Installing and Winterizing a Breather: Drain Plug Port, Hand Thread and Warranty Registration

A Breather is built to be installed without tools. The company's instruction is short: remove the existing pump drain plug and hand screw the Vacless SVRS Breather valve in its place. Vacless puts the time at under five minutes. This article covers that step, what to record afterward and how the same port serves for winter draining. For the exact procedure on a given model, the installation manual for that model is the authority.

Before you start

Confirm three things first. The pump must be within the range the valve is designed for, which is 0.5 to 10.0 horsepower. The model must match the installation: suction lift or submerged suction, center or offset port, standard or adjustable. If you are not sure which, the choosing article on this site and the model selection chart cover it. And the pool needs an approved anti-entrapment drain cover, because the valve is meant to be used with one, not instead of one.

Switch the pump off and isolate it from power. Relieve pressure and drain what you need to from the pump pot before pulling the plug. This is ordinary pump service, the same as for any drain plug removal.

Fitting the valve

• Remove the suction side drain plug from the pump. This is the port the Breather replaces.
• Check the port and the valve threads for debris or damage before you start.
• Start the Breather by hand and turn it in. Vacless says no tools are required, so if it is binding, back it out and restart it square rather than forcing it.
• Seat it by hand. The valve screws into the drain plug port and sits on the pump, which is how it reads the vacuum at the pump pot.
• On the Breather II, confirm the release chain hangs clear. On the Breather III, run the wiring for the limit switch to the control box according to the manual.

Prime the pump and check the connection for leaks and for normal operation. The Vacless registration form asks whether the SVRS activated 3 times to break the vacuum, which suggests the company expects a functional check at commissioning. The test procedure for each model is in its manual. Follow that, and do not improvise a test that blocks a drain with a person nearby.

Registering the warranty

Every Breather model page lists a 3 year warranty, and Vacless asks for registration. The online form is on the registration page of this site, and it can also be sent by fax to 818-701-6206 or mailed to Vacless Systems, Inc., 8469 Canoga Ave, Canoga Park, CA 91304. Have these ready, since the form asks for them.

• Installer name and customer name
• SVRS commissioning date and site street address
• SVRS model and serial number, plus the dealer name and purchase date
• Pump maker, pump model and pump horsepower
• Whether the pump sits above or below the waterline
• Whether the SVRS activated three times to break the vacuum

Fill it in at the site, with the valve in front of you, while the serial number is readable. A form filled in from memory three weeks later is how serial numbers and commissioning dates go wrong. If you are the installer and not the owner, make sure the customer's name goes on it. It is the owner who will need the record if the valve ever has to be replaced.

Winterizing

The same port that holds the Breather is the pump's drain. For winter draining, Vacless says to remove the SVRS until all of the water in the pump is fully drained. Take it out by hand, let the pot empty completely, and keep the valve somewhere clean and dry. In a climate where the pool is shut down for the season, that is a natural moment for a visual check of the seal area and the threads.

In the spring, put it back the way it went in. Run the pump, confirm the valve is seated, and note the date on the customer's file. Never run the pump with the plug port open.

If something looks wrong

A Breather II that has released will stay locked open until someone pulls it back to its normal position, and Vacless notes that it may let water escape through its air channels while open. That is the design, not a leak. Reset it after a release, as the manual directs. For anything else, call Vacless tech support at (818) 701-6204. Dealers can reach sales at (818) 701-6205 or sales@vacless.com, and end users can find the nearest distributor with the dealer locator.