enough to avoid unwanted excess air in the system.

Overall, nice job diagnosing the air discharge problem. I suspect you had a mal-functioning snifter valve on your water system.

When you put a tire valve stem cap on the valve you stopped it from admitting air into the water system - a successful diagnosis of the source of excess air.

However you want the air admittance valve to work properly as we explain at SNIFTER & DRAIN BACK VALVES inspectapedia.com/water/Snifter_Valve.php

The air admittance valve prevents loss of the needed air charge in a bladderless pressure tank which in turn prevents well pump short cycling.

Watch out: it's is indeed tempting to simply replace the valve core in a leaky snifter valve system air inlet valve by buying a replacement valve stem core at your local automobile or bicycle tire valve supplier.

And indeed the replacement valve stem core will fit perfectly. And installing the new valve core will stop the excess air admittance.

However the spring on the snifter valve air inlet as originally designed for a well system is weaker or softer than the spring on a conventional car or bike tire valve: on the air admittance valve the softer spring opens the valve to let air in to the system at a very low pressure.

As a result, when you install a high-pressure (car or bike) valve stem core in to the air admittance valve it will no longer let air into the water system at all.

The result will eventually be total loss of the air charge in the water pressure tank (no make-up air is ever being added as air is absorbed into the water being used).

The result of that will be a water-logged water pressure tank.

The symptom of that will be well pump short-cycling on and off too frequently when water is being used.

The effect of all of that is a burned-up well pump motor and an the need for an expensive repair.

To give a more complete explanation I have expanded this topic in the article above. See

SNIFTER VALVE MALFUNCTION

Well system full of air, hissing found at well cover near the pitless adapter

My well/water system in my home is full of air. My well water is low PH, acidic. It does not like carbon steel.

The well is about 180' deep, and the pump should be at about 140'. The water level in the was at 100', but has not been checked recently. My well pump is 1 HP, 2 wire. My bladder tank is a 60 gallon size.

The well switch is set at 40-60 PSI. The tank pressure is about 2 PSI less than cut in pressure. I still have air pressure in the tank and no water at the air valve. I was told by the plumber that replaced the current pump, about four years ago, that he installed a check valve on the pump side of the pitless adapter.

I can remove the well cover and it sounds like a hissing noise, probably near the pitless adapter, so you would assume a leak.

Last night I tripped the pump breaker and isolated the pressure tank from the house. The pressure gauge read about 50 PSI. If there was a leak back to the pump, the tank should bleed down over night.

It didn't. The gauge was still at about 50 PSI. I opened the supply valve to the house and tripped the breaker on.

The pump ran once the water pressure dropped, but the line was full of air, lots of air.

Once the pump ran for awhile, the air noise went away and the pump then reached pressure and shut off. The house lines are still full of air. I assume there was a built-in check valve on the pump. If so, could this have failed, causing water to run back to the pump?

Maybe the check valve at the pitless adapter is bad too, or can't hold that amount of water in the pipe. I'm kind of lost trying to figure this out. (June 25, 2012) Richard H.

Reply: check the snifter valve

Richard, search InspectApedia for "snifter valve" or for the article titled "How to Find & Repair the Water Tank Air Volume Control Device " - hissing could be at that device if one is installed in your well.

I agree with the test you performed, but a check valve in the well piping could prevent pressure from falling in the system.

I'm guessing (from afar with little info) that there is a snifter valve in the well that allows makeup air into the system but there is no vent to remove excess air from the system at the pressure tank - that snafu can occur when an older bladderless water tank (that used a snifter valve and vent at the water tank) is replaced with a new internal bladder pressure tank while forgetting to remove the snifter valve on the well piping - that will keep injecting excessive air into the system.

Watch out: at SNIFTER VALVE MALFUNCTION - we explain that the old snifter valve at the water tank and old drain back valve in the well get removed if a new bladder type pressure tank is installed. Otherwise air will continuously be added into your water tank.

To understand more about these devices on water systems see SNIFTER & DRAIN BACK VALVES

Air at faucets and hissing at well head traced to worn out washer in the pitless adapter

Air was coming out of faucets when first used each day. Also there was some hissing at the wellhead. Traced problem to a worn out washer in the pittless adapter. When pump was running, water was flying out around the adapter and air was sucked in when the pump stopped.

Replaced the worn out washer with a new washer and the problem was fixed -- for a while. A few weeks later it happened again. So again I replaced the washer this time using a little synthetic lube on the washer. Again the problem was fixed for a while...

I figure the connection of the pittess adapter is moving probably every time the pump starts and stops.

This pump and pittless adapter has been fine for years, probably going on 30 years for the adapter and at least a decade for a quality submersible pump. To be honest here, I can't remember when it started. Perhaps after pulling up the pump at some point,

I don't remember it but I'm not remembering much of anything anymore. (old age.) It's now been years since this started happening. I cringe anytime I'm outside and hear the hissing at the wellhead. Probably wearing out the pump.

What happened all of a sudden for the pittless adapter washer getting worn in only a few weeks?

Do I now have to dig this up and replace the adapter? Are there any other solutions any knows of? One thing I could do is to replace the check valve at the bottom. But that won't stop the leak at the adapter.

Please help! On 2018-04-24 by Edro

by (mod) - how to find the depth of the pitless adapter for replacement work.

Edro,

Thank you for a very helpful remark.

What you describe is a great example of the problem that occurs when there is a leak anywhere in the well piping above the water level in the well.

I think the problem will be more severe if a leak in well piping is combined with a leaky foot valve in the well.

That's because when the pump stops water in the piping runs back down the line out of the foot valve and into the well.

Once the level of water in the piping is below the leak in the well piping then the continued leak of water down and out through the foot valve draws air into the well pipe.

The next time the pump turns on on air that was drawn into the well pipe is pushed up into the building water supply system and ultimately out of the faucets and fixtures.

Sorry to say that while the in-well side of the pitless adapter - the component on the well pipe itself can be repalced by uncapping the well and pulling the well piping up (see my photo), I don't know of a way to replace the entire pitless adapter without digging up the well head.

The good news is that the excavation shouldn't be extremely deep: the pitless adapter will have been put just below the area frost line depth.

Look into the well casing and measure down to the pitless adapter inside the casing. That can tell you how deep the excavation will need to be.

Watch out: don't drop your tape into the well or we'll have another problem.

For an example of pulling the well pipe up to get at the pitless adapter (and drainback valve) see DRAIN BACK & SNIFTER VALVE INSTALLATION / REPLACEMENT

For other readers:

Leaks at the pitless adapter where the vertical-rising well pipe inside the well exits out of the side of the steel well casing.

The pitless adapter is a special plumbing fitting that handles the passage of round well piping through the vertical sidewall of the steel well casing.

Watch out: On some wells we have found that the installer did not have a pitless adapter at hand so s/he simply applied putty or caulk around the opening in the well casing where the well pipe exited.

See

• Water Well Standards [PDF] California Department of Water Resources, 1416 9th Street, Sacramento CA 95814, TEl: 916-653-5791, DWR Chapter 10, retrieved 2016/06/10, original source: http://www.water.ca.gov/groundwater/well_info_and_other/california_well_standards/wws/wws_combined_sec10.html
  
  Excerpt: Pitless adapters and units were developed for use in areas where prolonged freezing occurs, and below ground (frost line) discharges are common. Both the National Sanitation Foundation and Water Systems Council have developed standards for the manufacture and installation of pitless adapters and units.
• California Well Standards - Bulletin 74-90 (Supplement to Bulletin 74-81) [PDF] (1991) (California government website) full document, local copy saved as CA-Well-Standards-74-90.pdf
• California Well Standards, Appendix B - SUGGESTED METHODS FOR SEALING THE ANNULAR SPACE AND FOR SEALING-OFF STRATA (California Government Website)