Starting with the faucet closest to the main valve, turn on all your faucets halfway. This creates a channel for the air to leave the plumbing system and avoids putting too much pressure on any single tap. Apart from fixtures, you should also turn on any appliances connected to your water supply.
Open every faucet in your home with a one-half turn of the tap to drain your water with an even flow and release air from the line. Start with the taps closest to your well's main water valve and work your way throughout your home.
Work in a clockwise manner from the main water supply throughout the house. Open each hot and cold water faucet a half turn to let air and water escape. Repeat this process for toilets, showers, tubs, the washing machine and dishwasher. By turning on these fixtures and appliances, it pulls the air out of the lines.
Spluttering taps, irregular flow and loud noises coming from your pipes can indicate the presence of air in your water lines. Air in water lines is not usually a serious problem for your plumbing system. However, if left unchecked, it can cause severe water-flow and noise issues in your home.
If your well can't get enough water supply due to drought, the pump system will suck in air as it functions. The trapped air will make its way into your piping and faucets. The problem will persist for as long as the drought continues.
Not only can air in the system be indicative of your well pump needing to be purged and re-primed, it could also be an indication that the well itself is low on water. When the water level gets low, the well pump will draw air in as well as water, leading to the sputtering at your water fixtures.
Opening Faucets and Fixtures
To create a path for air to escape, you'll run all of your home's faucets, fixtures, and water-using appliances. Open each faucet about halfway, both hot and cold, open outdoor hose bibs, and flush all your toilets once. Run your dishwasher and washing machine through a short cycle.
Identify & avoid suction leaks Did you know you can check for air leaks using plastic wrap? Just wrap the plastic wrap tightly around a potential air leak path (union joint or cam fitting), and turn the pump on. If an air leak exists, the plastic wrap will tighten to the area.
Flushing the Pipes. Attach a hose to one of the faucets or an outdoor tap, ensuring the other end is positioned in a drain or outside where water can flow freely. Open the faucet and let water flow through the pipes for a few minutes. This helps flush out loose sediment and debris, improving water flow.
If there the air pressure is too high (Fig 4) the water has discharged completely at 30psi, before the pump starts at 20psi, causing a brief interruption in water flow and a sudden surge when the pump cuts in. The pump will also cycle more rapidly.
Turn On Faucets Throughout Your Home
It is only necessary to open the faucets a half turn to allow the air in your pipes to escape. After you turn on all the cold and hot water faucets in your house, you should also flush your toilets to clear out the air trapped in your pipes.
Pump the water until it runs clear to get rid of any groundwater in the well. Use a hose connected to an outside faucet so the flushed water flows to a nearby drainageway rather than into your septic system or public sewer.
Leaking Drop Pipe or Casing
Cracks or leaks in the well's drop pipe or casing can introduce air.
The bubbles are not harmful in any way and the water is still safe to drink. If you need more information on Norfolk's drinking water, please contact the Division of Water Quality at 757-441-5678 between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m, Monday through Friday.
While these sounds can be scary and seem like serious issues, the cause is usually quite benign. Most often, a loud sound coming from your pipes is caused by trapped air. By turning off your main water supply and running all faucets for 10-15 minutes, you force any trapped air through your water pipes.
Use a Drain Pump: A drain pump extracts both air and water from the system to clear the pipes. Open and Close Valves: Sequentially opening and closing valves at different points can help purge air from the system.
For air purge systems to be effective, they must maintain an overpressure relative to the process air pressure within the valve. This ensures a continuous flow of air through the seal or end cover void into the valve, effectively pushing the product back and preventing leakage.
Mechanical causes of air bubbles
Sometimes water bubbles occur when the water level inside a well is low, causing air to get into the pump. When water inside a well “draws down” drastically, it could indicate the pump is too large for the well. Drought conditions can also cause the water level to drop.
One approach to highly oxygenated drinking water could be to add a very small concentration of hydrogen peroxide to natural drinking water. With such an additive, the hydrogen peroxide would achieve the desired result of adding the desired oxygen to the water.