V20-230 Valpak Brass Manual Air Relief Assembly TR 100C/TR 140C for Heavy Duty Sand F

The Val-Pak V20-230 Brass Manual Air Relief Assembly is a HIGH QUALITY bit of kit offered at a very competitive price considering the MASSIVE functional improvement provided over the OE Pentair clear plastic air relief assembly and the long-term reliability value delivered by the Val-Pak cast and machined brass assembly!I maintain my own 15k-gallon in-ground pool in the Phoenix, Arizona metro area. I struggled for MANY YEARS with the OE Pentair Triton clear plastic air relief assemblies failing on my Pentair TR100 sand pool filter due to heat and constant sun exposure in the BLAZING HOT Arizona sun. Over 15 years of pool ownership and maintenance I've probably replaced a failed OE Pentair clear plastic air relief assembly on my Pentair Triton TR100 sand pool filter 6-7 times. The OE Pentair clear plastic air relief assembly installed on the Triton TR100 filter would fail either at the air relief valve threads or at the pressure gauge threads. Both areas of the OE Pentair clear plastic air relief assembly would eventually crack from heat and sun exposure and cause a water leak from the filter through the air relief when the filter was operating under normal operating pressure. So very frustrating!In mid JUN 2022 I replaced my failed Pentair Triton TR100 sand filter with a new Pentair Triton TR100 filter - the 25-year old fiberglass filter pressure vessel finally cracked up top at the closure lid threads. While replacing the failed TR100 pool filter I also wanted to permanently solve the air relief assembly leaks problem that persisted with the OE Pentair clear plastic air relief.Researching online the leaking air relief assembly problem & potential solutions I found this Val-Pak V20-230 Brass Manual Air Relief Assembly product. The product was sparsely-discussed in various online DIY pool care forums that I frequently watch - so I called the manufacturer Val-Pak direct to learn more about the product. I talked with 'Mike' at Val-Pak about the product. The 20-minute phone discussion sold me on the benefits of the Val-Pak V20-230 Brass Manual Air Relief Valve. So, I ordered the product from Amazon because Amazon offered the shortest delivery time.The Val-Pak V20-230 Brass Manual Air Relief Assembly arrived quickly from Amazon and was packaged well for shipping a heavy brass part. The Val-Pak V20-230 assembly featured a plastic case, bottom mount, dry pressure gauge and a plastic manual air relief valve installed. I knew that would be the case from my discussion about the product with Val-Pak and from examining online product pictures.Wanting to solve, once-and-for-all, the plastic parts failure problems that I experienced over the years with the OE Pentair clear plastic air relief valve I identified two significant improvements that I thought could be made to the OE Val-Pak pressure gauge and manual air relief valve configuration.I replaced the Val-Pak installed plastic case pressure gauge with a Winters PFQ Series, Center Back Mount, 304 stainless steel, glycerin-filled, 100 PSI pressure gauge. I used a Watts 1/4" NPT 90-degree Street Elbow brass fitting to accommodate the center back mount pressure gauge. I opted for this pressure gauge installation configuration, over the OE Val-Pak bottom mount pressure gauge configuration, in the effort to lower the mounted pressure gauge closer to the filter closure lid and to reduce the potential for the pressure gauge to get inadvertently whacked and broken off the air relief assembly.I also replaced the Val-Pak installed plastic manual air relief valve with a PIC Gauge NV-B-1/4 MXM Brass Needle Valve. I added a Watts 1/4" NPT brass cap to the brass needle valve outlet for additional air relief valve water leak security.The Val-Pak V20-230 Brass Manual Air Relief Assembly fit into the new OE Pentair TR100 8.5" filter closure lid perfectly and sealed up completely with a bit of Magic Lube applied to the assembly O-ring then tighten the mounting nut inside the closure lid to hand tight + 1/4 turn. I pre-aligned the air relief assembly on the filter closure lid to ensure easy and clear filter pressure gauge visibility from the standing position where I typically access the pool Power Center.The newly-installed Pentair TR100 sand pool filter with the new Val-Pak V20-230 Brass Manual Air Relief Assembly has now been operating for ~12 hours daily for a couple of weeks. I've seen NO WATER LEAKS from any source on the air relief assembly when the filter is under operating pressure!! and bleeding air from the filter when necessary is simple and reliable using the brass needle valve.Yes, the Val-Pak V20-230 Brass Manual Air Relief Assembly is significantly more expensive than the OE Pentair clear plastic air relief assembly. But, lately, I discovered that the only way to buy a replacement OE Pentair clear plastic air relief assembly is to buy the complete Pentair Closure Lid Replacement Kit #154856. With the myriad of supply-chain issues present these days that Pentair #154856 replacement part kit is near unobtainium. When the Pentair #154856 replacement kit can be found, it is typically priced at $200+!!So, based on my experience, I can HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Val-Pak V20-230 Brass Manual Air Relief Assembly part as a PERMANENT solution to persistent leaking air relief valve assemblies typical to Pentair Triton TR100 & TR140 sand pool filters.Additionally, if you are at all concerned about plastic pool filter parts failing over time due to heat and sun exposure I can also HIGHLY RECOMMEND the stainless steel pressure gauge replacement and the brass manual air relief valve replacement bits that I detailed in the narrative above.

I have had to replace the clear piece that sits on top of my pool filter (Pentair 276534 manual air relief assembly) once a year for the past few years, because it would fail and spring a leak due to a mix of bad design and baking in the Arizona sun. They used to run about $40, but this time around, I was shocked to see that the price had tripled! I could not find any online for under $120. My local pool store was actually the cheapest at $88 - and they're never the cheapest option. Luckily, I stumbled upon this item, and although there were no reviews, it appeared to be a replacement for this piece. I was pleasantly surprised when I received it, and all of the dimensions were accurate. It was a perfect replacement, but made in a much more durable material. It still has the pressure gauge and air release, it's just not clear, so you cant see what the water inside looks like, but that is just fine - a tradeoff that I am more than wiling to make. And it showed up in just 2 days, much faster than anticipated since the estimated delivery was a week out.