Hi
I live in the UK (if that matters!) and have a problem with the water tank in the loft: it keeps overflowing.
I have fitted 4 new brass equilibrium ball valves in the past year. For a month or so they seem to work okay (shutting off the water as the water/ball float rises), but after that the water just doesn't shut off completely. It trickles all the time and eventually overflows (usually overflowing each morning via the outlet at the edge of the roof - you have to turn on a tap in the loo to drain some water out).
If I pull the arm of the valve up hard, the water will just about shut off but if the ball float is used by itself, it just doesn't create enough force to close the valve (the ball just gets submerged by the water).
I have looked at the valves I have replaced and they all look okay - there is no visible damage. The washers look okay.
There is a stop cock in the kitchen downstairs by which I can control the speed of the water going up to the tank in the loft. I only have this open about an eighth of a turn, but still the flow of the water into the tank in the loft is very hard. There is also a "tap" in the loft just by where the pipes enter the tank, but however hard I turn this, it makes no difference to the flow of water into the tank. I can only stop the flow of water if I close the stop cock in the kitchen.
I can't find the mains stop cock outside the house .... there's no little pit anywhere in the road (the house is very old - I don't know if a mains stop cock even exists for it).
I think the ball float on the arm is about 4 or 5 inches round.
If this was bigger, I guess it would have more force with which to shut off the valve as the water rises.
Is it possible to get an arm which takes 2 ball floats ... in order to double the closing force on the valve? I have looked online, but not been able to find anything.
With thanks in advance.
Mac
I live in the UK (if that matters!) and have a problem with the water tank in the loft: it keeps overflowing.
I have fitted 4 new brass equilibrium ball valves in the past year. For a month or so they seem to work okay (shutting off the water as the water/ball float rises), but after that the water just doesn't shut off completely. It trickles all the time and eventually overflows (usually overflowing each morning via the outlet at the edge of the roof - you have to turn on a tap in the loo to drain some water out).
If I pull the arm of the valve up hard, the water will just about shut off but if the ball float is used by itself, it just doesn't create enough force to close the valve (the ball just gets submerged by the water).
I have looked at the valves I have replaced and they all look okay - there is no visible damage. The washers look okay.
There is a stop cock in the kitchen downstairs by which I can control the speed of the water going up to the tank in the loft. I only have this open about an eighth of a turn, but still the flow of the water into the tank in the loft is very hard. There is also a "tap" in the loft just by where the pipes enter the tank, but however hard I turn this, it makes no difference to the flow of water into the tank. I can only stop the flow of water if I close the stop cock in the kitchen.
I can't find the mains stop cock outside the house .... there's no little pit anywhere in the road (the house is very old - I don't know if a mains stop cock even exists for it).
I think the ball float on the arm is about 4 or 5 inches round.
If this was bigger, I guess it would have more force with which to shut off the valve as the water rises.
Is it possible to get an arm which takes 2 ball floats ... in order to double the closing force on the valve? I have looked online, but not been able to find anything.
With thanks in advance.
Mac