Cold water valve - small leak

[NBee]

Hi everyone. Just having a new washing machine installed, and seem to have disturbed an existing connection where the water supply isolation valve is. Please see image:

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• NBee
• 10 Aug 2012
• 1

Dampness is appearing where the red line points to. Not drips, but enough dampness to concern me - I wouldn't want to leave it like that.

Is the large nut (B) part of the same item as the valve (A), or a separate component?

Is it likely that just trying to tighten the nut (B) will stop the leak?


Would really appreciate any advice. If necessary I'll call a plumber, but I'm sure this is probably pretty simple! Thanks.

 

[Stingray13]

you probably only need to nip the nut up use some grips on the valve and tighten the lined valve slightly, poorly supporting the valve during installation probably contributed to this

 

[oldbuffer]

Nut B is a separate component. I'd suggest the following:

a. Hold valve body A to stop it from turning, and tighten up nut B. Don't overdo it. Inside the join of valve and nut there is a ring of brass or copper called an olive. Doing up the nut compresses the ring onto the copper pipe, and seals it to the body of the valve. If you over-tighten the nut, it can distort the pipe and make any leak worse.

b. If a. doesn't work you'll need to disassemble nut from valve. As the water is likely to be mains pressure you must be able to turn the water off, probably at your main stop valve. You could then try cleaning the olive and end of the pipe (the olive should remain attached to the end of the pipe) then wrap three or four turns of white PTFE tape (plumbing sort, not the thicker gas sort) around the olive and reconnect and re-tighten.

c. If a. and b. don't work, then I'd suggest replacing the valve, after cutting back the pipe just behind the old olive. Warning as at b. for turning the water off.

 

[NBee]

Thanks very much for the replies.

'oldbuffer' - I'll try your suggestion a. If that doesn't work I'll call someone to help - it's in a tricky position and I don't trust myself!

To confirm... would I have to tighten that nut clockwise? I.e. - as you look at the photo, the front of the nut would have to come downwards?

 

[Charnwood]

I'd also suggest a pipe clip close to the valve to give it a bit more stability.

The front of the nut would need to go UP to tighten. Clockwise refers to if you were looking along the pipe to the valve.

 

[xr4x4]

Looking at that picture, it's been seaping for a while, or has in the past.