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Water Tank Drain Valve Location & Repair
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InspectAPedia tolerates no conflicts of interest. We have no relationship with advertisers, products, or services discussed at this website.
This article describes Where do we find the water pressure tank drain valve on a private well, tank, and pump system, how is it used during water tank service or repair, and how we replace or repair leaky drain valves.
Readers of this document should also see Water pump and pressure tank repair diagnosis & cost an specific case which offers an example of diagnosis of loss of water pressure, loss of water, and analyzes the actual repair cost.
Green links show where you are. © Copyright 2013 InspectAPedia.com, All Rights Reserved. Author Daniel Friedman.
WATER TANK DRAIN VALVE Guidelines, Usage, Location, Repairs
In this same photo you can see a round black handled drain valve in the center of the picture, just
below the pressure gauge. This valve is used to completely drain the water tank (and possibly
the entire water piping system too).
Usually the water tank drain is connected to a hose which is run outside
of the building or to a nearby floor drain.
This water tank drain is not normally opened when the pump is
turned on since you'll simply run the pump and flood the building, but we have used it as a convenient
way to connect a water hose to the system. We once put out a small fire in this manner.
In an emergency if your building has lost water pressure but a neighbor's water system is working, you can "back feed" your building's water piping by connecting a garden hose from your neighbor's outside water faucet to this water tank drain.
You'll need a double-female-ended washing machine hose to complete the connection. Of course you could back-feed from a neighbor to any easily accessible hose connection on your building such as an outside water spigot or a washing machine cold water hookup as well. |
Water tank drains should be piped to a visible location: not installed with a drain
to a crawl space as this owner did. For convenience, the owner wanted to be able to
drain the water system to avoid freezing when this home in Rhinebeck New York was unoccupied.
But first of all, sending water into the crawl space risks mold, rot, and insect damage
to the building, and second, it's generally a bad idea to send any drain, overflow,
or relief valve to a hidden location. If the piping is leaking we want to know it.
If the water tank drain is leaking it needs to be repaired (usually a simple internal
washer) or replaced.
But you can defer this repair by screwing a garden hose cap onto the
gauge threaded outlet. We put these caps on all of our tank drains in areas where children
are playing since on occasion they've been opened by curious kids. |
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Technical Reviewers & References
Related Topics, found near the top of this page suggest articles closely related to this one.
- Mark Cramer Inspection Services Mark Cramer, Tampa Florida, Mr. Cramer is a past president of ASHI, the American Society of Home Inspectors and is a Florida home inspector and home inspection educator. Mr. Cramer serves on the ASHI Home Inspection Standards. Contact Mark Cramer at: 727-595-4211 mark@BestTampaInspector.com
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- Smart Tank, Installation Instructions, Flexcon Industries, 300 Pond St., Randolph MA 02368, www.flexconind.com, Tel: 800-527-0030 - web search 07/24/2010, original source: http://www.flexconind.com/pdf/st_install.pdf [Copy on file as /water/Smart_Tank_Flexcon.pdf ] -
- Water pressure tanks - how to diagnose the need for air, how to add air, stop water pump short cycling to avoid damage - water storage water pressure tank safety.
- Water pump and pressure tank repair diagnosis & cost an specific case offers an example of diagnosis of loss of water pressure, loss of water, and analyzes the actual repair cost
- Water pressure tank failures & water pump short cycling diagnosis and repair
Books & Articles on Building & Environmental Inspection, Testing, Diagnosis, & Repair
 The Home Reference Book - the Encyclopedia of Homes, Carson Dunlop & Associates, Toronto, Ontario, 25th Ed., 2012, is a bound volume of more than 450 illustrated pages that assist home inspectors and home owners in the inspection and detection of problems on buildings. The text is intended as a reference guide to help building owners operate and maintain their home effectively. Field inspection worksheets are included at the back of the volume. Special Offer: For a 10% discount on any number of copies of the Home Reference Book purchased as a single order. Enter INSPECTAHRB in the order payment page "Promo/Redemption" space. InspectAPedia.com editor Daniel Friedman is a contributing author.
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