Suspect DU144 stuck open

[Tarragonrookie]

Hi there,

I suspect the above bypass valve is stuck in the open position and allowing water to pass through all the time. When adjusting the unit there does not appear to be any spring resistance. I have considered buying a new valve and swapping the working part from the new valve to the old valve, thus avoiding the need to remove the old valve.

The question to you experts please is, is it common for this valve to fail and is there an easy fix without a drain down and full replacement. I have tried to find a drawing of the internal arrangements but without success.

Sorry to parade my ignorance , you may say call a plumber. The difficulty is avoiding the self taught disaster merchant of whom there are many around. Please don't suggest Checkatrade or similar. If I could find someone who did an apprenticeship and learned the trade properly from skilled elders, then fine.

Thank you for taking the trouble to advise me.

Regards

 

[muggles]

It's not that common for an auto bypass to fail. You'll need to at least partially drain to swap the innards so you may as well swap the whole thing and avoid disturbing seals and invalidating the warranty on the new valve

Shall we try "similar to Checkatrade but actually worth taking notice of"? Use Buy With Confidence - it's run by Trading Standards and all tradesman are thoroughly vetted for both qualifications and competence before being allowed onto the scheme. Unlike Checkatrade et al, BWC have absolutely no interest in keeping their members happy - their primary function is to work to the benefit of the general public. Alternatively, post where your nearest town is as there are some good guys on here who serve parts of Berkshire, but Berkshire is quite big...

 

[D_Hailsham]

Not all Councils are part of the BWC scheme. For example, Kent County Council's 'Trading Standards Approved' Scheme is operated in partnership with Checkatrade.

The other problem with BWC is that it is more concerned with how the business is run (proper accounts, pay vat and taxes), no criminal record, keeps appointments etc, than with the quality of the work.

 

[muggles]

Not all Councils are part of the BWC scheme

I know, which is why I don't always recommend it, but I think at least parts of Berkshire are covered. As for them being disinterested in the quality of the work, I have to disagree - they wanted my customer list and phoned ten of my past customers for references before they would even consider letting me join. Bad work = no membership. Given that there's also a "rate my tradesman" option on their website, where customers can rate the quality of the work carried out, I'd say they're very concerned about quality