Radiator lockshield valves

[TheRoost]

We've got small leaks on all our radiator lockshield valves, they either sweat or drip from the spindle, but some stop leaking when the rad has warmed up. Has anyone got any tips for curing this without having to drain everything down?

It seems that they are a poor quality valve, sounds like they don't make them as well as they used to (probably about 10 years old). Some of them have rusted on the spindle, I had to close off one of the valves to change a blanking plug, and this made the leak even worse.

I know I will have to drain everything down and renew all eleven valves, but I don't really fancy taking this on over winter! So is there a temporary fix, like using a leak sealer around the spindle that would work?

Thanks, Andy

 

[Me!]

I'd try a bit of Fernox LS-X on each leak. As long as you don't turn the valves, I think it should work fine.

 

[88v8]

When we had heating, which I installed myself in 1982, I fitted good quality brass valves. I shall remember the make in a moment errrm. They're still made, about £90 each, dang still can't recall.
Anyway, after a year or three, they leaked from the glands.
So, every year, I went round all the valves, lockshield and hand, and checked whether the gland nuts needed a slight tighten. That may be all that yours need.
Eventually, with progressive tightening the seals become fully compressed and have to be replaced. If you shut the valve fully it should be possible to remove the gland nut and seal, then a trip to a good plumber's merchant for some new ones.

Ivor

 

[Flyfisher]

When we had heating, which I installed myself in 1982, I fitted good quality brass valves. I shall remember the make in a moment errrm. They're still made, about £90 each, dang still can't recall.

Any of these?

http://www.periodstyle.co.uk/period-valves-3-c.asp

 

[bennoa1]

Chartwell?
bennoa1

 

[DJH]

Unscrew the stuffing gland retaining nut and wrap a small amount of PTFE (Pipe Tape For Engineers ) tap in a clockwise direction so that it gets tightened whaen the nut is done up and that should solve your problem for a good while. Alternatively I've used a small string of tow or hemp pulled through some graphite powder. This would have been on larger valves.

Don't forget that if you shut down the valve you must, if the system has been balanced, either count how many turns it takes to shut down and then open it the same amount after you've stuffed the gland or rebalance...

Doug

 

[TheRoost]

Thanks all. I have lsx and ptfe here (Liking the alternative meaning DJH!)

To remove the gland nut, assume I have to drain or at least depressurise the system?

I read somewhere that glands had been replaced with o-rings in recent years on cheap valves, guess if I open one up I can see what I've got.

I usually count the number of turns then write it on the side of the rad in case I forget

I will try tightening first.
Andy

 

[88v8]

When we had heating, which I installed myself in 1982, I fitted good quality brass valves. I shall remember the make in a moment errrm. They're still made, about £90 each, dang still can't recall.

Any of these?
http://www.periodstyle.co.uk/period-valves-3-c.asp

Crane.
Model D200 and D201.
Here
http://www.cranefs.com/files/productDataSheets/D201_Data-sheet.pdf
These look like a rip-off
http://www.westradiators.co.uk/radiator-valves/west-bnb-1-2-b.php

Crane have also restarted the production of their iron rads. We had a mix of Crane and Ideal. When I was installing our systems in 1975 (first house) and 1982/91 (second house) the only way to get iron rads was from a scrapyard or by placing a small ad in the paper. And of course they had to the be the right size for each room so as not to unbalance the system, and free of scale, and one had to go and get them, and then paint them. What a faff. Installing a 'period' system so easy now, yet I still see new systems with ugly modern rads.
http://craneradiators.com/CRANE-Cast-Iron-Radiators.html

To remove the gland nut, assume I have to drain or at least depressurise the system?

Just close both the valves on the rad. The gland will still be subject to the static head from the radiator itself, but I doubt it will do more than drip.

That reminds me....

 

[TheRoost]

Those Crane valves look superb, thanks. When we start work on the living room I'll be binning the modern rad and MDF radiator cover, So i'll look at cast iron rads by crane too (Cast in Europe, finished in UK ) as you say there's lots of cast iron rads around now, but a lot of the sellers don't say where or by who they are made.

 

[Penners]

PTFE (Pipe Tape For Engineers )

Well, that's certainly easier to say than polytetrafluoroethylene. :wink:

 

[Penners]

I usually count the number of turns then write it on the side of the rad in case I forget

A good plan, Andy. I'm sure you're aware that the setting of the lockshield valves is important to ensure that the system remains balanced - in other words, to ensure that you don't have a belting hot radiator at the beginning of the pipe run and a stone cold one at the far end.