air separator in water line

I assume you could use the same thing that we use to remove air from a hydronic heating system. Not surprisingly, an automatic vent. You can even use an air separator with an automatic vent on top of it. Of course, you can also leave the air in there and let it collect in your pressure tank, but might not want to if it's a bladder tank. If you have water-hammer extensions on your pipes, entrained air would refill them. Too much air will just burp out, but you might find that distracting.

I do not really know why I am attempting to answer your question. You already know the answer. If you are getting air in the column pipe, you have a hole in the pipe. Your system is closed if you have pressure tank. Your pump needs to be pulled. Yes, replace the check valves, they do not last forever. Yes, two and the first one one joint above the pump, the other at the surface. Why one joint up? Because water come out of the pump swirling and wear out faster on top of the pump. If you do not then here is the worst case senario. Pump comes on fills up the pressure tank, if you have a bad check valve then water drains back through the pump turning the opposite direction. Pressure drops and pump starts, it was turning the opposite direction now the right direction at 3460 rpm in a blink of an eye. This can cause a shaft to break or twist. Filling a empty string of pipe will cause the impellers to upthrust and you will have excessive thrust bearing wear in your motor because of the excessive starts per hour. Depending on how bad your ck. valve is, it could turn into a yo yo. Water goes up and down. Electricity use goes up. If a hole in the pipe then no back spin but excessive starts and excessive thrust bearing wear. Pull it now or shut it off and use only when you have to.

Scott in Texas

"Karl Townsend" fired this volley in news:49be9544$0$57667$ snipped-for-privacy@auth.newsreader.octanews.com:

Way worse than that, Karl. If you install a TOP checkvalve in any well deeper than 32ft, you're going to get a whale of a waterhammer when that moving column hits your plumbing at vacuum-accerated speed.

Without the top check, the water will only come as fast as the pump might normally eject it from x-feet deep. WITH the valve, there will be a column of partial vacuum assisting the pump. The water will probably be moving pretty fast when it hits the Ell-fitting at the top of your wellhead.

LLoyd

snipped-for-privacy@cctc.net fired this volley in news:35f065fc-4f28-4150-9669- snipped-for-privacy@13g2000yql.googlegroups.com:

Could be water vapor at a partial vacuum, too. You don't need a leak at the _top_ in a deep well for the water level in the pipe to drop. The weight of the water column will do that, if the foot valve is leaking.

If there's no leak at the top, it will STILL drop, but it won't be air

LLoyd

Thanks, got one on order.

Karl

You and jano raise valid points. But that pump is 24 years old, it will have to be replaced when I pull it this time. Big $, about $4K I'd guess. I only get paid in the fall, so I'm going to try and limp by for a few months.

Karl

You may not need to replace the pump. I know of several that are decades old. One I think is still running was set 11/07/62. If a pump makes it past 10 years, there was something "right" about the mfg. or design or the install and usage. Just because it is old does not mean it needs to be replaced. Ohm it and check the shaft height. Shaft height is the most critical the insulation resistivity 2nd. You have an above average pump do not abuse it. LLoyd is right waterhammer will hammer your thrust bearing FAST if you do not replace the one in the well. Years ago the experts said to place check valves a 150 ft apart in deep set wells. Now the experts do not stress this, now they just install a ck one joint up. If the bottom ck goes bad then then water hammer will kill the motor because of water hitting the next check up on start up. Most subs use a kingbury type thrust bearing. If you want to see what one looks like.

Scott