Thermostatic Radiator valve leak... Bank hol weekend..

[richb77]

Thermostatic radiator valve has a 10mm copper pipe feed. For some reason there doesn't seem to be a good connection between the end of the copper pipe and the valve resulting in the valve being able to be spun around the pipe even if the capnut is fully tightened.

This results in an obvious leak and I can't re-fit the radiator until this is sorted out.

Anyone know why this would happen and a solution to fix it? Do I need to cut off the existing nut and fit a new valve? I don't really want to do that as this would result in me needing to solder more pipe on.

I take it there is an olive in there preventing the nut from being taken off even when the valve is off? The nut will not lower to expose this olive in order to cut it off and fit a new one. What should I do?

Thanks in advance for taking time to read this and respond. This would have to happen on a bank holiday weekend. My sister and her two kids are without hot water till I can get this sorted as the boiler won't fire up (Worcester) to give them hot water and I think it may be to do with the fact that there's no pressure as I've had to drain the system to see to this problem.

Cheers

Richard

 

[dextrous]

At what point did the leak begin? Has the rad / valve been taken off for some reason?

 

[richb77]

The leak was instant once my nephew leaned on the radiator and it came off the wall. Whoever fixed it to the plasterboard wall didn't use the correct plugs and it was an accident waiting to happen.

I had a frantic phone call at 9pm tonight and headed over there. The first thing I did was drain down the system.

 

[dextrous]

Initial guess would be that the pipe has fractured within the valve. Since you have removed the valve from the rad, it there any play in it to allow you to cut the pipe below the nut and use this new section to fit a new nut and olive onto?

 

[richb77]

No, there isn't any play at all. The pipe below comes out of the wall, does a 90 degree bend and straight into the valve, no room for play. I'd have to cut it off at the wall, solder a new bend into place and then put a new olive onto this. If the pipe is split then, no amount of tightening will solve the problem... it means a new pipe you think?

 

[dextrous]

Possibly, Having undone the nut, you say you cannot slide this down over the pipe. Is this because the bend is right next to it, or that it just doesn't wand to slide down? If the latter, then you may be able to get it to expose the olive if you open an adjusable spanner wide enough to rest on the top of the nut and gently use a hammer to try to tap the nut down the pipe (by hitting close to the jaws of the spanner) which will be deformed out of being a perfect circle.

 

[richb77]

and your suggesting that by doing this, and exposing the olive it may be possible to cut it off and replace with a new one?

 

[dextrous]

Of course, to avoid having to add a new piece of pipe on as you suggest, you could always lower the radiator down by an appropriate height to use shortened section of vertical pipe leading up to the valves. Luckily, the radiator has been removed from the wall anyway and you'll have to rehang the brackets onto the wall, probably using holes in different postions anyway, so an inch or so lower may be your advantage. In which case, all you'll need is a couple of new 10mm olives for the valves at each end.

 

[dextrous]

and your suggesting that by doing this, and exposing the olive it may be possible to cut it off and replace with a new one?

Possibly indeed - at least you'll be able to inspect the pipe to see if it is fractured anyway, in which case my post immediately prior to this one regarding lowering the rad may be a reasoanbly appropriate solution.

 

[richb77]

Thanks... I'll try and lower the nut as you suggested.
Just another thing. The end of the copper pipe (what I can see that is surrounded by the nut) is like a flat end with a 5-6mm hole in the centre. it does not seem like the end of the pipe but it is this which fits into the valve. Is this part of the thermostatic valve housing? Is this a 10mm to 15mm reducer?

 

[dextrous]

It's probably one of these http://www.yorkshirefittings.co.uk/...&id=1361052&leigh=fred&template=1&search=true

 

[richb77]

Thanks for that. Thanks for your help on this.