Cheers Setty, however I have just done this and water is *very* slowly seeping out of the join in the shaft, between where it turns. How can I stop this? It is fine when fully open, but not midway.
It's leaking from the gland round the shaft - which needs to be tightened or re-packed.
First try tightening the small nut nearest the end of the shaft. This will compress the gland material onto shaft. If that doesn't work, remove the nut, wind some fine hemp or string (but not nylon) round the shaft, and refit and tighten the nut - so that the nut pushes the string down into the gland region. With any luck, that will fix it.
And if that don't work, open that one fully again, and try turning down the one on the other end of the rad instead ;-)
Good thinking! The first solution didn't work as there wasn't a smaller nut, and tightening the larger one didn't change things, but using the shaft on the other side seems to have done it.
You guys are great to have around!
I also fixed the ceased radstats in a couple of rooms by spraying them with WD40 and hitting the pins with a hammer.
Have now ordered digital replacements for the wall timer and hall stat to update things and give me more control. Looks like I'm almost there! :)
Hehe it never ends...
Since the engineer's visit, the boiler itself has been making 'swooshing' sounds every few seconds. It sounds like when you glide your hand through a bath to mix the water. I suspect this is air, however the rads don't appear to need any further bleeding as I get water straight away.
The engineer did release air from one of the pipes above the boiler (flow or return?) however the problem is still present. He also mentioned the bit at the top of the boiler where the vessel is shouldn't have been fitted tilted at 30-degrees, which it has. There is no room for it to lie flat.
Any ideas?
PS: Should the boiler run constantly - not the gas flame, but the water running through it, even when the rads and wall thermostat are off? What is it circulating if there is no demand for heat or hot water?
Yup that sounds like air...
Can't quite visualise what you mean here...
The air may clear itself in a couple of days - it will slowly get deposited into a radiator
Most boilers will certainly run the pump for a little time after they have finished heating. Some may even be wired to run it continously.
Sorry to say the one on the other end of the rad is leaking as well, very slowly. I'm not sure about your description of what to do, however, as I don't see a small nut near the end of the shaft. Maybe it's a different type?
Clicky piccie:
Any other 'quick fix' that is less complicated?
Thanks :)
I'm not sure - I'm more used to valves which look like this:
I can't see from your photo whether there are nuts on two levels, or not. I can see a tallish internally threaded nut at the top, with the shaft sticking up through it. Is there a thinner nut below it? If so, the top nut may be a gland nut. If you undo it slightly, does it feel as if just the nut can be removed - or does it feel like the whole innards will come out if you unscrew it fully?
If it *isn't* a gland nut, how the hell are you supposed to fix leaking glands - anybody know? [Probably a silly question - you throw the valve away and fit a new one!]
Thanks. It does feel like the whole innards would come out with it :-S Not sure I want to risk undoing it any more.
Hit the nail on the head I expect!
How brave are you feeling?
If it was me I would drain a little water from the system so that the pressure guage reads zero. Get another similar new valve. Turn off the old one. Drain the rad (by undoing the coupling to the valve). Stick some old towels around the knackered one and undo the nut holding it on the pipe (while keeping the valve pushed down against the pipe) - it will seep a bit but you wont lose too much water at this point. Once free of the nut have it away briskly and replace with your thumb and then repeat to substitute the new one. Done swiftly you ought not loose more than a cup of water! Having an assistant hold a towel over the top of the valve (but clear of your hands will catch any squirts).
I'm brave enough I think, however it seems to have stopped seeping. Perhaps the limescale blocked it up as I suspect happened originally. For now at least, we are okay. Phew!
That is quite possible - if it is a valve with a packed gland as set square described, then they can leak if the packing drys out. Once it gets wet again it swells and stops the leak.
Hi guys
You will recall my great photo of the wall stat wiring here:
When installing a new stat today, I removed the blue wired from pin 4 of the old stat, and the stat still operated the heating perfectly, with just the red and yellow wires in place.
My new stat only requires 2 wires also - ON and COM (N/L).
My question: What is/was the Blue wire for, and can I just put some electrical tape round it and tuck it into the wall?
1) I have replaced the Danfoss 3-port valve actuator for a new one, but no difference. It works the same as the previous. 2) The valve itself doesn't appear to be stuck, as the actuator lever successfully moves it around. However, it always returns the level to a central position, no matter whether the wall timer is on CH or HW.I am not quite experienced enough to own a multimeter, but here is what I found using an electrical screwdriver to test signals in the junction box, where the valve actuator is connected to all the other wiring:
Valve wire: Blu Org Gry Wht CH On 0 0 1 1 HW On 0 1 1* 0 Both On 1 1 1 1 *on electrical screwdriver, light was blinking not solid
Does the system appear to be wired correctly?
3) I have looked at the hallway wall stat, and provided a photo of the wiring here:Here is how the electrical screwdriver responds to the stat, which does click when turned:
Wire: Blu Brn Yel On 0 0 1 Off 0 0 1 *on electrical screwdriver, light was blinking not solid
Is this our problem?
Thanks!
It would do.... although not as well as before!
Probably a neutral connection. The old bimetal stats have a small compensating heater built into them. This improves the accuracy and stability of their operation. In order for this to work they need a neutral connection in addition to the live. So without it, they still work but not as well.
Yup. (or put a chockie block on it before taping it up - that way there is nothing waiting to stab you in the finger when you manhandle the tape! ;-)
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