PH Plumbers - Help Please!

[Nuggs]

Hi Guys

I've just re-pressurised my boiler. In doing so, I thought I'd just have a poke around (first mistake) and checked to see how tight a couple of the brass(copper?) taps on pipes coming into the boiler were (second mistake).

I now have two taps with very slight drips. The taps have screws on top.

Any quick tip to help me stop the dripping?

All help very gratefully received!

[simpo two]

I'd give the feckers another nip.

Simpo's First Rule of Plumbing: 'If it works, leave it!'

[Platinum]

PTFE tape on the screw threads?

(I'm not a plumber btw )

[Nuggs]

simpo two said:

I'd give the feckers another nip. Simpo's First Rule of Plumbing: 'If it works, leave it!'

Another nip? Well, both need to be open (water shuts off if they're not!).

As far as your FRoP, I agree but something was causing the system to lose pressure; I just wondered if it might be those little bstards...

[simpo two]

Nuggs said:

Another nip? Well, both need to be open (water shuts off if they're not!).

If these are some kind of stop valve, there are threaded connnectors on either side, no? Which bit is leaking exactly?

[Parrot of Doom]

The pressure loss might be old rads on your system. The ones on my system are from the 80's and lose pressure very slowly through the valves (you can't see any drips, its more vapour).

Just tighten the taps up ever so slightly, no more than 1/8 turn.

[Nuggs]

The bit that's leaking is where the tap thread enters the main chamber thingy...

...I'm technical me...

In fact, here's where it's leaking from:



>> Edited by Nuggs on Monday 27th February 20:38

[ferg]

If it's where the body goes into the stopcock there is a fibre washer there which may need replacing.... PTFE is a good bet though. You have to isolate the water..... You could try tightening it a bit more, you do run the risk of it splitting though so be ready to turn off water further upstream. 15mm Stopcocks are less tha a couple of quid, bear in mind, so if you ARE going to try to sort it out yourself that may be the best option. Also worth bearing in mind tat as long as the stopcock is marked BS1010 the thread at that point will be the same so you could just replace the body if required.

[ferg]

Just a thought....

Are you SURE it's coming from there and not the gland which is the first nut down from the handle?? Stopcocks often leak from there and nipping that nut up will stop it. It also makes them harder to turn so it's a compromise between the two things....

[simpo two]

ferg said:

Stopcocks often leak from there and nipping that nut up will stop it.

Ferg's a real plumber so you can trust him (unlike me, the Araldite Kid )

Anyway, if you find yourself in the unenviable position of having to replace the stopcock and don't feel comfortable doing compression joints, don't be ashamed to use push-fit stuff - it's magic!

[Nuggs]

ferg said:

Just a thought.... Are you SURE it's coming from there and not the gland which is the first nut down from the handle?? Stopcocks often leak from there and nipping that nut up will stop it. It also makes them harder to turn so it's a compromise between the two things....

Ferg, you sir, are a genius

I've tightened the 'gland' (getting technical now) and no drip for 15 minutes or so.

The PH collective strike again!

Thanks so much to everyone for their advice