Replacing a ball valve in the loft

[goldstone.david]

Hi

I have a cold water tank in the loft, and my overflow pipe drips outside, I think it is because the ball valve may be long overdue to be changed. Is this a reason for the overflow to be dripping.

How do I go about such a job? is it really as easy as changing it like for like ? I dont want to pay =A375 for a quick job that I can do myself. How long is such a job likely to take me ?

Any help would me much appreciated.

Cheers

[Codswallop]

wrote: Hi

I have a cold water tank in the loft, and my overflow pipe drips outside, I think it is because the ball valve may be long overdue to be changed. Is this a reason for the overflow to be dripping.

How do I go about such a job? is it really as easy as changing it like for like ? I dont want to pay £75 for a quick job that I can do myself. How long is such a job likely to take me ?

Any help would me much appreciated.

Cheers ===========================

If you don't know anything about ball valves then:

1. Turn water supply to the valve off.
2. Remove old valve, noting how it is installed, and take to a plumbers merchant for a matching replacement.
3. Install new ball valve and turn water supply back on.
4. Check for leaks and ensure that the water level is correct - not rising upwards to the overflow pipe -adjust if necessary.

Actual removal and replacement is a 5 minute job (famous last words).

[David Hansen]

On 6 Nov 2006 09:39:29 -0800 someone who may be [e-mail] wrote this:-

1) Check if water is dripping out of the valve when it should be shut. 2) If it is then try adjusting the arm to provide more closure force. A modern valve can be adjusted by moving the ball down, an older one needs to be bent downwards *gently*. This may cure it, but is only a temporary fix. 3) Find out what sort of valve it is. There are books and no doubt web sites which will tell you. If it is a type with a washer extract this and see if it is worn, if it is replace. Before doing this turn off the mains water. 4) Complete replacement of the valve may be necessary, but can usually be avoided.

[TMC]

I have a cold water tank in the loft, and my overflow pipe drips outside, I think it is because the ball valve may be long overdue to be changed. Is this a reason for the overflow to be dripping.

How do I go about such a job? is it really as easy as changing it like for like ? I dont want to pay £75 for a quick job that I can do myself. How long is such a job likely to take me ?

Any help would me much appreciated.

Cheers

The job itself is dead easy

Turn off water, undo old valve with a wrench remove valve and sealing washer, fit new washer, screw on new valve, turn on water adjust ball valve to correct height

Repair kits cost less than £1.00 for new rubber and sealing washer so remove valve as above put new bits in and replace

However this assumes:

That you have a means of getting into your loft

That you can find the stop tap and turn it off (not always easy)

That you can gain access to the valve (e.g. that the tank is not jammed against the rafters requiring draining disconnecting and moving to gain access)

That the tank is not an old galvanised one where any attempt to work on the valve results in damage to the tank

That the valve is not a brass one where everything has seized

Or as happened to me once where a room had been created in the loft space and the tank was behind the walls and the access panel had been decorated over

Tony

[David]

Thank you so much to all of you that replied, helping with this problem. I will give it a go. Much better that paying someone to do it.

Best Regards

David

TMC wrote:

[Bob Eager]

Check the float doesn't have water in it...