We have small two storey terraced house in north London and the gas fired
central heating radiator started leaking in the first floor bedroom at the
tap. When it was opened up a bit the other day.

The nut on the top (not the two flat sided tap spindle) will not take a 13
mm spanner and the 14mm spanner slips around. Is there a special size
spanner I should buy, or do I have to go to town with the stilson?

Being a complete novice, I'm not sure what my next move should be...try to
tighten it? or undo it and replace. If so where should I be turning off the
water? If I turn off the water and then undo it, am I likely to get much of
a sudden flood? Any advice to a complete beginner much appreciated, thanks.

"JWBH" wrote in message
...
We have small two storey terraced house in north London and the gas fired
central heating radiator started leaking in the first floor bedroom at the
tap. When it was opened up a bit the other day.

The nut on the top (not the two flat sided tap spindle) will not take a 13
mm spanner and the 14mm spanner slips around. Is there a special size
spanner I should buy, or do I have to go to town with the stilson?

Being a complete novice, I'm not sure what my next move should be...try to
tighten it?

In general, you can just "nip it up" to cure a dribble here. I normally us
an adjustable and you only need a fraction of a turn in most cases.

Brian

"Brian Reay" wrote in message
...
"JWBH" wrote in message
...
We have small two storey terraced house in north London and the gas fired
central heating radiator started leaking in the first floor bedroom at
the
tap. When it was opened up a bit the other day.

The nut on the top (not the two flat sided tap spindle) will not take a
13
mm spanner and the 14mm spanner slips around. Is there a special size
spanner I should buy, or do I have to go to town with the stilson?

Being a complete novice, I'm not sure what my next move should be...try
to
tighten it?

In general, you can just "nip it up" to cure a dribble here. I normally
us an adjustable and you only need a fraction of a turn in most cases.

Brian



Try an imperial adjustable if the metric one doesn't fit.
Ask at your local tool store for one, they are not always on display.

--
Ron

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Ron Lowe ronATlowe-famlyDOTmeDOTukSPURIOUS wrote:


Try an imperial adjustable if the metric one doesn't fit.
Ask at your local tool store for one, they are not always on display.


If it's adjustable, it doesn't *care* whether the nut is metric or imperial!
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

Roger Mills wrote:

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Ron Lowe ronATlowe-famlyDOTmeDOTukSPURIOUS wrote:


Try an imperial adjustable if the metric one doesn't fit.
Ask at your local tool store for one, they are not always on display.



If it's adjustable, it doesn't *care* whether the nut is metric or imperial!

That would be a woosh then ;-)

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

"Roger Mills" wrote in message
...
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Ron Lowe ronATlowe-famlyDOTmeDOTukSPURIOUS wrote:


Try an imperial adjustable if the metric one doesn't fit.
Ask at your local tool store for one, they are not always on display.


If it's adjustable, it doesn't *care* whether the nut is metric or
imperial!

Uhh, really?

Are you ***seriously*** answering my post?
I still think it's worth the OP's time to ask for an imperial shifter at the
toolstore...

--
Ron

Roger Mills submitted this idea :
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Ron Lowe ronATlowe-famlyDOTmeDOTukSPURIOUS wrote:


Try an imperial adjustable if the metric one doesn't fit.
Ask at your local tool store for one, they are not always on display.


If it's adjustable, it doesn't *care* whether the nut is metric or imperial!

Of course it matters, that's why they make and sell both types.

--

Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Harry Bloomfield wrote:

Roger Mills submitted this idea :
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Ron Lowe ronATlowe-famlyDOTmeDOTukSPURIOUS wrote:


Try an imperial adjustable if the metric one doesn't fit.
Ask at your local tool store for one, they are not always on
display.


If it's adjustable, it doesn't *care* whether the nut is metric or
imperial!

Of course it matters, that's why they make and sell both types.


If you're for real, I must be missing something! I'm talking about the type
of spanner - usually F-shaped - which has a rack and pinion to move one jaw
relative to the other, and so can be adjusted to *any* size within its
working range.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

Harry Bloomfield verbally sodomised in
:

Roger Mills submitted this idea :
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Ron Lowe ronATlowe-famlyDOTmeDOTukSPURIOUS wrote:


Try an imperial adjustable if the metric one doesn't fit.
Ask at your local tool store for one, they are not always on display.


If it's adjustable, it doesn't *care* whether the nut is metric or
imperial!

Of course it matters, that's why they make and sell both types.


Do they sell a version of you that has humour and humility?

--
Phil Kyle™

T
h i
i s
s l
f i l
S o n o
i u e n
g r s g

Roger Mills wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
Ron Lowe ronATlowe-famlyDOTmeDOTukSPURIOUS wrote:


Try an imperial adjustable if the metric one doesn't fit.
Ask at your local tool store for one, they are not always on display.


If it's adjustable, it doesn't *care* whether the nut is metric or
imperial!

Whoosh.................................


--
Dave
The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk
01634 717930
07850 597257

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
JWBH wrote:

We have small two storey terraced house in north London and the gas
fired central heating radiator started leaking in the first floor
bedroom at the tap. When it was opened up a bit the other day.

The nut on the top (not the two flat sided tap spindle) will not take
a 13 mm spanner and the 14mm spanner slips around. Is there a
special size spanner I should buy, or do I have to go to town with
the stilson?
Being a complete novice, I'm not sure what my next move should
be...try to tighten it? or undo it and replace. If so where should I
be turning off the water? If I turn off the water and then undo it,
am I likely to get much of a sudden flood? Any advice to a complete
beginner much appreciated, thanks.

The nut in question is the gland nut. It's actually more like a bolt - but
with a hole down the middle - because its threads are on the outside.
Tightening 'nut' this compresses some soft material round the shaft, and
seals it.

If it still leaks after tighening, do the following:
* Turn the shaft fully clockwise to turn off the valve
* Fully unscrew the gland nut and slide it up the shaft (very little water
will leak out)
* Wind 3 or 4 turns of string round the shaft, under the nut - and slide the
nut down to push the string into the threaded sleeve where the nut fits
* Screw the nut down and re-tighten it
* Turn the shaft anti-clockwise to open the valve again

With a bit of luck, it will no longer leak.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

"Roger Mills" wrote in message
...
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
JWBH wrote:

We have small two storey terraced house in north London and the gas
fired central heating radiator started leaking in the first floor
bedroom at the tap. When it was opened up a bit the other day.

The nut on the top (not the two flat sided tap spindle) will not take
a 13 mm spanner and the 14mm spanner slips around. Is there a
special size spanner I should buy, or do I have to go to town with
the stilson?
Being a complete novice, I'm not sure what my next move should
be...try to tighten it? or undo it and replace. If so where should I
be turning off the water? If I turn off the water and then undo it,
am I likely to get much of a sudden flood? Any advice to a complete
beginner much appreciated, thanks.

The nut in question is the gland nut. It's actually more like a bolt - but
with a hole down the middle - because its threads are on the outside.
Tightening 'nut' this compresses some soft material round the shaft, and
seals it.

If it still leaks after tighening, do the following:
* Turn the shaft fully clockwise to turn off the valve
* Fully unscrew the gland nut and slide it up the shaft (very little water
will leak out)
* Wind 3 or 4 turns of string round the shaft, under the nut - and slide
the nut down to push the string into the threaded sleeve where the nut
fits
* Screw the nut down and re-tighten it
* Turn the shaft anti-clockwise to open the valve again

With a bit of luck, it will no longer leak.
Cheers,
Roger

Many thanks to all ( even the cruel ones ) Roger very concisely put,
thanks. Would it matter what kind of string? We have all sorts knocking
around the house, some cotton type stuff and some kind of plastic type and
nylon as well? thanks.

JWBH wrote:

Many thanks to all ( even the cruel ones ) Roger very concisely put,
thanks. Would it matter what kind of string? We have all sorts knocking
around the house, some cotton type stuff and some kind of plastic type and
nylon as well? thanks.

The cotton type stuff would be better - it swells when wet making a
better seal.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
JWBH wrote:


Many thanks to all ( even the cruel ones ) Roger very concisely
put, thanks. Would it matter what kind of string? We have all sorts
knocking around the house, some cotton type stuff and some kind of
plastic type and nylon as well? thanks.

As others have said, use string made of natural rather then synthetic
materials. Thinnish white string - like you might use on a small parcel - is
fine. Better still is hemp - traditionally used by plumbers for sealing
joints - but you probably haven't got any of that, whereas you will have
some string.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

"JWBH" wrote in message
...
We have small two storey terraced house in north London and the gas fired
central heating radiator started leaking in the first floor bedroom at the
tap. When it was opened up a bit the other day.

The nut on the top (not the two flat sided tap spindle) will not take a 13
mm spanner and the 14mm spanner slips around. Is there a special size
spanner I should buy, or do I have to go to town with the stilson?

Being a complete novice, I'm not sure what my next move should be...try to
tighten it? or undo it and replace. If so where should I be turning off
the
water? If I turn off the water and then undo it, am I likely to get much
of
a sudden flood? Any advice to a complete beginner much appreciated,
thanks.



The nut is almost certainly imperial. Most plumbing stuff is.
Use a whitworth spanner 0.525" a/f hex or an adjustable spanner. Dont use
stillsons as this will wreck the hexgon and possibly crush the gland nut.

Bob

JWBH explained on 29/12/2006 :
We have small two storey terraced house in north London and the gas fired
central heating radiator started leaking in the first floor bedroom at the
tap. When it was opened up a bit the other day.

The nut on the top (not the two flat sided tap spindle) will not take a 13
mm spanner and the 14mm spanner slips around. Is there a special size
spanner I should buy, or do I have to go to town with the stilson?

If you mean the nut through which the spindle passes - Beg, steal, or
borrow an adjustable spanner. The nut should not be that tight, it is
only intended to clamp down on a gland just enough to provide a seal.
Slack it off a quarter turn just to free it, then tighten it gently
back up, but just enough to stop the leak and no more.

--

Regards,
Harry (M1BYT) (L)
http://www.ukradioamateur.co.uk

Harry Bloomfield verbally sodomised in
:

JWBH explained on 29/12/2006 :
We have small two storey terraced house in north London and the gas
fired central heating radiator started leaking in the first floor
bedroom at the tap. When it was opened up a bit the other day.

The nut on the top (not the two flat sided tap spindle) will not take a
13 mm spanner and the 14mm spanner slips around. Is there a special
size spanner I should buy, or do I have to go to town with the stilson?

If you mean the nut through which the spindle passes - Beg, steal, or
borrow an adjustable spanner. The nut should not be that tight, it is
only intended to clamp down on a gland just enough to provide a seal.
Slack it off a quarter turn just to free it, then tighten it gently
back up, but just enough to stop the leak and no more.


Are you condining theft, Harry?

--
Phil Kyle™

T
h i
i s
s l
f i l
S o n o
i u e n
g r s g

"JWBH" wrote in message
...
We have small two storey terraced house in north London and the gas fired
central heating radiator started leaking in the first floor bedroom at the
tap. When it was opened up a bit the other day.

The nut on the top (not the two flat sided tap spindle) will not take a 13
mm spanner and the 14mm spanner slips around. Is there a special size
spanner I should buy, or do I have to go to town with the stilson?

Being a complete novice, I'm not sure what my next move should be...try to
tighten it? or undo it and replace. If so where should I be turning off
the
water? If I turn off the water and then undo it, am I likely to get much
of
a sudden flood? Any advice to a complete beginner much appreciated,
thanks.



the in between size is quarter whitworth, but that may be hard to find.

Use an adjustable or mole grips or small stilsons.