Valvula Check or Check Valve

Tricky little buggers these and I've got a few of them. This time they were not the original problem. It started with the hurricane taking the lid off the tinaco and then the wind then beat the float around until it broke. I bought a new bronze float valve but couldn't get it to seal. Bought a plastic one and my brain went dumb and I couldn't figure how to install it. Called a plumber that a friend knows and wa-la. He only wanted 60 pesos (about 4 dollars) but I gave him 100.

Before it got dark I had more water spilling but this time out of the breather pipes. Called the plumber again and he knew right away it was the check valve. The flapper valve inside closes to the tinaco when there street pressure and when there is no street pressure it opens and the tinaco becomes the water source. Sure enough the flapper was stuck open. Take that plug on the top off and a little grease and a screwdriver loosened it up. He also capped a breather pipe he said shouldn't be open.

While he was there I had him look at another valve for my pump house that has been leaking for over a year. We shut the water off  and he just put new teflon tape on the plug threads. It's dry now. He wanted 120 pesos for this trip. Two things at 60 each I guess. Nice guy but no English.

Mystified

I awoke this morning to find the outside sink had fallen off the wall. I first thought of a person in the middle of the night but you don't accomplish anything by standing on the sink. I also wondered why I didn't hear it as it's not far from my bedroom door that has a screen in it. All I can think of is my cat or it fell off of it's own weight. Simple white sinks are not expensive and only part of the drain pipe broke.

Bought a new sink for $240 pesos (basic white) but think I'll change everything including the handles/faucet., drain, wall fastener and larger screws to hold it on the wall.

Oops !!

The other is my tinaco is suddenly overflowing.  I climb up and find the float overextended in the up position and the tank full.  I lower the water level  and I can not over extend the float manually. We have moderate street pressure today so I'm eliminating possibilities.

The mystery float

My unnecessary "don't drop them in the tinaco trick"

Hugo came over while I made the school run and figured out the water was not coming from from above at the float valve shut off but from the bottom of the tank. I knew with this strange system that could happen but it never has in 3 years. My plumber thought with the good street pressure we have much of the time, why not have street pressure in the house rather than just gravity from tinaco.  So he installs these check valves that will change with pressure levels. Problem is the valves get stuck and this one usually gets stuck where tinaco pressure is not enough to open it so I bang on it to get water again.This time it got stuck in the opposite direction so that street water was enters the bottom of the tank.

Check valve - valvula check

Obviously something has to be done someday but I'm afraid it's gonna take pipe cutting, rearranging and even turning the tinaco to give more room for adjustments now and in the future.   In the meantime a couple whacks with a hammer or large wrench fixes the valve.