Check Valve
A check valve is a one-way valve that lets water flow in a single direction and blocks it from running backward.
A check valve does its whole job with a flap, ball, or spring that opens with forward flow and seals shut the moment flow reverses. In a pump system, that one-way behavior is essential. On a sump or ejector pump, the check valve sits on the discharge pipe so that the column of water already lifted out of the pit does not drain right back down when the pump shuts off. Without it, the pump would re-pump the same water on every cycle and burn out early.
On a well system, a check valve at the pump keeps water from siphoning back down the casing between cycles, which holds prime and keeps the pressure tank from emptying. A failing check valve usually announces itself with a loud thump or hammer each time the pump stops, or with a pump that cycles far more often than it should because it keeps losing the water it just moved.
These valves are inexpensive and quick to swap, but a stuck or worn one can mimic a much larger problem, so it is one of the first parts a plumber checks when a pump short cycles or runs constantly.
Talking to a contractor about this?
Run the project past a licensed plumbing pro first. Calls are answered around the clock and routed to a pro serving your area.
- Sewage Ejector Pump : A sewage ejector pump lifts wastewater and solids from a below-grade bathroom or laundry up to the main sewer or septic line when gravity drainage is not possible.
- Grinder Pump : A grinder pump shreds household waste into a slurry and pumps it under pressure to a sewer or septic line, used where the distance or uphill run is too much for a standard ejector pump.