Tank Tee Installation – Three Plumbing Options

The question “Does it matter if the plumbing to and from a tank tee needs to be in any particular orientation for water flow direction, and whether the pressure gauge, pressure switch, drain valve and pressure reducing valve components need to be installed in a particular accessory port?” is often asked. There are various tank tees designed to fit a wide range of pressure tank brands, each offering different connection sizes and types. Good news!

There are no critical rules that must be followed as to which accessory gets installed on the right vs. the left-hand accessory posts. However, the two upward facing accessory ports are threaded ¼” FPT so the pressure switch and pressure gauges will only fit in these two ports. The front facing ports are for the drain valve and the relief valve; 1” Tank tees are threaded ½” FPT whereas the 1-1/4” tank tees have ¾” FPT connections to accommodate larger ¾” drain and the relief valves.

In addition, “Flow Direction” is irrelevant. You can plumb the tank tee to have the water from the well / pump enter from the right-hand side and exit to the house on the left (See Option #1 diagram below),

or vice versa, the inlet on the left-hand side and exit to the house on the right (See Option #2 diagram below). It does not matter which way the water flows, so you can plumb the water flow in either direction.

In fact, you can have the water enter and exit the same tank tee line connection and plug the opposite side (See Option #3 diagram below). However, the location of the check valve is critical in this type of installation, the plumbing must allow water to flow back out of the tank to the home’s plumbing system. The check valve must be located to allow water to flow in the reverse direction to the system but also prevent back flow from the tank and or system back down the well.

HOWEVER! It is important that a relief valve be properly plumbed with an air gap to a suitable drain that can handle the discharged water flow to ensure that there is no property damage due to flooding in the event the relief valve does blow off releasing water.

Additional Resources:

https://support.boshart.com/what-do-i-need-to-know-about-my-pressure-tank-before-ordering-a-tank-tee-or-tank-tee-package 

https://support.boshart.com/what-is-the-best-practice-for-installing-tank-tees

https://support.boshart.com/how-to-apply-ptfe-thread-seal-tape

https://support.boshart.com/making-a-leak-proof-stainless-steel-threaded-connection

https://support.boshart.com/important-things-to-you-must-know-when-installing-a-tank-tee-on-your-new-pressure-tank

https://support.boshart.com/adjusting-the-pre-charge-pressure-of-a-captive-air-bladder-or-diaphragm-type-tank

https://support.boshart.com/how-do-i-adjust-a-pressure-switch

https://support.boshart.com/do-you-carry-loss-of-prime-pressure-switches

https://support.boshart.com/what-is-a-water-well-system

https://support.boshart.com/what-is-the-function-of-each-well-water-pressure-system-component

https://support.boshart.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-traditional-sediment-filters-spin-out-sediment-filters-/-separators

https://support.boshart.com/what-are-the-required-steps-to-properly-select-a-water-filter

https://support.boshart.com/what-size-of-spin-out-filter-or-spin-out-separator-filter-should-i-install

https://support.boshart.com/what-mesh-rating-do-i-need-for-my-spin-out-filter-or-separator-filter