Conquering Air in Your System: The Essential Guide to Your Hayward Pool Filter Air Relief Valve

That frustrating sputtering from your return jets? Or perhaps your filter pressure gauge is reading suspiciously low? The culprit is often trapped air inside your swimming pool filtration system. Your Hayward pool filter air relief valve is the unsung hero designed specifically to solve these problems. Properly understanding and using this critical small component prevents reduced efficiency, potential equipment damage, and ensures crystal-clear water. This comprehensive guide explains everything pool owners need to know about identifying, operating, maintaining, and troubleshooting their Hayward air relief valve.

What Exactly is the Hayward Pool Filter Air Relief Valve?
Located prominently on the top of most Hayward sand, diatomaceous earth (DE), and cartridge filter tanks, the air relief valve serves one primary function: to purge unwanted air trapped within the filter. When you initially start your pump after opening the pool, backwashing, or cleaning the filter, air inevitably gets sucked into the system. If left inside the filter tank, this air pocket occupies valuable space meant for water, drastically reducing filtration efficiency and flow. The air relief valve provides a controlled outlet for this trapped air to escape, allowing the filter to fill completely with water for optimal operation.

Why Bother? The Critical Function of Air Removal
Trapped air isn't just an annoyance; it causes tangible problems for your pool system. An air pocket inside the filter tank reduces the effective filtration area, forcing water to take shortcuts and bypassing media. This significantly compromises your filter's ability to capture dirt and debris. More seriously, air can lead to cavitation – the formation and collapse of air bubbles under pressure – within the pump, causing vibrations, noise, and eventual damage to the impeller and seals. Furthermore, air exiting through your return jets creates sputtering and weak flow, impacting circulation and chemical distribution. A properly functioning air relief valve actively prevents all these issues.

Identifying Your Hayward Air Relief Valve
Hayward air relief valves are typically mounted on a vertical pipe or stem protruding from the top dome of the filter tank. They come in a few common configurations:

• T-Handle Valves: These are the most recognizable type. They feature a sturdy black plastic or metal T-shaped handle that you manually turn to open and close the valve. Widely used on Pro-Series Sand Filters (like ProSeries® Top-Mount), DE filters (like Perflex™), and many cartridge models.
• Knob-Style Valves: Some models, particularly older designs or specific DE filters, use a smaller knob you turn clockwise or counter-clockwise to open or close. Operation is similar to the T-handle but on a smaller scale.
• Integrated Valve Assemblies: On models like the Hayward Vari-Flo™ XL multiport valve (commonly used with sand filters), the air relief valve is often built directly into the top of the multiport valve lid itself. It usually takes the form of a small, raised T-handle or knob integrated into the lid casting.

Identifying your specific valve helps when referencing parts or troubleshooting instructions. Consulting your filter's owner's manual or identifying the filter model number will confirm the exact valve type.

Step-by-Step: How to Operate Your Hayward Air Relief Valve
Mastering air bleed is fundamental to starting your pump correctly and resolving air lock issues:

1. Initial Start-up (Pump Off): Ensure the pump is OFF. Locate the valve. Open it fully (turn the T-handle counter-clockwise 1-2 full rotations, or turn a knob counter-clockwise until it stops).
2. Start the Pump: Turn the pool pump on. You should immediately hear air hissing out forcefully through the valve opening. Water may also spit out initially.
3. Monitor the Air Flow: Keep the valve open. Watch and listen. As air escapes, the stream will gradually transition from a strong air blast to a mixture of air and water spitting, and finally to a solid stream of water.
4. Close the Valve: Once a steady, solid stream of water flows continuously out of the valve (indicating all air has been purged), close the valve completely (turn clockwise until snug). Avoid overtightening.
5. Confirm Normal Operation: Check your filter's pressure gauge. It should now read the normal "clean" pressure for your system. Observe the pool returns – there should be strong, consistent, bubble-free water flow. Your filter is now primed and operating efficiently.

Routine Bleeding During Normal Operation
While the initial bleed is most critical, small amounts of air can sometimes enter the system even during normal filter cycles. This is why periodically "burping" the filter is good practice:

1. Pump Running: Keep the pump running.
2. Quick Open & Close: Briefly open the air relief valve. You might hear a small hiss of air and see water spitting. Immediately close the valve again.
3. Observe: Only do this occasionally (like once a day). Significant air expulsion frequently suggests a leak elsewhere (pump lid, drain plugs, unions) that needs investigation.

Crucial Maintenance for Longevity
Like any pool component, the air relief valve requires basic maintenance to function reliably season after season:

• Regular Cleaning: Mineral deposits (calcium scale) and dirt can build up inside the valve body or on the seat. Periodically remove the entire valve assembly (usually unscrews by turning counter-clockwise). Clean all internal parts, especially the rubber sealing disc or O-ring and its seat inside the filter, with a soft brush and a mild pool-safe cleaner or dilute muriatic acid (rinsing extremely thoroughly afterwards).
• O-ring Inspection & Lubrication: Every time you clean the valve, inspect the main O-ring that seals the valve body into the filter tank, and any internal O-rings/seals around the stem or plunger. Look for cracks, tears, flattening, or brittleness. Lubricate all O-rings with a pure silicone pool lubricant before reassembling.
• Handle Function Check: Ensure the handle rotates freely and smoothly. Stiffness may indicate internal debris or imminent failure.
• Winterization: If closing your pool for winter, open the air relief valve to protect against freeze damage. This relieves pressure and allows water expansion.

When Air Bleed Doesn't Work: Troubleshooting Common Problems
Despite its simplicity, air relief valves can malfunction. Here's how to diagnose:

• Water Spitting Constantly While Pump Runs: This indicates the valve is failing to seal when closed. Possible causes: a worn or torn main O-ring sealing the valve body to the filter tank; a worn or debris-compromised internal seal (plunger O-ring or seat); a crack in the valve body itself. Requires disassembly, inspection, cleaning, and likely O-ring replacement or entire valve replacement. Also check that the valve is actually closed tight.
• No Air Releases / Doesn't Open: The valve might be clogged with debris or scale preventing air from passing through even when open. Disassemble and clean thoroughly. Internal parts may be seized or broken – requires replacement.
• Air Keeps Coming Back After Bleeding: If you purge air, close the valve, but air returns to the filter quickly (low pressure gauge, spitting returns), this usually signals an air leak before the pump impeller on the suction side. Common culprits: low water level in the pool (skimmers sucking air), loose pump lid O-ring or drain plugs, cracked pump basket lid, suction-side plumbing leaks, or a failing pump shaft seal allowing air entry behind the impeller. The valve is functioning; it’s constantly purging air being actively sucked in elsewhere.
• Leaking at Base When Closed: If water drips from where the valve threads into the filter tank, the main tank O-ring is likely compromised or improperly lubricated. Requires cleaning the mating surfaces and replacing/lubricating that O-ring.
• Stuck or Frozen Handle: Due to scale buildup or internal corrosion. Attempt disassembly after shutting off pump and relieving pressure. Often requires valve replacement.

Parts: Repair Kits and Full Valve Replacements
Hayward provides both individual parts and complete valve assemblies:

• Repair Kits: These kits contain the essential internal components – the plunger mechanism, O-rings, seals, spring (if applicable), and sometimes the stem. Ideal for a valve that leaks or doesn't seal but the body itself is intact. Example Kit: Hayward SPX0717DK (common for many T-handle models).
• Complete Valve Assembly: When the valve body is cracked, stripped threads, or significantly corroded/worn internally, replacing the entire unit is necessary. You'll need to know your specific Hayward filter model to ensure compatibility. Examples: SP0717XR, SPX0717XR (T-handle), SP0718 (Knob style).

Prevention is Key: Avoiding Air Problems Altogether
While the air relief valve is your safety net, minimizing air entry into the system reduces how often you need to use it:

• Pump Lid Priming: Before screwing the pump basket lid down tight, ensure the O-ring is lubricated and seated correctly. Run water over the lid seal to lubricate and help create initial seal. Start the pump immediately after closing the lid.
• Suction Side Leaks: Vigilantly check potential air entry points: pump drain plugs, unions connecting pump to plumbing, valves. A tiny suction-side leak allows significant air infiltration under vacuum.
• Clean & Lubricate O-rings: Make a habit of cleaning and lubricating all system O-rings (pump lid, drain plugs, multiport valve lid, unions, backwash valve) annually.
• Pool Water Level: Keep water at least halfway up the skimmer opening. Avoid letting it drop too low.
• Check Valve Function: If you have check valves on suction lines (e.g., for solar heating), ensure they are functioning correctly and not sticking open or closed.

Conclusion: Mastering This Vital Small Component
Your Hayward pool filter air relief valve, though small, plays an indispensable role in the health and efficiency of your entire pool filtration system. Understanding its purpose, mastering the simple operation of purging air, and performing basic preventative maintenance ensures your filter operates at peak capacity. By recognizing the signs of trouble and knowing how to troubleshoot common valve problems (or identify when the issue is actually an air leak elsewhere), you save yourself time, frustration, and costly repairs to the pump or filter. Embrace the routine of air bleeding – it's one of the easiest and most impactful things you can do to keep your pool water sparkling and your equipment running smoothly for years to come.