I have a timing device (Hozelock) attached to my garden tap,
which waters the garden for 5 minutes each morning and evening.

Unfortunately the tap connection has developed a slight leak.
There is a kind of two-piece connection,
one piece attached to the tap,
and the other to the timing device,
one fitting inside the other.

There appear to be two adequate washers, in good condition,
so I'm rather puzzled about the cause of the leak,
and more important, what to do about it.

Is there any kind of magic plumbing glue or cement one can use
in such a case?
Any suggestions or advice gratefully received.

I ought to admit that the garden in question is in Italy,
and I have just planted a little lawn (with grass seed),
so watering is probably necessary,
although the forecast on TV this evening was rather sombre,
"Summer has ended, troublesome weather is coming in from the Atlantic".

I have to leave Italy shortly, and had been relying on my timing device.

--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail: gayleard /at/ eircom.net
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

On 18/09/2011 22:48, Timothy Murphy wrote:
I have a timing device (Hozelock) attached to my garden tap,
which waters the garden for 5 minutes each morning and evening.

Unfortunately the tap connection has developed a slight leak.
There is a kind of two-piece connection,
one piece attached to the tap,
and the other to the timing device,
one fitting inside the other.

There appear to be two adequate washers, in good condition,
so I'm rather puzzled about the cause of the leak,
and more important, what to do about it.

Is there any kind of magic plumbing glue or cement one can use
in such a case?
Any suggestions or advice gratefully received.

I ought to admit that the garden in question is in Italy,
and I have just planted a little lawn (with grass seed),
so watering is probably necessary,
although the forecast on TV this evening was rather sombre,
"Summer has ended, troublesome weather is coming in from the Atlantic".

I have to leave Italy shortly, and had been relying on my timing device.

You could try Plumber's Mait. Available from screwfix. Not sure about
Italy though.

--
Old Codger
e-mail use reply to field

What matters in politics is not what happens, but what you can make
people believe has happened. [Janet Daley 27/8/2003]

On Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:11:36 +0100, Old Codger
wrote:

You could try Plumber's Mait. Available from screwfix. Not sure about
Italy though.

Amico di un idraulico

Old Codger wrote:
On 18/09/2011 22:48, Timothy Murphy wrote:
I have a timing device (Hozelock) attached to my garden tap,
which waters the garden for 5 minutes each morning and evening.

Unfortunately the tap connection has developed a slight leak.
There is a kind of two-piece connection,
one piece attached to the tap,
and the other to the timing device,
one fitting inside the other.

There appear to be two adequate washers, in good condition,
so I'm rather puzzled about the cause of the leak,
and more important, what to do about it.

Is there any kind of magic plumbing glue or cement one can use
in such a case?
Any suggestions or advice gratefully received.

I ought to admit that the garden in question is in Italy,
and I have just planted a little lawn (with grass seed),
so watering is probably necessary,
although the forecast on TV this evening was rather sombre,
"Summer has ended, troublesome weather is coming in from the Atlantic".

I have to leave Italy shortly, and had been relying on my timing device.

You could try Plumber's Mait. Available from screwfix. Not sure about Italy though.

Similar sealants available from Castorama, Brico, Obi and Bricopoint.
Silicone sealant seems to be preferred in Italy and it is available in
toothpaste type tubes from any of the above or from any ferramenta.
Castorama sell selection boxes of seals, I'd be tempted to buy one of those
and replace all the seals.

However weather usually changes this month and it starts to lash it down
with rain.

"Steve Firth" wrote in message
...
Old Codger wrote:
On 18/09/2011 22:48, Timothy Murphy wrote:
I have a timing device (Hozelock) attached to my garden tap,
which waters the garden for 5 minutes each morning and evening.

Unfortunately the tap connection has developed a slight leak.
There is a kind of two-piece connection,
one piece attached to the tap,
and the other to the timing device,
one fitting inside the other.

There appear to be two adequate washers, in good condition,
so I'm rather puzzled about the cause of the leak,
and more important, what to do about it.

Is there any kind of magic plumbing glue or cement one can use
in such a case?
Any suggestions or advice gratefully received.

I ought to admit that the garden in question is in Italy,
and I have just planted a little lawn (with grass seed),
so watering is probably necessary,
although the forecast on TV this evening was rather sombre,
"Summer has ended, troublesome weather is coming in from the Atlantic".

I have to leave Italy shortly, and had been relying on my timing device.

You could try Plumber's Mait. Available from screwfix. Not sure about
Italy though.

Similar sealants available from Castorama, Brico, Obi and Bricopoint.
Silicone sealant seems to be preferred in Italy and it is available in
toothpaste type tubes from any of the above or from any ferramenta.
Castorama sell selection boxes of seals, I'd be tempted to buy one of
those
and replace all the seals.

However weather usually changes this month and it starts to lash it down
with rain.

Could it be that although the washers look ok they may have lost their
elasticity in the summer heat and become less flexible.
I know that plastic furniture in Turkey can deteriorate if exposed to the
sun over summer and it becomes more brittle.

On 19/09/2011 01:14, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
On Sun, 18 Sep 2011 23:11:36 +0100, Old
wrote:

You could try Plumber's Mait. Available from screwfix. Not sure about
Italy though.

Amico di un idraulico

LOL!

How is it supposed to seal? Does the timer itself have a parallel female
thread which is larger than the thread on the tap - hence the need for
an intermediate adapter which screws onto the tap and into the timer?

If so, there should be two flat (but not too thin) rubber washers - one
either end of the adapter. Where is it leaking? Is either thread
bottoming before compressing the washer?

Are there any cracks in the plastic[1]? Are there any rough surfaces
which would stop the washers from seating properly?

[1] If it used to be ok but has suddenly started leaking, it is possible
that someone may have clobbered it and caused it to crack. Does the leak
get worse if you apply sideways pressure to the timer?
--
Cheers,
Roger
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