Outside tap-metric or imperial?

laurel7172

I live in a 1980's house with a leaky outside tap.

I think the problem is probably the O ring, but they seem to come in both metric and imperial sizes.

Is there an easy way to tell which one I need?

Gloomendoom

Are you sure it isn't just the washer that need replacing?

1984ReturnsForReal_2

With the exception of some monoblock taps nearly everything is still imperial.

& its likely to be a washer not an O ring.


Unless the leak is from where the water doesnt normally come out from, in which case its the Olive or pipe behind it that got damaged in the cold weather,

laurel7172

The water isn't dripping from the spout-it's spilling from above the spout (but below the tap) when the tap is turned on?

I did buy a pack of mixed washers-then read my DIY manual and it said that if water didn't escape while the tap was turned off, it was the O ring. But I'm pretty clueless about plumbing and very open to being corrected!

1984ReturnsForReal_2

laurel7172 wrote: »

The water isn't dripping from the spout-it's spilling from above the spout (but below the tap) when the tap is turned on?

I did buy a pack of mixed washers-then read my DIY manual and it said that if water didn't escape while the tap was turned off, it was the O ring. But I'm pretty clueless about plumbing and very open to being corrected!

From the top: Screw, Handle, Spindle. Packing Glad Nut (1st nut), Headgear Nut (2nd Nut Larger), Valve Body. Or there is the hose connector on this pic (which is the circular thing with notches in)...

Where is the leak????

laurel7172

It's coming out between the spindle and the top nut (packing glad nut).

1984ReturnsForReal_2

laurel7172 wrote: »

It's coming out between the spindle and the top nut (packing glad nut).

You can undo the top nut & wrap some PTFE tape around the spindle at the bottom & do the nut back up. That will do it.

It will be packed.

laurel7172

That's great, thank you. I'll have a go over the weekend!

1984ReturnsForReal_2

laurel7172 wrote: »

That's great, thank you. I'll have a go over the weekend!

No probs. That's the proper way to do it.

alanobrien

You may get away with PTFE tape for a while providing you use enough of it but i am willing to bet it will leak again in a very short time. Why ? because it extrudes very easily with pressure.

I worked for the company that made the seals for these taps and just about all rad valves at one time. The original stem seals were a compound of stuff you dont want to hear about :eek: later replaced with a compound based on polyaramid which in the end was also replaced by rubber grommet type and o ring seals.

The best DIY solution for repacking these is expanded graphite if you can get it (some good plumbers merchants supply it) or something called PEP rope which is basically a reinforced ptfe rope.

As an emergency measure tape will do as will wool wrapped in tape or foil and coated with grease but they will both leak again in the short term.

27col

Don't bother trying to fix a leaky gland using PTFE tape. That is not what it is intended for. Cut a small length of string and coat it with grease or tallow. Wrap the string around the spindle a couple of times and do up the gland nut. If you have trouble getting the gland nut to start then you have too much string around the spindle. In fact the string will do quite a good job even if it is not greased.