Plumbing question re. leak

D

Delboy

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I recently replaced the ballcock in my water tank (the old one broke even though the plumber put it in less than a year ago - maybe i should go after him on this???)

Anyways I replaced it myself. In doing so I took out all of the old unit relating to the ballcock. After putting in the new one, I re-conenected the main water pipe to the tank, but there's a slight bit of water coming out...i.e. a drip every 15 seconds or so. This was'nt happening before.
I've used some PFTE tape on it as advised by my father over the phone but it did'nt help.

Anyone got any advice for me on this??? Should I just bite the bullet and get a pumber in for what seems a very small job or maybe there's a simple way of fixing this
 
Try switching the mains off and remove the ballcock. Get somebody to turn the mains back on and see what the water flow is like. If the water flow is good take the ballcock apart and see if there is any blockage. I had the same problem as yourself but not as bad.
 
Delboy

Short term it is not really a problem as the over flow pipe will prevent a flood i.e. when the water in the tank reaches a cetain level, it will spill out into your garden (through the overflow pipe) rather than over the sides of the tank, Longer term it is better idea to stop the leak. Assuming that the ball cock itself is in good condition, the leak is probably caused by some grit on the threads of the connection.

When making any plumbing connections, compression joints, radiators etc, I always use a few 'winds' of PTFE tape around the threads, followed by a smear of 'Plumber's Mait' on the olive / connection. This normally stops any leak, especially if the connections are not brand new.

Hope this help

SM
 
Square Mile said:
Delboy


When making any plumbing connections, compression joints, radiators etc, I always use a few 'winds' of PTFE tape around the threads, followed by a smear of 'Plumber's Mait' on the olive / connection.

SM
Click to expand...

Winding tape around the threads really serves no function on a compression fitting- the olive makes or breaks the seal, a bit of joint making paste like Boss White (on non-potable supplies only) will do no harm but putting tape on the threads can actually prevent you from tightening the fitting sufficiently, leading to leaks.
 
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