Help/advice please... (Grant) Kerosine boiler question

[Deleted member 113095]

Hi,

My regular plumber is a good guy but getting reponse from my regular plumber (and the previous one) where I live is rubbish at the best of times. And in the current climate, getting anyone else is proving (understandably) impossible

The valve, circled in white in the attached pic is leaking. Perhaps irt need a new washwer/seal but is it someting that can be done by me/DIY if I turn water off at mains, once pressure has dipped (due to lack of demand, i.e. overnight) to zero, and leak stops. Valve is always set fully open, and is obviously designed so it can be closed during servicing or whatever.

I keep having to periodically repressuriize the system, and keeping it at around 0.5 (usualy it hovers just above 1.0 bar.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice/suggestions

 

[SJB060685]

Looks like one of two pump valves for HW pump. Simple enough to change but I wouldn't recommend it yourself, replacing the valve is easy enough, getting rid of the air trapped afterwards not so much.

 

[Deleted member 113095]

Gerting hold of a plumber is a challenge under normal (non-virus) situations; impossible now. Our usual one is not answering his phone or replying to texts

 

[SJB060685]

Due to the current situation you'll struggle to find someone to come out unless it's an essential repair and seeing as you're making do I doubt someone will, this is troubling times for everyone.
Is the drip coming from the nut that tightens to pump or the spindle? If it's around the nut you'd probably get away with a new washer but if it's around the spindle then I'd replace the whole valve. If that's the case it will require draining down and replacing and refilling but as I said above trapped air in combis can cause a lot of ball ache.

 

[Bbarclays]

Get adjustable spanner or simple spanner to fit last nut properly, then tighten it very gently. Watch drips, count it per minute, see if it slows down. Last nut tightens spindle in place , it is small and brass, use gentle force.

 

[DaveyHep]

If it’s just dripping....leave it. Good bodge, by the way. Tops marks.

 

[Stigster]

Is the drip coming from the nut that tightens to pump or the spindle? If it's around the nut you'd probably get away with a new washer but if it's around the spindle then I'd replace the whole valve. If that's the case it will require draining down and replacing and refilling but as I said above trapped air in combis can cause a lot of ball ache.

If the leak is coming from the spindle the gland nut can be tightened and if that doesn't work the gland can be repacked quite easily and without draining down.

OP, is it leaking from up around the spindle, from around that nut that sits around the spindle, or somewhere else?

 

[SJB060685]

In my experience it's best to replace the valve but I know what you're saying.

 

[WHPES]

Common fault with these. Allow to cool, de-pressurise, slacken the nut but dont remove, use a hacksaw blade to remove all the traces of the old red fibre washer and wrap loctite 55 ptfe cord tightly several times around the gap, tighten the nut back up and job done! If you dont have loctite 55 then normal ptfe works if you roll it between your fingers. I contract for Grant and we get this all the time on boilers that had that brand of pump valves fitted.