Vaillant Manometer resolder

[frank999]

With all the opening and closing of the front door on a Vaillant combi the thin copper pipe (pin sized) feeding this bar pressure meter has split:

http://www.partscenter.co.uk/product/vaillant-101271-manometer/
http://www.partscenter.co.uk/product/vaillant-101271-manometer/
Is it possible to snip off the fractured end of the pipe and resolder it into the back of the manometer.

 

[oldbuffer]

I doubt it could be done successfully. If you could find a piece of brass / copper tubing with the same inside diameter as the outside diameter of the existing copper pipe, you might try soft soldering a sleeve over the broken part, but again a lot of faff.

Easiest solution - Buy and fit Vaillant pressure gauge to the boiler return pipe (Internet search for better price).

Cheaper solution (probably) buy ordinary pressure gauge and fit to boiler return, with isolation valve for when it leaks.

 

[petit_pablo]

It can be done by using a sleeve. An old thermocouple is ideal for this, remove the core and slide it over the broken capillary tube then carefully solder it. By the time youve done all that you might as well have just bought a new guage however.

Ive done this a couple of times to get me out of a hole as a temp fix.

 

[frank999]

Looking at diagrams of this - avoiding solder going down the channel and blocking any ways to the 'bourdon tube' will be a challenge, I guess keeping the opening of the aperture at the right angle is the trick to avoid this.

 

[AGAS]

easier and better to buy a new gauge and replace it

 

[frank999]

Have snipped the very thin copper tube, deburred and rounded the end, and resoldered it, after two attempts - first go solder must have blocked a channel and it didn't register pressure, so I heated the solder mating bit with the iron removed pipe and knocked out any solder that was in the back of the gauges mating bit, wire wooled the pipe stem, tinned it, apart from the last 2mm, and its now working fine, barring the occassional drop of water ... I'm assuming this will be the solder not sealing properly - ie a dry solder joint, I'll try reheating it with flux smeared over the joint.

 

[Steelmasons]

Replace it FFS.

 

[AGAS]

thats you ringing vaillant

 

[magicmushroom666]

The joint should have some mechanical support, ie a sleeve over the two pipes if its a join mid way, or fits into a recess if its at the end. If you just rely on the soft solder its likely to break again as its being flexed.

 

[frank999]

View attachment 108296
thats you ringing vaillant

Yes, and wait an eternity for the call to be answered ...

Reheated the joint and its sealed, job done quicker than a Vaillant call centre service representative can say ... 'Manometer' ...

The break was fortunately right at one end, so just cut it off, vaillant coil the wire into a spiral so it can flex along the wound length.