nick hull wrote:

I have a gate valve with a small leak I need to fix. The valve is
stainless and in good condition but has a very small leak when closed
tightly. It's a 3" valve with a non-standard flange so replacement is
out of the question. The valve will be seldom operated and I could live
with a fix that sealed the valve tight and allowed the valve to be
opened ONCE (for a fire hose connection).

The big complication is that the valve is welded together and cannot be
taken apart.

I was thinking of putting a thin sheet of plastic on the gate, but if it
washed off when opened it might jam something. Maybe just a thin bead
of silicone on the upstream side? It's a water gravity system with only
5' of water head so pressure is extremely low.

Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/


If you have the valve out of the system, and apparently you do, open the
gate fully and check the seat under the gate for corrosion or dirt that
keeps the gate from going completely closed. That may eliminate the
problem. If that's not it perhaps placing a thin bead of silicone under
the gate and allowing it to cure before closing the gate will solve the
problem.

Jim