Plumbing help !

Danm54 said:
Ive seen gate valves fitted on mains before too, really not reconmended though as they dont hold mains pressure, even new ones. Maybe the ones you made were different from the cheap crap the plumbing trade gets supplied with. Either way, they dont work.

Water meters are fitted with quarter turn ball valves above the meter, all mains water is fitted with stop tap where it enters the property. Older ones are globe valves and the newer ones are a similar design.

Compression fittings are parallel threads, BSP fittings still have tapered threads.
Thinking about it, the cheap fittings do seem to have slight tapers on the threads, I don't think they're designed to though, just cheap.
Click to expand...

Ah cheers. Well we made everything from 1/2" maleable iron fittings to bronze fittings to 72" steel valves. It was the largest fitting and valve manufacturer in the UK (Crane fluid systems). Its no longer there, I left a fair few years ago but they were facing lots of competition from south america where only sub standard product that failed BS kept them out. I guess the south americans or likely chinese broke that barrier at some point and Cranes stopped producing in the UK.

Yeah that was my point on the gate valves, maybe in perfect situations they work but for me thay have always leaked.
 
I'm still a little confused what joint is leaking...
if its the 15mm tee (its a hep2o by the looks of things, though it could be polyplumb) you will need to isolate further back (main stop **** or used the water meter out in the road/drive/path). it is also gonna be a right pain in the arse to get the retaining clips off IRC the old versions of the hep2o fittings u can change the o ring without taking the clip off. Personally i would buy another tee and replace the orings and the tee body.

if its the compression side of the bend washing machine tap (the isolater) you can try just tighting it up (1/8 of a turn can sometimes do it) if that fails isolate further down the pipe work like i said to do with the Tee and you can remake the join.

the stuff we use is called jetblue/plumb blue (depending where u buy it from). in truth u *shouldnt* need it on any joint, its just insurance. using PTFE (should have a BS number) isnt a problem. just wrap it around the olive 12 times or so.

if its the plastic to iron fitting you will need to remake the joint with PTFE (on the thread) maybe 15 times or so going with the thread and you want to do this up hand tight and the final 1/4 turn should be done with a spanner/grips. you DO NOT want to over tighten plastic, it will crack.

i hope this helps
 
Marshstyles said:
if its the plastic to iron fitting you will need to remake the joint with PTFE (on the thread) maybe 15 times or so going with the thread and you want to do this up hand tight and the final 1/4 turn should be done with a spanner/grips. you DO NOT want to over tighten plastic, it will crack.
Click to expand...

Hep2o and Poly Plumb are the same, if not the same company they're the same fittings.

If its the 'plastic to iron fitting' then please, just use a 3/4 rubber washer as its supposed to be, never, I repeat NEVER use PTFE on that, you'll be sure to crack it as you're expanding the plastic nut.

The threads are not where the seal is, the seal is between the flat end of the tap and the flat plastic end to the hose, a washer seals this perfectly.

Same with compression joints, the seal is not on the threads, its between the soft copper/brass olive and the brass body of the fitting.
Its not black iron/galvanised pipework!

I know its called Plumbers Tape For Everything but W/M taps and compression fittings do not need it.

When will people learn?
 
Never seen PTFE around an olive before...
Its the malleable copper that makes the seal against hard metal, why put something else into the equation? If it leaks, tighten it a bit...
 
23JMZ07 said:
Never seen PTFE around an olive before...
Its the malleable copper that makes the seal against hard metal, why put something else into the equation? If it leaks, tighten it a bit...
Click to expand...

im afraid the world doesnt always work like that.

I did tell him how to do it properly first, but you work with what you got.

The PTFE is flexible and will mould to the tapered part of the fitting.

ive seen a pinhole leak in a 2" copper pipe made good with PTFE and a jubalie clip which has held now for over 5 years.

dont ask me how cause i dont know. thats the world of plumbing
 
Hi All

Thanks for all the replies - I have tried to mark the leaks with yellow marks - I am not too sure if there are two points or one, which then leaks back, but have marked both points in yellow.



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

R

Mehul
 
So it's not leaking from the actual JOINT at all then, but the elbow/service valve fitting is failing. You need a new one then mate.

If I were you I'd thoroughly dry it with paper towels, leave it five then come back after 5 mins and dab each joint/fitting with a paper towel to see exactly which parts leaking.

If it is from where you've drawn yellow you need a new fitting, and don't put PTFE on the new compression fitting.
 
May not even need that.

There's a possibility its leaking from the tap itself, will leak from behind the blue lever if you've been turning it off and on. This is a new tap.

Unless you've moved the valve before it was leaking id say you just need a 3/4 rubber washer.

Turn the tap fully off and unscrew the top white nut first, you'll get water but as long as the tap is off it'll stop quickly.

Next unscrew the grey body on top of the tap, in there will be a rubber washer.

Take this to your local DIY shop and get a new one, take the grey body with you if you like.
Fit in place and put back together.

Tighten fittings hand tight only, with rubber washers they need no more than that else you'll risk deforming/cutting the washer.

Turn the water on and check for leaks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom