Valve assembly with air release and sensor

A valve assembly comprising:

• a seat ring;
• a valve plate assembly configured to seal against the seat ring in a sealed position, the valve plate assembly comprising a sealing disc and a lower valve plate;
• and
• an air release valve extending through the lower valve plate of the valve plate assembly.

A method comprising:

• installing a fitting through a lower valve plate of a valve plate assembly and mounting a sensor in the fitting below the lower valve plate;
• installing an air release valve in the valve plate assembly;
• installing the valve plate assembly in a column of fluid defining a fluid surface level;
• and
• moving the air release valve from a closed position to an open position to remove air in the column of fluid so that the sensor remains below the fluid surface level.