Does anyone have any experience of remedying an oil drip on the pipework
of a heating oil tank? I've got this small but persistent drip, I think
from one of the joints around the sight gauge.

The tank doesn't have a shutoff valve (I know, I know) so I can't simply
close it off, which is a pity as there is 1500 litres still in there.

Almost certainly I will have to get a man in, but what exactly will he
do and how much will it cost? Is it better to tolerate the leak until
the tank's nearly empty and replace the piping then? Unfortunately it's
summer and 1500 litres will last for months ...

--
Les

On 22/06/2014 10:02, Big Les Wade wrote:
Does anyone have any experience of remedying an oil drip on the pipework
of a heating oil tank? I've got this small but persistent drip, I think
from one of the joints around the sight gauge.

The tank doesn't have a shutoff valve (I know, I know) so I can't simply
close it off, which is a pity as there is 1500 litres still in there.

Almost certainly I will have to get a man in, but what exactly will he
do and how much will it cost? Is it better to tolerate the leak until
the tank's nearly empty and replace the piping then? Unfortunately it's
summer and 1500 litres will last for months ...

I don't know if it's the one I've used on tanks, but there's a tank
repair kit about halfway down this page:-

http://www.repairproducts.co.uk/page41.htm

The one I used stuck to metal which was as dry as I could wipe it, and I
believe the fire brigade use something similar for leaking tanks.

If it's from the sight gauge, it may be a perished seal round the glass,
which is a different problem.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On Sunday, 22 June 2014 10:02:01 UTC+1, Big Les Wade wrote:

Does anyone have any experience of remedying an oil drip on the pipework
of a heating oil tank? I've got this small but persistent drip, I think
from one of the joints around the sight gauge.

The tank doesn't have a shut-off valve (I know, I know) so I can't simply
close it off, which is a pity as there is 1500 litres still in there.

Almost certainly I will have to get a man in, but what exactly will he
do and how much will it cost?
Is it better to tolerate the leak until the tank's nearly empty and
replace the piping then?
Unfortunately it's summer and 1500 litres will last for months ...

I don't have any advice for you but I would like to commend your openness with a name like yours.

Well done.

On 22/06/14 10:02, Big Les Wade wrote:
Does anyone have any experience of remedying an oil drip on the pipework
of a heating oil tank? I've got this small but persistent drip, I think
from one of the joints around the sight gauge.

The tank doesn't have a shutoff valve (I know, I know) so I can't simply
close it off, which is a pity as there is 1500 litres still in there.

Almost certainly I will have to get a man in, but what exactly will he
do and how much will it cost? Is it better to tolerate the leak until
the tank's nearly empty and replace the piping then? Unfortunately it's
summer and 1500 litres will last for months ...


This might just work, without creating an unholy mess that would make a
proper repair difficult later:

http://www.warriorwarehouses.co.uk/C...9EV-2SILWELDRD

When you get a fitter in, might be an idea to get an isolation valve
fitted too

On 22/06/2014 10:02, Big Les Wade wrote:

Does anyone have any experience of remedying an oil drip on the pipework
of a heating oil tank? I've got this small but persistent drip, I think
from one of the joints around the sight gauge.

Depends how fast the drip is and the chances of it becoming a flood. An
oil leak that contaminates land or water can need expensive remediation.

The tank doesn't have a shutoff valve (I know, I know) so I can't simply
close it off, which is a pity as there is 1500 litres still in there.

That is worth fixing too when you get the man in.

Almost certainly I will have to get a man in, but what exactly will he
do and how much will it cost? Is it better to tolerate the leak until
the tank's nearly empty and replace the piping then? Unfortunately it's
summer and 1500 litres will last for months ...

A certified heating oil guy will have a tank and pump with him and move
the oil out of your tank while he works on it. It will obviously cost
the time it takes him to pump oil each way plus his other charges.

My old metal oil tank failed by corrosion from the inside. It looked
perfect externally but about an inch from the bottom turned out to be
rust held together externally by Hammerite (the old good stuff).

When they tried to lift it away the base stayed put and split away.

Worth considering having a Watchman instead of a sight gauge...

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On Sun, 22 Jun 2014 10:02:01 +0100, Big Les Wade wrote:


Almost certainly I will have to get a man in, but what exactly will he
do and how much will it cost? Is it better to tolerate the leak until
the tank's nearly empty and replace the piping then?

Can you wrap the offending joint with self amalgamting tape? That
should contain/stop it until you can get things sorted out properly.

A shut off valve is essential, if the pipe sprung a real leak and the
oil got into the ground you really don't want the EA to find out.
They will have you remove all the "contaminated" soil and disposed of
as "hazardous waste". BIG bill time, your insurance might cover it
unless the leak is due to neglect...

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Sun, 22 Jun 2014 12:01:56 +0100, Martin Brown wrote:

Worth considering having a Watchman instead of a sight gauge...

I don't think suppliers will fill a tank that doesn't have a working
sight gauge. With out one they would have to dip the tank to make
sure there is enough space for the delivery. The delivery head
doesn't have auto shut off like a garage petrol/diesel nozzle does
and they deliver rather quickly, at a guesstimate around 5 l/s
(approx 1 gallon/sec)(*). That rate would deliver a 50 l fill up for
a car 10 seconds ...

The display on a Watchman would be inside the house (and doesn't work
when unplugged), is rather coarse and the calibration can be
adjusted.

(*) Working on 5 to 10 mins pumping to deliver 2000 l.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Sun, 22 Jun 2014 13:22:06 +0100 (BST)
"Dave Liquorice" wrote:

On Sun, 22 Jun 2014 12:01:56 +0100, Martin Brown wrote:

Worth considering having a Watchman instead of a sight gauge...

I don't think suppliers will fill a tank that doesn't have a working
sight gauge. With out one they would have to dip the tank to make
sure there is enough space for the delivery. The delivery head
doesn't have auto shut off like a garage petrol/diesel nozzle does
and they deliver rather quickly, at a guesstimate around 5 l/s
(approx 1 gallon/sec)(*). That rate would deliver a 50 l fill up for
a car 10 seconds ...

The display on a Watchman would be inside the house (and doesn't work
when unplugged), is rather coarse and the calibration can be
adjusted.

(*) Working on 5 to 10 mins pumping to deliver 2000 l.


Locally, all the suppliers we have used have no problem with the lack
of a sight gauge, they either look into or dip our tank. And our tank is
fitted with an auto-shutoff feed pipe, that no supplier has a matching
fitting for!
And Watchman units had a bad patch a year or so ago, there were several
where the alarm function failed, usually 'ON', and our installer told us
that Watchman were being very unhelpful with the many complaints they
were getting. Always out of warranty, of course. I have heard no more
since then, though, so maybe they have sorted out whatever the problem
was.

--
Davey.

"Big Les Wade" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any experience of remedying an oil drip on the pipework
of a heating oil tank? I've got this small but persistent drip, I think
from one of the joints around the sight gauge.

The tank doesn't have a shutoff valve (I know, I know) so I can't simply
close it off, which is a pity as there is 1500 litres still in there.

Almost certainly I will have to get a man in, but what exactly will he do
and how much will it cost? Is it better to tolerate the leak until the
tank's nearly empty and replace the piping then? Unfortunately it's summer
and 1500 litres will last for months ...

--
Les

If it is round the sight tube there is a rubber washer,
Sometimes you can tighten a big nut or two bolts to fix the leak.
But the rubber may have gone hard.

If you have to have the tank emptied it will cost a fortune.
So put something to catch the drip and decant back into the tank for now.
Meanwhile get hold of a 45 Gall. oil drum +funnel & when the tank has run
down.drain off the remainder into buckets and fill the oil drum so work can
be done.

Be prepared for a pile of water/**** in the bottom of the tank if it is old
it may come out of the drain. Funnel with a strainer on is best.

I'd imagine it might be safer to use the old saucepan under the leak trick,
and poor it back when there is enough till its quite low.
I know a bloke down the road who had oil heating used this approach, cos I
asked him why he had a saucepan inside his little covered area where his
tank was.
Oh its a little leak, I'll get around to fixing it one day.. The old round
Tuit factor!

Brian

--
From the Sofa of Brian Gaff Reply address is active
"Big Les Wade" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any experience of remedying an oil drip on the pipework
of a heating oil tank? I've got this small but persistent drip, I think
from one of the joints around the sight gauge.

The tank doesn't have a shutoff valve (I know, I know) so I can't simply
close it off, which is a pity as there is 1500 litres still in there.

Almost certainly I will have to get a man in, but what exactly will he do
and how much will it cost? Is it better to tolerate the leak until the
tank's nearly empty and replace the piping then? Unfortunately it's summer
and 1500 litres will last for months ...

--
Les

In message o.uk, Dave
Liquorice writes
On Sun, 22 Jun 2014 12:01:56 +0100, Martin Brown wrote:

Worth considering having a Watchman instead of a sight gauge...

I don't think suppliers will fill a tank that doesn't have a working
sight gauge.

We have a Watchman, but no sight gauge, and have never had a problem
with suppliers. Having said that, I record every reading from the
Watchman, so would notice if it suddenly gave false readings.

--
Graeme

On 22/06/2014 10:02, Big Les Wade wrote:
Does anyone have any experience of remedying an oil drip on the pipework
of a heating oil tank? I've got this small but persistent drip, I think
from one of the joints around the sight gauge.

The tank doesn't have a shutoff valve (I know, I know) so I can't simply
close it off, which is a pity as there is 1500 litres still in there.

Almost certainly I will have to get a man in, but what exactly will he
do and how much will it cost? Is it better to tolerate the leak until
the tank's nearly empty and replace the piping then? Unfortunately it's
summer and 1500 litres will last for months ...


It depends on the leak. If it is small and you can collect the oil, then
you can just put it back in the tank via a filter (old shirt)

You don't say exactly where the leak is. Is there not a nut that you
can tighten?


--
Michael Chare

Michael Chare posted
On 22/06/2014 10:02, Big Les Wade wrote:
Does anyone have any experience of remedying an oil drip on the pipework
of a heating oil tank? I've got this small but persistent drip, I think
from one of the joints around the sight gauge.

The tank doesn't have a shutoff valve (I know, I know) so I can't simply
close it off, which is a pity as there is 1500 litres still in there.

Almost certainly I will have to get a man in, but what exactly will he
do and how much will it cost? Is it better to tolerate the leak until
the tank's nearly empty and replace the piping then? Unfortunately it's
summer and 1500 litres will last for months ...


It depends on the leak. If it is small and you can collect the oil,
then you can just put it back in the tank via a filter (old shirt)

You don't say exactly where the leak is. Is there not a nut that you
can tighten?

I am not entirely sure where it is, but it *seems* to drip from the
little glass bowl underneath the sight gauge, which suggests that John
may be right about the perished gasket.

I am afraid to do much in the way of joint-tightening in case it goes
disastrously wrong ... and I haven't got a shutoff valve ...

--
Les

On Monday, June 23, 2014 10:42:33 AM UTC+1, Big Les Wade wrote:
Michael Chare posted

I am afraid to do much in the way of joint-tightening in case it goes
disastrously wrong ... and I haven't got a shutoff valve ...


I think you are right to be cautious. I certainly would not try anything t ofix it until the tank is empty.

Presumably the tank does not have a bund wall round it, to contain a major leak if it happened. I think some newer design tanks have this built in in some way.

One possibility is to have a new tank installed (in a different place of course) and then pump the oil across, then reroute the pipes.

Robert

snip

I am not entirely sure where it is, but it *seems* to drip from the little
glass bowl underneath the sight gauge, which suggests that John may be
right about the perished gasket.

I am afraid to do much in the way of joint-tightening in case it goes
disastrously wrong ... and I haven't got a shutoff valve ...

--
Little glass bowl? Is this a couple of inches dia and a couple of inches
deep? Secured by a bracket with nut or thumbscrew, or a circular nut, to a
metal housing? This could be a water separator or (if larger) a filter
housing. This glass bowl will have a fibre or rubberish washer as a seal, it
may be that causing the leak. Whatever it is, it did not get there by
accident and may not have been attended to for some while.
I would suggest give the whole area a good wipe down with rag and then a
clean with hot washing up liquid solution. When clean you 'should' be able
to locate the source of the leak.
Find out how the glass bowl is fixed, a GENTLE tweak might be the answer to
a maidens prayer.
Could you post on the web a couple of pics of the sight gauge & glass bowl
showing connections?

Won't help a great deal as you have no shutoff valve but may id where the
problem lays.

I would go with the flow on this (no pun intended). Catch the drops of
leakage if you can and either put it back in or keep it in a 20L container
for other use. Heating oil has several other good uses.

When the tank is getting low, normally 23rd December, have the problem fixed
and have an isolation valve installed.
Sadly one thing is for sure. This won't fix itself.

HTH and wish you all good luck.
Nick.

snip
My old metal oil tank failed by corrosion from the inside. It looked
perfect externally but about an inch from the bottom turned out to be rust
held together externally by Hammerite (the old good stuff).

Had a similar problem with my mums tank. 600gals installed early 70's less
than 3M from a watercourse in a very rural location AONB. 5 yrs ago it was
looking decidedly unhealthy.
As the level was getting low we bought a new 2600L plastic bunded tank.
Drained off the dregs and tipped the tank up to empty what we could into
buckets.
6 of us were able to pick up the tank and put it on a nearby trailer. As we
did so it ruptured. Thankfully with minimal pollution as we'd already laid
down a load of old blankets/duvets etc.
Demolished existing pillar supports.
New tank put in position on existing concrete base. Remake pipework & fit
new filter housing.

Worth considering having a Watchman instead of a sight gauge...
Advice from the local firm that supplied her boiler juice for more than 30
years: (1) Watchman, spawn of the devil. (2) Sight gauge is something else
to go wrong and will inevitably discolour, making it unreadable. (3) Use a
calibrated dipstick.
Works for me and the guys that deliver the oil.
Nick.

Nick posted

I am not entirely sure where it is, but it *seems* to drip from the little
glass bowl underneath the sight gauge, which suggests that John may be
right about the perished gasket.

I am afraid to do much in the way of joint-tightening in case it goes
disastrously wrong ... and I haven't got a shutoff valve ...

--
Little glass bowl? Is this a couple of inches dia and a couple of inches
deep? Secured by a bracket with nut or thumbscrew, or a circular nut, to a
metal housing? This could be a water separator or (if larger) a filter
housing. This glass bowl will have a fibre or rubberish washer as a seal, it
may be that causing the leak. Whatever it is, it did not get there by
accident and may not have been attended to for some while.
I would suggest give the whole area a good wipe down with rag and then a
clean with hot washing up liquid solution. When clean you 'should' be able
to locate the source of the leak.
Find out how the glass bowl is fixed, a GENTLE tweak might be the answer to
a maidens prayer.

It screws directly onto the metal component above it, like the lid of a
jamjar. I have tried tightening it but as I said I don't want to overdo
it.

Pic is at
http://www.users.callnetuk.com/~otcb...s/tank-o~1.jpg

The pipe going out the back (from the viewer's POV) takes the fuel to a
filter and so to the boiler.

See the little metal button on the left, you are supposed to press that
to let oil into the sight gauge and so take a measurement, but I don't
dare touch it.

The tank is standing on a big concrete slab; the installer has formed a
little well just below the valve assembly, presumably to catch any
drips. I can't actually see any drips coming out of anywhere specific,
but there is definitely an accumulation of oil in the well over a period
of time.

Won't help a great deal as you have no shutoff valve but may id where the
problem lays.

I would go with the flow on this (no pun intended). Catch the drops of
leakage if you can and either put it back in or keep it in a 20L container
for other use. Heating oil has several other good uses.

When the tank is getting low, normally 23rd December, have the problem fixed
and have an isolation valve installed.
Sadly one thing is for sure. This won't fix itself.

Thanks. I was coming to that conclusion.

--
Les

On Mon, 23 Jun 2014 17:14:50 +0100, Big Les Wade
wrote:

Nick posted

I am not entirely sure where it is, but it *seems* to drip from the little
glass bowl underneath the sight gauge, which suggests that John may be
right about the perished gasket.

I am afraid to do much in the way of joint-tightening in case it goes
disastrously wrong ... and I haven't got a shutoff valve ...

--
Little glass bowl? Is this a couple of inches dia and a couple of inches
deep? Secured by a bracket with nut or thumbscrew, or a circular nut, to a
metal housing? This could be a water separator or (if larger) a filter
housing. This glass bowl will have a fibre or rubberish washer as a seal, it
may be that causing the leak. Whatever it is, it did not get there by
accident and may not have been attended to for some while.
I would suggest give the whole area a good wipe down with rag and then a
clean with hot washing up liquid solution. When clean you 'should' be able
to locate the source of the leak.
Find out how the glass bowl is fixed, a GENTLE tweak might be the answer to
a maidens prayer.

It screws directly onto the metal component above it, like the lid of a
jamjar. I have tried tightening it but as I said I don't want to overdo
it.

Pic is at
http://www.users.callnetuk.com/~otcb...s/tank-o~1.jpg


Unless I'm very much mistaken, there does appear to be a 'slotted'
shut off valve incorported into the tank 'connection'. I don't think
there's room to use a penny coin but a flat bladed cabinet screwdriver
should reach ok.
--
J B Good

On 23/06/14 17:14, Big Les Wade wrote:

It screws directly onto the metal component above it, like the lid of a
jamjar. I have tried tightening it but as I said I don't want to overdo it.

Pic is at
http://www.users.callnetuk.com/~otcb...s/tank-o~1.jpg

That's a water separator, isn't it?

The pipe going out the back (from the viewer's POV) takes the fuel to a
filter and so to the boiler.

See the little metal button on the left, you are supposed to press that
to let oil into the sight gauge and so take a measurement, but I don't
dare touch it.

On 23/06/2014 16:15, Nick wrote:
snip

Worth considering having a Watchman instead of a sight gauge...

Advice from the local firm that supplied her boiler juice for more than 30
years: (1) Watchman, spawn of the devil. (2) Sight gauge is something else
to go wrong and will inevitably discolour, making it unreadable. (3) Use a
calibrated dipstick.
Works for me and the guys that deliver the oil.
Nick.

Apart from their vastly overpriced "custom" Duracells in a copper tube
ripoff scam I can't say that the Watchman has been any bother at all.
FXtouches wood/FX

Certainly towards the end of our old tanks life the sight gauge was
completely unreliable especially during tank filling!

New one has an autostop and full capacity bunding.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

Big Les Wade wrote:
Nick posted

I am not entirely sure where it is, but it *seems* to drip from the little
glass bowl underneath the sight gauge, which suggests that John may be
right about the perished gasket.

I am afraid to do much in the way of joint-tightening in case it goes
disastrously wrong ... and I haven't got a shutoff valve ...

--
Little glass bowl? Is this a couple of inches dia and a couple of inches
deep? Secured by a bracket with nut or thumbscrew, or a circular nut, to a
metal housing? This could be a water separator or (if larger) a filter
housing.

Seems very odd logic by the original fitter to provide a water trap/filter
without any means of emptying it.

Is it possible that there *is* a valve of some sort present but missing its
handle thus making it less obvious? A small ball valve of some sort
perhaps?

Tim

Tim+ wrote:
Big Les Wade wrote:
Nick posted

I am not entirely sure where it is, but it *seems* to drip from the little
glass bowl underneath the sight gauge, which suggests that John may be
right about the perished gasket.

I am afraid to do much in the way of joint-tightening in case it goes
disastrously wrong ... and I haven't got a shutoff valve ...

--
Little glass bowl? Is this a couple of inches dia and a couple of inches
deep? Secured by a bracket with nut or thumbscrew, or a circular nut, to a
metal housing? This could be a water separator or (if larger) a filter
housing.

Seems very odd logic by the original fitter to provide a water trap/filter
without any means of emptying it.

Is it possible that there *is* a valve of some sort present but missing its
handle thus making it less obvious? A small ball valve of some sort
perhaps?

Tim

Ah, just seen your photo. It does indeed look like you have a ball valve
there.

Tim

Tim+ posted

Ah, just seen your photo. It does indeed look like you have a ball valve
there.

JB Good thinks so too, but are we sure? It would be great if it were,
then I could shut it off, empty the trap and put in a new gasket.
Assuming they're still available


--
Les

On Mon, 23 Jun 2014 17:41:00 +0100, Johny B Good wrote:

Find out how the glass bowl is fixed, a GENTLE tweak might be the

answer to a maidens prayer.

It screws directly onto the metal component above it, like the lid
of a
jamjar. I have tried tightening it but as I said I don't want to
overdo
it.

Pic is at
http://www.users.callnetuk.com/~otcb...s/tank-o~1.jpg

Unless I'm very much mistaken, there does appear to be a 'slotted'
shut off valve incorported into the tank 'connection'.

Yeah I thought the same as well but it doesn't look quite right,
there doesn't appear to be any sort of gland around the shaft but I
can't think what else it could be.

The glass bowl will function as a water trap and may well have coarse
filter in it as well. If the oil line goes up/down a bit outside not
having a water trap is *not* a Good Idea. One cold winters morning
our boiler locked out and wouldn't restart. No fuel... Long story
short shallow dip in pipe full of water frozen into a 2' long bit of
firm slush. Got that out pulled cloth on bit of wire through the 10 m
of pipe, loads of dirt and muck. Connected all back up still wouldn't
run, faffing about with the pipework had dislodged enough gunk to
block the fire valve.

Now have glass bowl filter unit fitted at the tank and it has caught
a bit of water. I also siphoned something like 5 to 10 gallons of
water from the bottom of the tank as well.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On 23/06/2014 19:27, Big Les Wade wrote:
Tim+ posted

Ah, just seen your photo. It does indeed look like you have a ball valve
there.

JB Good thinks so too, but are we sure? It would be great if it were,
then I could shut it off, empty the trap and put in a new gasket.
Assuming they're still available



Well you could turn the screw and see if the boiler stops.


--
Michael Chare

John Williamson posted

If it's from the sight gauge, it may be a perished seal round the
glass, which is a different problem.


Any idea where I can get a new one? For once Google isn't much help.
Perhaps I'm searching on the wrong term.

--
Les

On 26/06/2014 16:28, Big Les Wade wrote:
John Williamson posted

If it's from the sight gauge, it may be a perished seal round the
glass, which is a different problem.


Any idea where I can get a new one? For once Google isn't much help.
Perhaps I'm searching on the wrong term.

If there's a maker's mark on it, that's a start. Otherwise, I found
quite a few using "sight gauge gasket" or "sight glass gasket"

You might find it's just a fat O-ring made of a hydrocarbon resistant
material.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

John Williamson posted
On 26/06/2014 16:28, Big Les Wade wrote:
John Williamson posted

If it's from the sight gauge, it may be a perished seal round the
glass, which is a different problem.


Any idea where I can get a new one? For once Google isn't much help.
Perhaps I'm searching on the wrong term.

If there's a maker's mark on it, that's a start.

None I can see.

Otherwise, I found quite a few using "sight gauge gasket" or "sight
glass gasket"

The ones I turned up were mostly for ageing motorbikes or industrial
water pumps or something.

You might find it's just a fat O-ring made of a hydrocarbon resistant
material.

Without doing a chemical analysis I wouldn't know ...

--
Les

On 23/06/2014 20:37, Michael Chare wrote:
On 23/06/2014 19:27, Big Les Wade wrote:
Tim+ posted

Ah, just seen your photo. It does indeed look like you have a ball valve
there.

JB Good thinks so too, but are we sure? It would be great if it were,
then I could shut it off, empty the trap and put in a new gasket.
Assuming they're still available



Well you could turn the screw and see if the boiler stops.


Looks like a bit of a bodge but the bit with a screw definitely looks
like (part of) a service valve.

newshound posted
On 23/06/2014 20:37, Michael Chare wrote:
On 23/06/2014 19:27, Big Les Wade wrote:
Tim+ posted

Ah, just seen your photo. It does indeed look like you have a ball valve
there.

JB Good thinks so too, but are we sure? It would be great if it were,
then I could shut it off, empty the trap and put in a new gasket.
Assuming they're still available



Well you could turn the screw and see if the boiler stops.


Looks like a bit of a bodge but the bit with a screw definitely looks
like (part of) a service valve.

Yes, I have turned it and it did shut the boiler off. I haven't yet
summoned up the courage to undo the water trap though ... not much point
anyway until I source a new seal.

Thanks for all replies.


--
Les

/10:17Big Les Wade
newshound posted
- show quoted text -
Yes, I have turned it and it did shut the boiler off. I haven't yet
summoned up the courage to undo the water trap though ... not much point anyway until I source a new seal. /q

Until you dare to disassemble it how TF are you going to know what you need?!

Seems you need to forget the "DIY" & pay someone to sort this out for you?

Jim K

On Fri, 27 Jun 2014 09:58:49 -0700 (PDT), JimK wrote:

Yes, I have turned it and it did shut the boiler off. I haven't
yet
summoned up the courage to undo the water trap though ... not much

point anyway until I source a new seal.

Until you dare to disassemble it how TF are you going to know what you
need?!

And I bet a bit of cerial packet carefully cut to shape would work.
It also strkes me that the O ring kits from lidl/aldi could be
useful, they go quite large.

Has the glass bowl to mount been confirmed as the leak source?

--
Cheers
Dave.

Dave Liquorice posted
On Fri, 27 Jun 2014 09:58:49 -0700 (PDT), JimK wrote:
Until you dare to disassemble it how TF are you going to know what you
need?!

By looking at what's available on the Internet in terms of replacement
parts (especially O rings).

And I bet a bit of cerial packet carefully cut to shape would work.
It also strkes me that the O ring kits from lidl/aldi could be
useful, they go quite large.

Has the glass bowl to mount been confirmed as the leak source?

Not yet. I'm waiting for my O-ring kit to arrive, then I'll replace it
and find out.


--
Les

/Big Les Wade
Dave Liquorice posted
On Fri, 27 Jun 2014 09:58:49 -0700 (PDT), JimK wrote:
Until you dare to disassemble it how TF are you going to know what you
need?!

By looking at what's available on the Internet in terms of replacement
parts (especially O rings). /q

Ah yes the needle in the haystack approach :-)

Jim K

JimK posted
/Big Les Wade
Dave Liquorice posted
On Fri, 27 Jun 2014 09:58:49 -0700 (PDT), JimK wrote:
Until you dare to disassemble it how TF are you going to know what you
need?!

By looking at what's available on the Internet in terms of replacement
parts (especially O rings). /q

Ah yes the needle in the haystack approach :-)


It has taken some time, but TBH I don't see how else I could have done
it. In the end I found some web sites that sell sight gauges and glass
filter bowls that look exactly like mine, so that I could identify the
maker (Atkinson, it seems). Then I used that brand name to search for
and order a compatible O-ring replacement kit. Have you got a better
idea?

--
Les

On 02/07/2014 12:57, Big Les Wade wrote:
JimK posted
/Big Les Wade
Dave Liquorice posted
On Fri, 27 Jun 2014 09:58:49 -0700 (PDT), JimK wrote:
Until you dare to disassemble it how TF are you going to know what you
need?!

By looking at what's available on the Internet in terms of replacement
parts (especially O rings). /q

Ah yes the needle in the haystack approach :-)


It has taken some time, but TBH I don't see how else I could have done
it. In the end I found some web sites that sell sight gauges and glass
filter bowls that look exactly like mine, so that I could identify the
maker (Atkinson, it seems). Then I used that brand name to search for
and order a compatible O-ring replacement kit. Have you got a better idea?


It's one strategy. I have a box of assorted O rings which may have come
from SF, TS, or Aldi. They are nitrile rings so will be compatible with
fuel oil. Personally, I would have whipped the bowl off and looked for a
suitable match. Someone else mentioned washers made from cornflake
packets, and I have certainly done that before on things like sumps and
rocker box covers when I drove bikes and cars that were near the end of
their life.

But, I know a fair bit about seals and materials compatibility so I know
what is safe. There's nothing wrong with your approach.