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Hi

The ball valve in my toilet cistern is dripping from the blue nut
nearest the plastic inlet - it's pretty much the same valve shown in
this article:


http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/ball_valves/fitting_replacing.htm


Can anyone tell me whether the valve can be taken apart and
cleaned/resealed with some sort of waterproof sealant, or whether I
should/can replace any washers in it?

(I also found that whoever put it in decided against drilling through
the wall for the overflow, and felt the floor was a better place for
excess water!)

Alternatively, should I just replace it? I'd rather not do this unless
I have to - the isolation valve doesn't *quite* stop all of the water so
it's a case for the freezer spray I think.

Incidentally, there are a few valves in the house which seem stuck or
not very effective. The stopcock is under the kitchen floor and is
difficult to get to, to say the least. Are there "remote control"
valves available, or should I just get a stopcock key and shut the whole
lot off from the pavement?

Thanks in advance

Jason

On 23 Apr, 22:01, JR dontspamme@localhost wrote:
X-No-Archive: Yes

Hi

The ball valve in my toilet cistern is dripping from the blue nut
nearest the plastic inlet - it's pretty much the same valve shown in
this article:

http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/ball_valves/fitting_replacing.htm

Can anyone tell me whether the valve can be taken apart and
cleaned/resealed with some sort of waterproof sealant, or whether I
should/can replace any washers in it?

Yes, you can take it apart, and yes, there is probably a worn washer
in there you can replace from a cheap kit from a shed. I assume you've
checked that you can't stop it by lifting the ball, in which case it
may only need an adjustment to its height.

CAUTION: Unscrew slowly as there are bits that can fall out, and take
careful notes (or photos) of exactly how it's assembled, as some have
reversible parts for tank/mains water pressure.

Alternatively, should I just replace it? I'd rather not do this unless
I have to - the isolation valve doesn't *quite* stop all of the water so
it's a case for the freezer spray I think.

I would certainly try repairing the valve first. Not only is it
quicker and cheaper, but the last time I had to replace the whole
column as described on the page you reference, it took me ages to stop
the water connection from leaking.

Chris

(I also found that whoever put it in decided against drilling through
the wall for the overflow, and felt the floor was a better place for
excess water!)

Whoever previously owned my son's house obviously used the same plumber.
The plastic float arm snapped off at the weekend and filled the front
room with water. Thought it best to check the other first floor bathroom
and, lo and behold, no overflow there either. Getting paranoid now, and
realise there isn't even one for the storage tank in the loft.


Alternatively, should I just replace it? I'd rather not do this unless
I have to - the isolation valve doesn't *quite* stop all of the water so
it's a case for the freezer spray I think.

Incidentally, there are a few valves in the house which seem stuck or
not very effective. The stopcock is under the kitchen floor and is
difficult to get to, to say the least. Are there "remote control"
valves available, or should I just get a stopcock key and shut the whole
lot off from the pavement?

I'd shut off from the street and fit a new stopcock in a more convenient
spot. Also, fit inline valves to everything you might ever need to
isolate in a hurry....like cisterns.

On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 08:59:09 UTC, Stuart Noble
wrote:

(I also found that whoever put it in decided against drilling through
the wall for the overflow, and felt the floor was a better place for
excess water!)

Whoever previously owned my son's house obviously used the same plumber.
The plastic float arm snapped off at the weekend and filled the front
room with water. Thought it best to check the other first floor bathroom
and, lo and behold, no overflow there either. Getting paranoid now, and
realise there isn't even one for the storage tank in the loft.

Our cold water header tank had its overflow dumping into the CH header
tank (which had its own overflow to the ouside). Slow drip from the main
ball valve diluted the inhibitor nicely!
--
The information contained in this post is copyright the
poster, and specifically may not be published in, or used by
http://www.diybanter.com

"Stuart Noble" wrote in message
...

I'd shut off from the street and fit a new stopcock in a more convenient
spot. Also, fit inline valves to everything you might ever need to isolate
in a hurry....like cisterns.

I'll second that, add radiator drain cocks to the list, and add that the
inline valves of the slot type shown in the OP's link, in my experience,
need their own inline valves ( and so on!) to enable you to replace them
when the o-ring inside breaks whenever you need to turn the screw!

Where utility rather than 'streamlining' is the object (as it will be on the
ones you will now be putting in next to the feeds of your CH and HW ball
cocks: these do after all frequently need attention.), I have taken to using
the lever ball valves intended for isolating gas: on the assumption that, if
intended for gas, they should be better made, leakwise. I have not had one
of these fail yet...

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/63367/...OCFFI?ts=49169

For the 'gas' version;

And I now notice that they are actually doing a lever one for water these
days very cheaply (they used to only do the washing machine ones, rather
than the 'straight through' for water):
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/16505/...th-Handle-15mm


On our loo cistern we have a very clever little push button plastic
isolator, but I have not seen these on sale for some time. Shame.

S

On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:05:37 GMT, "spamlet"
wrote:


And I now notice that they are actually doing a lever one for water these
days very cheaply (they used to only do the washing machine ones, rather
than the 'straight through' for water):
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/16505/...th-Handle-15mm

But is that one any different to the pesky screwdriver slot leakers? (apart from
having a handle)

Geo

"Geo" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 15:05:37 GMT, "spamlet"

wrote:


And I now notice that they are actually doing a lever one for water these
days very cheaply (they used to only do the washing machine ones, rather
than the 'straight through' for water):
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/16505/...th-Handle-15mm

But is that one any different to the pesky screwdriver slot leakers?
(apart from
having a handle)

Geo

I'm assuming, that the gas ones are made to a higher standard (they have a
different one printed on) than the water ones.

Secondly, when you use the slotted isolator you are applying stress on the
o-ring in two directions: 'push and twist', whereas in the lever there is
only twist. This has to be better for the o-ring as pushing will tend to
jam it in its groove thus tending to resist the turn.

And, like I said: I have not had one of the lever ones fail yet: whereas the
slotted ones always seem to leak once turned. Levers are much easier to use
too - which encourages better maintenance of your various ball-cocks;
washing machines; dishwashers etc.

'Normal' radiator drain cocks are a similar pain in the b:
They tend have a rubber tap type washer held in with a small nut and screw.
The screw and nut rust off, so that when you come to drain the system, the
washer falls off; so that, in the first place, the water does not come out
until you've 'encouraged' it a bit, and then, when you go to do it back up
again, it doesn't work - have one of those speedfit end stops handy! (Note
also that when you are doing this, that handy stop cock you just fitted to
the header tank ball cock comes in very handy!).

Have fun.

S

In article cZ6dnXiQU4Q1CJLVnZ2dnUVZ8vCdnZ2d@plusnet,
JR dontspamme@localhost wrote:
The ball valve in my toilet cistern is dripping from the blue nut
nearest the plastic inlet - it's pretty much the same valve shown in
this article:


http://www.ultimatehandyman.co.uk/ball_valves/fitting_replacing.htm


Can anyone tell me whether the valve can be taken apart and
cleaned/resealed with some sort of waterproof sealant, or whether I
should/can replace any washers in it?

With this sort of valve - especially in a hard water area - it's often
less hassle to simply replace the whole thing.

--
*I like cats, too. Let's exchange recipes.

Dave Plowman London SW
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