Help with leaking isolation valve on CH pipe

A photo would be worth its weight in frakincense. As you've said, you should be able to turn off both valves to buy yourself some time - presuming you're happy for that rad to be out of action while the guests are visiting. Then you'll just lose the water in the short run of pipe from the iso valve to the rad balance valve.

OK. Not leaking from the nut on the rad side...it's the screw that controls the isolating valve that's leaking. Turning it to off slightly minimises the flow. Flow being a better word than drip.
 
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Not leaking from the nut on the rad side...it's the screw that controls the isolating valve that's leaking.

I'm sure someone can help but it is pointless without photos. We are all guessing at the moment.
 
Are you talking about the screw in the centre of the ISO valve, that you turn to shut the valve off, that's where the water is coming from? If so then you may be able to turn it to a certain point where the water loss is minimised. Sometimes twisting it back and forward can get it to seal up a bit better but unfortunately it can also make it worse, that's a suck it and see.

This is the primary reason ISO valves like this shouldn't be used on CH pipework, they're not designed for it.

Is you system sealed? Is it a combi boiler with a pressure gauge? If you shut off all the rads and then crack the nut on the ISO valve and release all the pressure from the system then you will be able to snatch that valve out with minimal loss of water. Then change the ISO valve and re-pressurise the system
 
Are you talking about the screw in the centre of the ISO valve, that you turn to shut the valve off, that's where the water is coming from? If so then you may be able to turn it to a certain point where the water loss is minimised. Sometimes twisting it back and forward can get it to seal up a bit better but unfortunately it can also make it worse, that's a suck it and see.

This is the primary reason ISO valves like this shouldn't be used on CH pipework, they're not designed for it.

Is you system sealed? Is it a combi boiler with a pressure gauge? If you shut off all the rads and then crack the nut on the ISO valve and release all the pressure from the system then you will be able to snatch that valve out with minimal loss of water. Then change the ISO valve and re-pressurise the system

YES. The screw in the centre of the ISO valve.

Its a gravity fed system, so no chance to release the pressure from the system in that way as kindly suggested.

Should that screw be able to go round and round, which this one does? I thought they were supposed to be 1/4 turn jobs?

My original question was: is there anything that would stick to a already dripping fitting to temporarily seal it up?
 
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I'm sure someone can help but it is pointless without photos. We are all guessing at the moment.

Apperciate the request for a photo, but not sure it would tell you much more than I can with words.
Control screw in centre of ISO valve is leaking (quite profusely now).
 
yes some ISO valves spin 360Deg. You need to go up into the loft and bung the small tank up there and you can then shut off the rads and swap the valve out.

You could bodge it, is the slotted section flush with the valve or is it raised? If flush then a jubilee clip and a thick rubber washer and use that to compress the washer onto the valve. If it raised then there are sealing putty's you can get but never found one that works properly TBH.
 
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Should that screw be able to go round and round, which this one does? I thought they were supposed to be 1/4 turn jobs?

Some do some don't.

My original question was: is there anything that would stick to a already dripping fitting to temporarily seal it up?

Unfortunately no. Swap it for a new one as Madrab suggested.
 
You might be lucky... You could get a replacement ballofix in a Christmas cracker at the dinner table tomorrow!

Ho Ho Ho... rrible things :ROFLMAO:;)
 
Apperciate the request for a photo, but not sure it would tell you much more than I can with words
I've tightened the joint as much as I dare and it hasn't stopped dripping. Maybe now overtightened?


I can't disassemble and try a new olive

The leak is definitely on the radiator side of the valve, and it's definitely the feed pipe. I'd hoped that with the radiator turned off, and the isolation valve closed, the only water that could leak out, or gus

Sorry, can't manage that at the moment. Its definitely leaking from the nut on the radiator side of the isolation valve.

Yes. isolators on the feed and return. End of the isolator nearest to the radiator on the feed pipe is leaking.
OK. Not leaking from the nut on the rad side...it's the screw that controls the isolating valve that's leaking

YES. The screw in the centre of the ISO valve.

Apperciate the request for a photo, but not sure it would tell you much more than I can with words.

Well just maybe if you had posted a photo at the first request you might have been sorted by now , and no your words were total tosh
 
Well just maybe if you had posted a photo at the first request you might have been sorted by now , and no your words were total tosh

Thanks for that. OK, I'll admit I was wrong about where the leak was coming from, but maybe a photo would have only shown what I, (and the rest of my family) was seeing: a drip from the left and side of the ISO valve (which was really coming from the screw control and running down the slope of the fitting (the pipe not being level) and dripping off the nut.

Anyway, thanks to all those who contributed positive suggestions to help the situation.
If anyone still cares, I'm catching the drips in a large shallow tray that just fits under the valve, and will follow Madrabs suggestions when guests have gone.

Hope everyone had a happy Christmas.
 
Valiant attempts here to help the OP with in-depth advice but I fear his skills and experience are not up to doing this simple repair by himself.job could be sorted in 30mins if he knew how.
Can only help people who are willing to help themselves.
 
Valiant attempts here to help the OP with in-depth advice but I fear his skills and experience are not up to doing this simple repair by himself.job could be sorted in 30mins if he knew how.
Can only help people who are willing to help themselves.

Yes, limited experience, so didn't want to risk making things worse when I knew I couldn't get hold of our heating engineer over the holiday period. And in fact all I was asking for initially was any recommendations of that might temporarily stem the flow. Obviously there were none, although the suggestion of a clip over some membrane was one.

I will be replacing the two lengths of pipe which are connected by the ISO valve with a single length (rather than replace the valve) when I have the time and leisure to do the job properly.
 

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