Leaking lockshield valve

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I have a leaking lockshield valve. The radiator (in a bedroom) has been turned off for a couple of weeks and I only noticed the problem when I stood in squishy carpet ! It should be an easy enough job to fit a new 'O' ring or whatever, but how do I isolate the radiator, or at least prevent a flood when I dismantle the valve? Will I have to drain the system, and if so how?
 
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You will have to drain the system to replace the lockshield, but how you do it depends on whether you have a gravity fed system or a combi....?

:D :cool: :D :cool: :D
 
Hold them horses....where is it leaking from?, if its round the spindle since you shut it off then you don't need to drain anything it's a nice little 5 minute job.
 
Cheap lockshield valves don't have a seperate gland nut and must be replaced if they leak around the spindle.

Higher quality BS2767 Pt10 valves will have a seperate gland nut. Some can be tightened down to sort the leak. Some can be repacked to stop leaks.

It is normally unecessary to drain dowwn the system to repair or replace a radiator valve. Just pull a vacumn in the system (do a search on old postings)

Out of the last several hundred rad valves I've replaced I only drained the systems down on a few occasions.
 
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Or he could be really lucky and have Belmont valves.

What make is the valve?
 
Gasguru said:
It is normally unecessary to drain dowwn the system to repair or replace a radiator valve. Just pull a vacumn in the system (do a search on old postings)

How is this done? I spent a couple of minutes searching as you suggest but to no avail.Thanks.
 
Bobthedog said:
Gasguru said:
It is normally unecessary to drain dowwn the system to repair or replace a radiator valve. Just pull a vacumn in the system (do a search on old postings)

How is this done? I spent a couple of minutes searching as you suggest but to no avail.Thanks.

Go to hrpc or plum center or somewhere like that and ask them for a bung kit, 2 conical rubber wedges with holes in and a jubilee clip. One pushes into the feed from your header tank and the other pushes over the vent pipe. Then you run some water out of the drain valve or wherever until it stops, seal it up and hey presto the system is full but the water don't come out. Don't do it on a primatic cylinder....it will crumple. If its from the top of the valve it just needs repacking....there are a few you can't do but very few and far between, in my neck of the woods anyway.
 
You haven't told us if you have a combi. If so then oilski's efforts are wasted.

Most of the spindle leaks I see are on cheap valves with no nut. Even some Peglers come without a nut now

My success rate with bung kits (also with the expanding bungs) is about 20%. They never want to seal in the tank connector , the ones I find always have splines inside. So you put the bungs in hard as you can, attach a drain hose and see if it stops. It doesn't. It just drains extra slowly!
 
ChrisR said:
My success rate with bung kits (also with the expanding bungs) is about 20%. They never want to seal in the tank connector , the ones I find always have splines inside. So you put the bungs in hard as you can, attach a drain hose and see if it stops. It doesn't. It just drains extra slowly!

Chris, wrap a load of ptfe round the outside of the bung...it will often seal splined connectors. At a guess I would reckon I have a 95% success rate.
 
I'll have a go with that. I keep thinking of a big F clamp and a rubber pad, or someting to extend inside the cistern to push a pad against the hole...
 
ChrisR, why not fit an isolating valve (lockshield gatevalve?) on the feed and expansion pipe from the F&E tank? That way you get a positive and reliable shut-off which is also useful for future maintenance purposes. Then you only need a 22mm Speedfit stop end for the vent pipe and Bob's your uncle.
 
oilski said:
Go to hrpc or plum center or somewhere like that and ask them for a bung kit, .....Etc.

Thanks chaps...... I used something similar on broken gate valves (broken in the shut position as useual) with no way of draining down the cold water storage tank.
I used a little drum sander tool which used a cylindrical rubber core which gets fatter as you tighten a nut.
I put this in the tank outlet, tightened the nut, and changed the valve.
Thanks to all again for the c/heating tip
Bob.S.
 
service valve on cold feed is against water regs. Probably because, even though you know what you are doing, some idiot diy is bound to trun it off one day, eventually heating will run dry, depending on boiler could be an issue.
 
Bad practice to fit any valve on the feed pipework.

Normal bungs from BES work in most cases and a speedfit for the vent.

In many cases the feed tank will be so full of muck its common to take out the tank to clear it out - in which case its easy to cap the feed.
 

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