Fitting radiator valves to a bathroom towel radiator

[janturn]

Hi,

Can someone please offer some advice

I am in the process of fitting a pair of radiator valves to a bathroom towel radiator which I recently purchased from Hudson Reed. I have connected the radiator valves to the towel radiator using PTFE tape and some bathroom silicone. However. the valves continue to leak. They do not leak at the olive were they are connected to the copper pipes (inlet and outlet). Can anyone please tell me what I need to do to stop the valves from leaking as this will be the third time that the central heating system will need to be drained down, in an attempt to fix the leaking valves. Should I be using plumbers mate instead of bathroom silicone to stop the valves leaking or some other form of jointing compound

I hope that the i have been clear in my explanation.

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

[Softus]

Can be a tricky one this, especially when everything's covered in chrome plate.

However, bathroom silicone isn't man enough for the job. Firstly, you have to find the balance between so much PTFE that you split the usually delicate frame of the towel rail, and so little that water passes.

Unless there's a good reason not to, I would wind the tails in as far as they'll go, with carefully judged force.

However, first, wind on enough PTFE, then apply Fernox LSX sealant (or equivalent) on top of the PTFE, and then wind in the tail.

Then, most importantly of all, wait for the LSX to set. You may have to several hours to be sure, although it goes firm after merely tens of minutes.

 

[janturn]

Yes I managed to obtain a tube of Fernox LSX Sealant. I have not tried this yet, but this may do the trick. I also came across some small extension pieces which sit between the rad and the valve. These pieces had a small rubber washer to screw up to to form a seal. However, I am not able to use these now without drilling more fixings into the tile work - I don't want to do this as it will spoil the appearance.

Many thanks.

 

[Nige F]

Hemp and LSX..........yeah I know about micro-bacterial growth but it`s on the heating system.and a piece of hemp like a cat`s whisker wound in the threads will expand and seal when it gets damp..........worked for Nelson`s Navy -without the LSX Last Resort tho`...and carefully clean the chrome off the threads with a hacksaw blade