Air Lock Prevention Tips

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.

[fastcode]

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.

[michaelnogas]

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

[michaelwilkinson]

Thank you VERY much for this video, extremely helpful and very well done

[truenorthmuskoka]

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.

[LonnieRenda]

Should the hole be above or below the water line?

[SilentServiceCode]

Air lock holes are so annoying to listen to when they spray everywhere, so I avoid pumps that need them

[superdonchw]

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

[moltenpros]

If you know the hole get clogged easily, why not design it differently?

[gteran]

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??

[_floW]

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?

[davidbasha]

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.

[JohnnyUtah-]

My hole seems to shoot almost 50% of the water back into the well. Therefore the pump runs continuously

[geniferteal]

How do i prevent freezing of a pump that must be outside?

[aeko]

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...

[rustyme]

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.

[jaming]

so this is only if u put the pump in with water in it ? pls help

[jpadilla]

If this is a problem why not dril it from factory?

[jeffrx]

Why don’t they just come with a pre-drilled vent hole?

[cjmoore]

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

[waltwise]

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