Any nice kindly plumber around, please!

foreversummer

Thanks Keystone for your informative reply. I think I'm going to let myself sleep a little easier tonight.

I guess the way forward is to get someone to replace the ball valve (sorry hubby and I am wimps around water!).

Thanks very much for your patience in explaining.

Foreversummer

keystone

Nah - hubby can do it easily. First shut off water supply to tank. There may be a valve on the rising main as it nears the tank, alternatively turn it off at your main stopcock (usually under the kitchen sink or nearby).

It probably looks a little like this:




Remove the ball from the end of the arm.

Where you can see the white nut on the end of the valve inside the tank, there will be another outside. Further down the threaded part will be a tap connector which connecst the pipework to the valve.

Undo the nut on the tap connector to free the pipe from the valve. Note that inside that you will find a fibre washer. This should be discarded when you reconnect and replaced with a new (either a half inch or 3/4 inch) one. Most likely it will be a ½inch BSP connection.

Slacken off the white nuts either side of the tank body to loosen the valve itself. You will need to remove the outer one completely to withdraw the valve.

The new valve will probably come with new nuts like the white ones attached.

Remove the outermost one and insert the valve into the tank. Adjust position of outer and inner so that the valve sits in the right place for the water supply to be reconnected. Tighten both nuts - they don't need to be graunched up just tight.

Reconnect the water supply and don't forget the fibre washer.

Reattach the ball float.

Turn the water back on.

Voila. Job done.

As said should take no more than 15 mins. Give him something to do and very little chance of getting wet.

Cheers

PS Sorry about size of image. I'll resize it and replace.

vaio

I'd have thought that if there was a leak you might well be able to confirm it by feeling the temperature of the various pipes