Lavac Air Bleed 'valve'

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Lavac Air Bleed \'valve\'

I am in the process of installing a Lavac, a used ceramic bowl with new pump and hoses. What I don’t have is the small plastic air bleed valves. The installation manual mentions that two are provided, each with a different sized hole, the larger the hole, the less water remains in the bowl. Just to confuse, on the next page in the manual it states that for installations above the waterline use the white one and for installations below the waterline use the black one.

Does anyone know the sizes of the holes in these valves? On the Lavac that I had about 25 years ago there was just a hole drilled in the hose – no plastic nipple/valve. Are they just a piece of plastic with an accurately drilled hole and not actually a valve at all ?
 
Re: Lavac Air Bleed \'valve\'

They are, as you stated, just bits of plastic (a bit like the plugs from the end of a Bic pen) with a small holes drilled in each. One has a larger hole than the other.

I am sorry but I do not know the hole sizes. I wish I did as I have lost the two supplied with the toilet as well. I did not use them as I was replacing anoher Lavac and re-using the inlet hose with the original vent in place.
 
Re: Lavac Air Bleed \'valve\'

Use the end from a biro /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Or tape it over and pierce a hole in the tape with a hot needle

Hole size varies, so you may want to start small and then enlarge it until you get the fill rate you need. Mine has a hole of 1.5mm diam.
 
Re: Lavac Air Bleed \'valve\'

We have a Lavac installed on our boat but I've never been able to find the bleed valve. The vacuum system obviously needs some relief (witness the next in line also in need of relief desparately trying to lift the seat!) so where is the correct position to pierce the hole?
 
Re: Lavac Air Bleed \'valve\'

Many thanks for all replies. As it happens I have just binned all of my dead biros, I'll dig them out and experiment with a range of hole sizes.
 
Re: Lavac Air Bleed \'valve\'

As stated start with a small hole about 1mm and work up until you reach a compromise between losing vacuum (no flush) and not being able to get the seat up for ages. About 10-15 seconds seems to work well enough and I seem to remember that was a 1.5mm hole just drilled in to the top of the pipe at it's highest level. Didn't use the valves supplied.

Good luck

Chas
 
Re: Lavac Air Bleed \'valve\'

Just like to emphasise that the air bleed goes in the inlet water pipe.
>
> It's been known for them to be put in the wrong pipe !!

Worth cleaning them now and then. A bristle from SWMBO's tooth brush is just the job
 
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