Slightly leaking radiator valve

[nitro23456]

Hi all.

Ive taken a radiator off today. All good but the lockshield is now oozing very very slightly from the compression joint where it meets the pipe.

The other end that connected to the tail was so tight, i think taking it off did it.

Ive not tightened it for fear of making it worse as its only ever so slight.

Is this likely to seal itself? The last thing i want to do is drain down.

 

[JohnD]

try the PTFE tape method
//www.diynot.com/diy/threads/water-leak.445884/#post-3498596
it works for me too.

If it is unvented, or you bung it, it will not need to be drained.

 

[nitro23456]

Combi sealed system.

But that would mean doing it live? I was hoping a bit of crud might circulate and seal it or i could apply something like plumbers mate?

Its only a very slight weep.

 

[nitro23456]

Maybe i didnt explain well. Its coming from under the compression nut where the vertical pipe from the floor meets the bottom of the valve.

Its very slight, almost like a condensation like consistency . The sort of thing i notice but the mrs wouldnt.

 

[JohnD]

to apply plumbers mait you would have to undo it and pull out the pipe enough to smear it on the olive.

As it is a sealed system, enough water will come out to depressurise it, then it will stop. You can do that by undoing the valve and letting it squirt into a bucket. This makes a sealed system easier to work on.

Look at the picture in the link. In you case you can undo the nut and pull the valve off, it will give you more room to clean the pipe end and wrap the tape. I think you will find it easy.

 

[nitro23456]

Cheers mate.

Il leave it over night and have a go tomorrow. Ive tried tightening up but it didnt budge so i mustve disturbed the seal slightly undoing the other (previously overtightened) nut.

Ive not done this before and just imagined an unstoppable stream doing it 'live'.

Boiler is still at 0.8bar. Do you reckon much will come out? Im worrying about the existing olive being stuck on the pipe.

I need to chill

 

[nitro23456]

Just to clarify, do you mean reopen the lockshield to drain on to bucket (ie horizontally) before undoing the vertical compression joint?

Will i get an airlock?

 

[JohnD]

it doesn't matter that the olive may be stuck. It should be in the right place because the valve, when pushed on, should have pushed the olive into the right place. You just clean the pipe, olive, and socket in the valve, and put a few turns of tape on the olive. The seal is made by the olive fitting into a rounded recess in the valve. The tape takes up any tiny irregularity of fit. If it is a really bad fit or in the wrong place, you may need to remove it, which can be difficult if it has been tightened with excessive force and the olive crushed onto the pipe.

remove any crust or fragments of old compound because they will prevent a perfect fit.

Edit
yes, squirt it into the bucket. You will not get an airlock as long as you only open one valve. You can top up the pressure when you have finished.

Edit2
We may find my stalker comes here and accuses me of telling you to wrap tape round the radiator, or the pipe, or your dick. Pay no attention to him.

 

[nitro23456]

Thank you.