Are you hearing a loud thumping noise when the sump pump shuts off? And is the noise irritating you? There is a solution. The noise can be deafened. How? Installing a quiet check valve greatly reduces and even eliminates the noise.
So now the question is, what is the difference between a noisy and a quiet check valve? The difference is defined by how the water is controlled when the pump motor shuts off. A noisy check valve has a flapper that shuts as the water rushing backwards hits it. Whereas a quiet check valve has a weighted spring that controls the closing of the gate and thus the water hammer noise. The big difference is a spring controlled gate.
There are other differences between the traditional and quiet check valve. This review will highlight seven differences. Plus Learn which brands and models are best.
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The 9 basic differences between a noisy standard check valve and a quiet check valve are: design, noise, durability, material, connection type, installation and replacement, maintenance, efficiency, and cost. This review explains these nine differences so that you can be an educated shopper and pick the one that is best for your water pumping needs.
Both the traditional noisy and quiet check valve are designed to stop water from flowing back through the sump pump and into the sump pit after the pump motor stops to prevent unnecessary motor wear caused by re pumping the same water multiple times. They are known as one-way check valves with two open ends so water flows in from the pit and out the top to be removed from the pit.
Both types have flapper/gates to hold the backward flowing water above the flapper/gate so it does not reenter the pit. The style differences become evident in the design used to hold the water above the flapper/gate.
The noisy check valve flapper/gate closes when the backward flowing water pushes against it. It's like a screen door without a tension bar. It slams when closed. The quiet check valve on the other hand is designed with a tension loaded spring to control the closing of the gate. It's like a screen door with a tension bar that causes the screen door to quietly close.
The check valve body is different for these two types. The noisy check valve body is small and just large enough for the flapper to move. On the other hand the quiet check valve body is larger to not only allow the gate to move but to also absorb the hydro static sound.
Two different connection types can be used on both the traditional and quiet check valve ends.
The noise level of a sump pump check valve can be alarming the first time it is heard. The noise level is high because water is pumped from the pit with great force by the pump motor.
The more water, the greater the horse power and the greater the frequency of pumping, the louder the sound is. The sound of water flowing upward is slightly noticeable. But when the pump motor stops the water quickly flows backward down the discharge pipe and it hits whatever is in its path.
The check valve flapper/gate is its stopping point.
There is a big difference between the durability of the standard and a quiet check valve. Handling both check valves soon convinces the home owner that the quiet check valve is quality made of heavy plastic, a strong tension spring and a durable swing gate. Its size alone indicates quality. But its tension loaded spring controlled swing gate is what really distinguishes it. The spring is strong with a lot of tension that wears well.
We have owned both types of check valves and will always use a quiet check valve. Our current quiet check valve is over six years old, gets a lot of use and is functioning perfectly. There is so much difference between the durability of these two check valve types.
PVC is most commonly used for both check valve types; however cast iron is sometimes used for noisy check valves but never quiet sump pump check valves. Cast iron is no longer considered the Eco-friendly way to go; however it handles stress better though over time it corrodes.
Because check valves undergo much stress a thicker PVC body is best. The quiet check valve body is known to be made of much thicker PVC than that used for the traditional noisy check valve.
Both the standard noisy and quiet check valve have two connection ends which attach inline to the PVC discharge pipe to transport water from the sump pit to its desired external destination.
These two connection ends have differences. The major differences are three: what they look like, the material used and how they attach to the PVC discharge pipe.
The connection types have advantages and disadvantages.
All sump pump check valves require cleaning when small stones get trapped under the flapper or swing gate. Trapped small pebbles prevent the flapper and switch from closing tightly.
Unlike the traditional check valve which is made of non-opaque material, quiet check valves offer a see through chamber body which makes it so easy to see trapped stones in the chamber body.
Having owned both a noisy and quiet check valve it is noticeable that the noisy flapper check valve traps stones much easier than the tension loaded spring gate quiet check valve. Every year we removed stones from our standard check valve but in six years our quiet check valve is not trapping small pebbles and the tension spring remains strong.
The end connections of the check valve make a big difference in the ease of installation and replacement.
The easiest end connection type to install and replace is the Slip Connection. Slip connections just slip over the PVC pipe and are held secure by stainless steel bands that screw and unscrew.
Compression and Union connectors rely on a coupling that can easily be screwed and unscrewed when installing and replacing a check valve. However their end connections are not the same.
Compression Connector ends slip over the PVC pipe and rely on an O-ring and grommet to seal the connection so unscrewing the coupling loosens the check valve body for installation and replacement. Nothing is primed and glued.
Union Coupling connection ends on the other hand require permanent priming and gluing of the union ends to the PVC discharge pipe. Though the ends are permanent, the Union coupling can be screwed and unscrewed to install and replace the check valve body.
Check valves do impact the efficiency of sump pumps both positively and negatively. They positively impact the pump motor by preventing pit water from returning through the pump and back into the pit when the motor stops. Their flapper or gate allows the water to only flow above the check valve flapper or gate and not below it. They negatively impact the flow of water from the pit to its intended destination because the water must flow through the check valve flapper or gate.
Quiet check valves impact the forward flow of water more than noisy check valves because a quiet check valve's gate is controlled by a tension spring. The benefit of installing a quiet check valve far outweighs the slight slowing down of the water flow from the sump pit.
The benefits of a quiet check valve are: quietness because water hammer is removed, durability because they are built much stronger, less maintenance because small pebbles do not get caught as easily,
The cost for standard vs quiet check valves varies. The brand and where they are made does make a difference; however in general quiet check valves cost more and sometimes twice as much as standard check valves.
The following questions will help you to decide which is the best sump pump check valve: standard noisy or quiet.
Check out the following installation steps for installing a sump pump check valve.
Congratulations you have just installed a new sump pump check valve.
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