Aaargh - leaking stopcock

[shedbang]

Old house. Fitting new bathroom. No valves anywhere so figure I may as well install them.

Find rising main. Locate secondary stop cock isolating main as it heads upstairs. Taps stop. Direct system. Great. Ready isolators.

But secondary stop cock starts to leak from tap. A lot.

Locate main stop cock in house. Turn it. Thankfully doesn't leak.

Open all taps upstairs and down. Behave as expected (empty water then stop). Blow and huff and puff a lot to try and clear system. Secondary cock still leaking. Not as much, but still leaking.

Looked around header tank. All seemed normal. Wait. Still leaking. Wait some more. Still leaking.

Why is it still leaking? Only a drip every minute, but why?

And I notice the house is fed from lead pipes...

 

[xr4x4]

Leaking from where on the tap?

 

[HERTS P&D]

Tighten the packing/gland nut.

Andy

 

[xr4x4]

If that's where it's leaking from, undo it, wind some ptfe tape around the spindle behind the nut and retighten.

 

[shedbang]

Not sure what to call it. Where the tap 'shaft' enters the body of the stopcock. Scared to tighten it in case it gets worse. It's pretty ancient.

May replace the thing wholesale tomorrow. But given I've isolated below and cleared out above, I can't fathom out why it's STILL leaking. Must just be the remainder in the pipes.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Its is precisely as Xr4x4 has stated. 30 second job.

 

[cantaloup63]

Its is precisely as Xr4x4 has stated. 30 second job.

I agree with this agreement

 

[shedbang]

Splendid. I shall begin afresh in the morn.

 

[ChrisR]

The spindle may well be all scaled up. Use a thin strip of sandpaper or summat to clean it off first.

 

[shedbang]

Well - it worked. Feel properly stupid now. It's not exactly a difficult fix is it - but if you don't know, you don't know.

Many thanks to you all. That's what this forum should be for.

Now - does anyone know how to free a gate valve thats simply spinning rather than turning...?

 

[Dan Robinson]

If the shaft is spinning freely then it is sheared internally and needs replacing.

If the handle is just spinning on the shaft then you need some WD40 and a firking big pair of pliers.

And some luck.

 

[xr4x4]

Well - it worked. Feel properly stupid now. It's not exactly a difficult fix is it - but if you don't know, you don't know.

Many thanks to you all. That's what this forum should be for.

Now - does anyone know how to free a gate valve thats simply spinning rather than turning...?

Good o..!