Scantlings

So, here's a non-abstract topic. Last night, in a fit of stupidity, I applied vice grips and leverage to the stem of an ancient hot water radiator valve, with the predictable result. The leak was small, the system is low pressure, and some silicone tape and wire twists took care of it. However, I would like to make the definitive fix, to wit, glop it up with a wet-sticking adhesive and forget about it until something fails catastrophically. I think the decision is down to plumber's epoxy and something from the 3M 5000 series.

Any advice?

Orestes Munn wrote:So, here's a non-abstract topic. Last night, in a fit of stupidity, I applied vice grips and leverage to the stem of an ancient hot water radiator valve, with the predictable result. The leak was small, the system is low pressure, and some silicone tape and wire twists took care of it. However, I would like to make the definitive fix, to wit, glop it up with a wet-sticking adhesive and forget about it until something fails catastrophically. I think the decision is down to plumber's epoxy and something from the 3M 5000 series.

Any advice?

1. Replace the valve, if possible.
2. If not possible, remove any pressure from the system, wire-brush to bright metal and wipe down with alcohol. If possible, take a file and make lots of little gashes in the brass for the epoxy to key in to. Make a glob of epoxy putty (I like the StarBrite stuff, available at WM) and press into the repair zone. You can make it a little prettier by shaping it with wet fingers. Wait at least 12 hours before repressurizing.

Thanks. Way too definitive, though.

Have a plumber coming on Tues.

ahhh...living with hot-water heat. We love it. It's one of the most charming features of our ancient house.

I've lost track of how many times I've had to drain the system and fix a radiator valve. It's very easy OM. The daunting part is draining the radiator. You will need to open the valve on the tank at the furnace. Make sure all the vents are open on all the radiators. Once the water stops draining, you simply remove the valve and replace. You can get an exact replacement for the valve from Home Depot.

after replacement, refill the tank. Leave the vents open on the radiators. As soon as water starts squirting out, close the vent. If you have a lot of radiators, get some helpers. Once you fill up the last radiator, shut off the water. If you overfill, you can drain some off. Your furnace should have a relief valve anyway.

Oh, I know how to drain stuff. It's just the ancient galvanized plumbing which scares me. The branch to the radiator is so corroded, I think it might break off when they try to get the valve off. I suspect this one is an 1939 original. Newer parts of the house have convectors and copper from the 70s.

Orestes Munn wrote:Oh, I know how to drain stuff. It's just the ancient galvanized plumbing which scares me. The branch to the radiator is so corroded, I think it might break off when they try to get the valve off. I suspect this one is an 1939 original. Newer parts of the house have convectors and copper from the 70s.

yes, those kinds of repairs can be a slippery slope. Maybe time to replace that particular pipe? But of course, that would probably mean major surgery to get to it, right?

Soñadora wrote:

Orestes Munn wrote:Oh, I know how to drain stuff. It's just the ancient galvanized plumbing which scares me. The branch to the radiator is so corroded, I think it might break off when they try to get the valve off. I suspect this one is an 1939 original. Newer parts of the house have convectors and copper from the 70s.

yes, those kinds of repairs can be a slippery slope. Maybe time to replace that particular pipe? But of course, that would probably mean major surgery to get to it, right?

...as in living room ceiling.

Plumber today.

I know that one.

after a celing repair several (10?) years ago, I noticed little stalgtites forming below the bathroom.

dammit.

Assuming the worst, I cut a 4' x 4' hole in the ceiling. Turns out it was just a little drip that was due to a leaky valve on the toilet.

dammit

I learned that I really do hate working on ceilings.

In related news ... just used Sikaflex to fix our conductors music stand. It had a little ledge to keep the music from falling off that was poorly attached. Given that the stand and the ledge flexed in different axes and were barely attached as designed, it seemed to be the best solution. Conductor questioned if I really needed to keep it for two weeks for to cure (!) ... now that it can stand to be immersed in salt water, he is ready for that gig on an Italian cruise ship ...

Excellent! The stuff just gets wasted, if you don't use it. We just retired an 8 qt saucepan whose lid handle I tacked down with 5200, maybe 8 yrs ago. Many years before that, a bike frame builder friend had offered to braze it on, whe he saw it in our kitchen. Now it will go into the pile of stuff we are saving for when daughter sets up her kitchen, 5200 and all.

BTW, the radiator valve was no problem to replace—screwed right off after being heated near incandescent—and the plumber was, of course, a sailor.

I think 5200 should be added to the list of duct tape and dw40. I mean what can't it fix? forever.