Air-Check Elbow for 255 1/4in Air-Check Version (Elbow Only)

This is the small 1/4" air-check elbow fitting used on the air-check version of the Fleck 255 control valve, connecting the air-check assembly's tubing so the valve can correctly time brine refill and prevent air being drawn into the resin bed. It's a low-cost but easily damaged plastic fitting, and a cracked or ill-fitting elbow is enough to upset the brine draw and refill sequence. WrekinWater stocks the elbow on its own for installers who don't need a full air-check kit, just a replacement for this specific fitting.

Technical specifications

Symptoms that mean you need this part

• Brine refill happens too early or too late, leaving the brine tank with the wrong water level
• Air is audibly or visibly drawn into the brine line during regeneration
• The elbow is visibly cracked, split or the tubing has pulled off its barb
• Softened water quality drops after regeneration because the brine draw hasn't run for the correct time

Why it fails / why it matters

The air-check assembly on a Fleck 255 uses a small ball and elbow fitting to hold back the refill water until brine draw has properly finished, preventing air from being pulled into the resin bed and disrupting the brine concentration. Because the elbow is small, thin-walled and handled every time the air-check assembly is serviced, it's prone to cracking at the barb or elbow bend, and once it splits or leaks it can no longer hold the seal needed to time the refill correctly. A damaged elbow is a common and inexpensive cause of erratic brine tank water levels that's often mistaken for a bigger valve fault.

Why buy this from WrekinWater

WrekinWater has stocked Fleck control valve spares, down to the small parts that cause the most confusion, for over 15 years from its Bettisfield, Shropshire base, and is rated Excellent on Trustpilot by more than 50,000 customers served. Selling the elbow on its own means you're not paying for a full air-check kit when the elbow is the only part that's actually failed.

How to fit it

1. Isolate the softener at the bypass valve before opening the brine valve or air-check assembly
2. Locate the air-check elbow on the brine line tubing and note its orientation before removing it
3. Disconnect the tubing from the old elbow and remove it from the air-check assembly
4. Fit the replacement 10542000002 elbow, pushing the tubing fully onto the barb until it seats
5. Check the connection is secure with a gentle pull test before closing up the assembly
6. Restore the water supply and run a manual regeneration cycle to confirm the brine tank refills to the correct level with no air being drawn