If anyone wants advice on gas/central heating/boilers. feel free to ask

HELP!

I've changed the ball valve plate on my Honeywell 3-way valve & the shaft is leaking, a constant drip. Any ideas other than a faulty plate?
 
HELP!

I've changed the ball valve plate on my Honeywell 3-way valve & the shaft is leaking, a constant drip. Any ideas other than a faulty plate?
You should’ve got a new o-ring with the replacement plate, did you fit that or reuse the old one?

If you fit the new one then likely it’s got pinched / dislodged and isn’t sitting in the crevice it’s supposed to sit in
 
You should’ve got a new o-ring with the replacement plate, did you fit that or reuse the old one?

If you fit the new one then likely it’s got pinched / dislodged and isn’t sitting in the crevice it’s supposed to sit in
Thanks but the shaft is inside the O ring. I did use the new one but if it was letting, surely the leak would be around the edge of the plate, not from the shaft?
 
Thanks but the shaft is inside the O ring. I did use the new one but if it was letting, surely the leak would be around the edge of the plate, not from the shaft?
I’m not sure what you mean by shaft? Do you mean the spindle that the motor sits on?

A photo would help
 
Do you mean the spindle that the motor sits on?
Yes.

1590326258847.png
 
Blimey, yeah that’s a faulty plate. Never seen that happen.

Im not suggesting you don’t sort a replacement but sometimes running some heat through can help seal little drips.

As that is a moving part then it’s a worry that it would come back so I would definitely sort a replacement - what a pain!
 
Arse. That'll teach me to attempt it on a Bank Holiday weekend with no chance of a replacement before Tuesday.
As I said:

😢
With all this practice, you’ll be able to fit the replacement with your eyes shut 😎
 
Got the original soaking in Plusgas. If I can free it up I might have a go at putting it back. Not sure I dare go to bed relying on the drip to remain constant...
 
Got the original soaking in Plusgas. If I can free it up I might have a go at putting it back. Not sure I dare go to bed relying on the drip to remain constant...
Just check the rubber ball hasn’t swollen as this is what often happens and why the plate ends up passing
Edit - oh I see until the replacement arrives
 
The ball actually came off as I removed the old one & I had to fish it out of the body. But the shaft/spindle was almost completely seized, so fairly sure that was the problem. Could probably glue the ball back on but really don't want to swap it twice more!

Luckily Amazon have them & I qualify for a free Prime trial, so should be here tomorrow.
 
All done!

Found a length of tubing that fitted snugly over the casing where the leak was, so was happy to leave that running into a old washing up bowl overnight. Probably a couple of litres in it this morning & the leak still dripping at the same rate.

Amazon replacement turned up around midday & had me worried as the plate was a different shape, with curved sides. But everything else lined up so I guess it's just a later version using less brass. The spindle was a fair bit tighter than on the leaky one & with no play. The leaky one was completely free to rotate with no resistance.

The Regin bungs worked well in the F&E tank. Found them at a good price here.

So everything's back together & working except my body, which is aching from maintaining odd positions in the airing cupboard & squeezing between the roof struts & straddling joists to get to the F&E tank. 😫

Many thanks to @Fergal82 & the other pros who contribute to this thread. 👍
 
All done!

Found a length of tubing that fitted snugly over the casing where the leak was, so was happy to leave that running into a old washing up bowl overnight. Probably a couple of litres in it this morning & the leak still dripping at the same rate.

Amazon replacement turned up around midday & had me worried as the plate was a different shape, with curved sides. But everything else lined up so I guess it's just a later version using less brass. The spindle was a fair bit tighter than on the leaky one & with no play. The leaky one was completely free to rotate with no resistance.

The Regin bungs worked well in the F&E tank. Found them at a good price here.

So everything's back together & working except my body, which is aching from maintaining odd positions in the airing cupboard & squeezing between the roof struts & straddling joists to get to the F&E tank. 😫

Many thanks to @Fergal82 & the other pros who contribute to this thread. 👍
Yeah the curved plates are the “newer” ones I think, been around for a couple of years. That original one you had that leaked must’ve been sat on some shelves for a few years as I’ve not seen one of them for a while now.

Glad your sorted and It seems with minimal fuss (bar the iffy part and thanks in part to amazon delivering on bank holidays!) 👍
 
Hey.
Im replacing my Boiler system with a Vitodens 050.
I have a power shower with pump in the loft.
I have delayed getting a combi boiler as people have said the shower may not work with it.
Any suggestions ?
 
Switched hot water on for a bath last night and it didn't work. F22 code flashing on Glowarm boiler which apparently means low pressure and after further investigation I found the expansion vessel pressure gauge was on zero and there was water leaking through the kitchen ceiling. It seems it has leaked from an automatic air vent.

So my question is, can I simply tighten the thing on top of the automatic air vent ( googles tells me it's a Altecnic Robocal), repressurise with the filling loop and reset the boiler? I realise the the thing on top of the vent is supposed to be slightly loose to allow air to vent automatically but could I not just do that manually from time to time in the same way you might bleed a radiator or is it likely to cause me problems?

If anyone can help with advice I would very much appreciate it as ideally I don't want anyone coming to the house as I'm strictly self isolating.
 
Switched hot water on for a bath last night and it didn't work. F22 code flashing on Glowarm boiler which apparently means low pressure and after further investigation I found the expansion vessel pressure gauge was on zero and there was water leaking through the kitchen ceiling. It seems it has leaked from an automatic air vent.

So my question is, can I simply tighten the thing on top of the automatic air vent ( googles tells me it's a Altecnic Robocal), repressurise with the filling loop and reset the boiler? I realise the the thing on top of the vent is supposed to be slightly loose to allow air to vent automatically but could I not just do that manually from time to time in the same way you might bleed a radiator or is it likely to cause me problems?

If anyone can help with advice I would very much appreciate it as ideally I don't want anyone coming to the house as I'm strictly self isolating.
Short answer yes. Cheap part and easy to change so I’d get it sorted. Water dripping through the ceiling being a big reason why you don’t want it failing again
 
Short answer yes. Cheap part and easy to change so I’d get it sorted. Water dripping through the ceiling being a big reason why you don’t want it failing again

Many thanks for the reply. So is that yes I can live with it with the top bit closed for a while or yes I'm likely to run in to problems if I were to do that?

Not being a plumber, is it a part I can change myself or is that not advisable? As mentioned, I ideally wanted to avoid having anyone coming into the house for the time being.
 
Many thanks for the reply. So is that yes I can live with it with the top bit closed for a while or yes I'm likely to run in to problems if I were to do that?

Not being a plumber, is it a part I can change myself or is that not advisable? As mentioned, I ideally wanted to avoid having anyone coming into the house for the time being.
Yes you’ll be fine with it tightened up and to be honest if it doesn’t leak once you’ve repressurised then it probably won’t.

If you’ve got a photo I can shed some light on how easy it isto change
 
Yes you’ll be fine with it tightened up and to be honest if it doesn’t leak once you’ve repressurised then it probably won’t.

If you’ve got a photo I can shed some light on how easy it isto change

Thank you again for your reply. I can't express how much I appreciate it as given the current situation it was worrying me. Here is a pic of the thing itself. I can take another pic of the area around it if that helps?

P1020563.JPG
 
Thank you again for your reply. I can't express how much I appreciate it as given the current situation it was worrying me. Here is a pic of the thing itself. I can take another pic of the area around it if that helps?

View attachment 1313654
If you can get a like for like replacement then it’s a straight swap and as easy as removing the old one and installing the new one.
You will need to drop the pressure / drain the system, support the old vent with some grips and use adjustable spanner to undo the nut.

Whatever you do take your time and make sure you’ve got towels / containers handy if the hits the fan!
 
If you can get a like for like replacement then it’s a straight swap and as easy as removing the old one and installing the new one.
You will need to drop the pressure / drain the system, support the old vent with some grips and use adjustable spanner to undo the nut.

Whatever you do take your time and make sure you’ve got towels / containers handy if the hits the fan!

Just wanted to say a big thank you for your help. Replaced it today with minimal mess. Had loads of towels and water absorbent drying mats wrapped round the pipe work but nothing but the small hand towel at the top saw any water. Very much appreciate your help so thanks again.
 
Got a question on back boilers ...as I've never come across one before

Just been looking at a house built in the 90s that's got one behind a gas fire in the lounge. My thoughts are rip it out and start again with a combi in the kitchen..I imagine it would not be very efficient and expensive to repair etc ..assuming it works ok

Didn't know if this was easy to do ..was planning on doing it myself...or to leave it in and remove the fire and board it over or something .

I'm assuming I could do it rather than a plumber....but also assuming the gas supply and water pipes would have to blanked off or taken out of the loop somewhere convenient...plumber doing the gas of course..
Wondered what would be the best option
 
Got a question on back boilers ...as I've never come across one before

Just been looking at a house built in the 90s that's got one behind a gas fire in the lounge. My thoughts are rip it out and start again with a combi on the kitchen..I imagine it would not be very efficient and expensive to repair etc ..assuming it works ok

Didn't know if this was easy to do ..was planning on doing it myself...or to leave it in and remove the fire and board it over or something .

I'm assuming I could do it rather than a plumber....but also assuming the gas supply and water pipes would have to blanked off or taken out of the loop somewhere convenient
Wondered what would be the best option
You are right, ripping it out and starting again is the way forward. There is a specific decommissioning procedure when removing a back boiler so it isn’t a case of just ripping it out - although not far off.

Sometimes people leave the gas fire in place - not sure whether that would be of interest to you.

In terms of going for a combi, you might find that a lot of the system is salvageable providing it’s fully pumped, if it’s a gravity system - forget about it.

You may find that ripping it all out and putting a combi in the loft is the best way forward, although won’t be the cheapest.
 
Thanks...yeah kitchen diner is small ...and with the windows theres not much room to play with..but that's 'new' type builds for you...they just refuse to make layouts practical :facepalm:
Even new builds today...2 bedroom houses with 3 toilets...what's that all about !

Anyway ..there is a walk in cupboard in the kitchen..which I didn't pay too much attention to at the time ..so now thinking to put a boiler and washing machine in there...but a water waste would have to go along the outside of the wall to round the back where the drain must be ..didn't look when I was there ...the only thing is theres a rear outside door in the way
 
Screenshot_2020-08-01-09-32-52-657_com.rightmove.android.jpg

Think I saw a hot water tank upstairs in the airing cupboard ..so assuming it would be gravity fed
 
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