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Leaking mains water stopcock
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 12:33 pm
by scroogemonster
There is a nut just below the 'T' bar handle on my mains water stopcock. It has an ultra slow leak. I have tightened it a quarter turn and all seems fine, but when I check the next day there is a ring of water around the threads. No matter what I do I can't get rid of it, it just slowly seeps through after a day or so.What do I need to do to fix this?
Do I need to replace the olive or wrap PTFE around the thread and retighten.
Kevin
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 5:45 pm
by htg engineer
Undo the nut, and wrap PTFE tape in a clockwise direction around the spindle 3 or 4 revolutions should do. The PTFE tape needs to be wrapped loosely between the nut and the body of the valve, when you replace the nut it will push the PTFE tape in and should seal the leak - quite common on older stop taps.
Wrapping PTFE around the threads wont seal anything - and there is no olive.
Hope this helps
htg
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 7:57 pm
by scroogemonster
Oops,think I have not explained myself properly.
I am not talking about the body of the stopcock where the 'T' handle protudes from.
There are two compression nuts at either end of the stopcock body where it gets plumbed into the pipe work ( one for where water goes in from the blue MDPE pipe and one where water goes out to the rest of the house)
I am referring to the compression nut on the water IN side ( the stopcock is plumbed in a vertical position so the compression nut appears to be "below" the 'T' bar)
It is THIS compression nut ( on the water IN side) that is sweating.
Do I need to change the olive or use PTFE or both - I don't want to tighten any more in case I have an accident.
My apologies for not explaining in a correct fashion htg (shows I'm an amateur!)
Kevin
Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 7:58 pm
by scroogemonster
Oops,think I have not explained myself properly.
I am not talking about the body of the stopcock where the 'T' handle protudes from.
There are two compression nuts at either end of the stopcock body where it gets plumbed into the pipe work ( one for where water goes in from the blue MDPE pipe and one where water goes out to the rest of the house)
I am referring to the compression nut on the water IN side ( the stopcock is plumbed in a vertical position so the compression nut appears to be "below" the 'T' bar)
It is THIS compression nut ( on the water IN side) that is sweating.
Do I need to change the olive or use PTFE or both - I don't want to tighten any more in case I have an accident.
My apologies for not explaining in a correct fashion htg (shows I'm an amateur!)
Kevin