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60 Year Old Water Main


Onoff

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No tape or anything on it.....yet!

 

Just backed it off in case it's maybe not in the stopcock square. A pig squeezing in behind the WC too:

 

SAM_4102

 

Maybe I need to wiggle it so its square as I tighten it up. Think when I measured the incoming pressure a while back it was circa 9 bar so this needs to be done properly!

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Just tried again to no avail!

 

Seeking solace in a second can of Fosters and a pack each of the kid's Jammie Dodger Minis & Mini Digestives whilst watching The Yorkshire Vet. 

 

20161018_203836.jpg

 

Livin' the dream!

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The squeaking is brass on brass where you haven't lubricated the metal parts with jointing compound. -_-. Have I taught you nothing? :D

Strip it down, apply a bit of compound to the mdpe pipe where the olive is now captive, a bit above and a bit below and a smear around the olive. Fill the first three valleys of the male thread of the stopcock with same compound and smear, literally a smear, on the face the olive mates to. 

Clean any excess from the internal bore so nothing can wash into the PRedV and make it all back up. 

The brass is binding and stopping you gaining the final number of rotations to fully squeeze the olive tight. 

Use the force, Luke. 

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Straight up I WAS considering some form of lubrication!

 

Should I have done ALL the compression fittings with it as a matter of course? It's years since I've done any real plumbing. All I've got is leccy stuff though; Yellow 77 and then Trefolex / RTD. Plus my engineering lubes, oils & greases.

 

"Boss white" rings a bell. I'll grab something tomorrow. Any preferences?

Edited by Onoff
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1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

This stuff is the dogs.

Doesn't go hard like boss white does ;)  

Most P merchants stock it. 

 

ROCOL make the RTD I use all the time for threading. I'll grab some. Wouldn't a "setting" one be better on this particular joint? Also says it's for LPG and natural gas?

 

My old man (ex BG) used to do most of my pipework. Pretty sure he used to use hemp and wind it into the threads on compression fittings? Think PTFE tape was around but guess he was old school. Linseed oil seems to ring a bell for some reason...

 

Should  I maybe back off all these compression joints and whack some compound around them when I get it?

 

 

Edited by Onoff
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The Rocol does say it's for gas, but I've used it for everything for 15+ years and don't use anything else ( other than SlikTite for oil ). 

Loosen everything compression and use this throughout. ;)

 

Edit to add :

Hemp is used for coarse threads where a gap filling medium is required. 

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6 hours ago, Nickfromwales said:

The Rocol does say it's for gas, but I've used it for everything for 15+ years and don't use anything else ( other than SlikTite for oil ). 

Loosen everything compression and use this throughout. ;)

 

Edit to add :

Hemp is used for coarse threads where a gap filling medium is required. 

 

I see S'fix do Flomasta and Fernox potable compounds around a fiver. There's a Plumb Base, Grahams etc just as near that I'll try for the ROCOL first.

 

As an aside I did use some S'fix own brand, liquid PTFE when I did a bit in the kitchen a while back I've just remembered. Does the job but a bitch to undo as it sets hard.....as in really hard!

Edited by Onoff
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When I started using plastic push fit back in the 90s it recommended using silicon grease, which I hadn't heard of, and since then I've always also put a smear on compression fitting threads and olives. It makes it easy to judge how tight its done up because there's much less friction. It's also easy to clean up if you ever take the joint apart. It's probably not the correct way to do it but it works for me.

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I've always liked Fernox LS-X. Its often described as a leak sealer but the specs clearly state it can be used for jointing:

http://www.fernox.com/files/Fernox/Content/PDF/English/Updated PDFs/LS-X V.001.pdf

a quick light smear around the olive and threads works wonders and it doesn't set hard.

 

Oh just in case................this isn't Rocol ;):ph34r:

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The thing that puts me off Gasseal is it's not specifically for potable installs.  Plus the MSD sheet makes it sound nasty! I'll likely try Jet Blue Plus.....which is for potable.

 

Silicon grease? I use that on: F connectors - strip the coax and dip the whole stripped end in then screw the plug on. Protects against water ingress a treat. If crimping outside I again strip the wire and dip in silicon grease then put the crimp on. Then I dip the male crimp and insert into the female. Great on motorbikes.

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Went with Jet Blue Plus in the end (sorry Nick) from Plumb Center.

 

Slackened every joint, applied and re-tightened with no squeaks!  She's holding steady Cap'n! 

 

A little disappointed in that it's NOT blue! :) Sort of a creamy, greasy off white with just a touch of grittiness but seems to do the trick.....so far.

 

One oddity, the pressure. Pretty sure yesterday playing with this the PRV was 3 bar. Tonight I'm reading 3.4 bar. I was bliddy careful NOT to get compound inside anything but worry I might have. Think I might now go and read the PRV setting up instructions in depth and take note of the flushing procedure!

 

 

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Adjust the PRedV with the water flowing. ;). Turn a tap on very slowly ( flowing slowly ) and then the pressure will stay up and you'll be able to adjust in real time. 

Turn the tap off after each adjustment to then get the set static pressure. Adjust accordingly, repeating as necessary. 

Pressure on the street will rise and fall with neighbourhood occupancy so you'll see less morning and late afternoon / evening than say 10:30 or 22:30.  

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21 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

I feel like i don't know you anymore ?

 

Look, it was full of big, hairy arsed plumbers who looked like they knew what they were doing and I was that 14 year old again being sent in to the pub 'cos I was the tallest!

 

"4 pints of beer please Sir!"

"You'll be meaning landlord son"

"4 pints of landlord please Sir!"

 

Tbh i just preferred the name! :) (And it was on the shelf behind the counter).

 

Just think of the "I told you so!" moment when it starts leaking!

Edited by Onoff
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Thought the PRV would look better set at 45to save craning my neck. Gave it a little twist undone and DRIP! Can't have had enough PTFE tape on it. Sorted now.

 

The old adage "if it ain't broke....." 

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All looking good this morning with no leaks inside!

 

Got to put the outside tap on and screw it to the wall later today. I'll put a good slug of mastic behind the flange plate to seal the pipe entry and use brass or st/st screws.

 

Need to then I think reinstate some sort of meter "pit" around where this stop cock is just inside the fence. The side you can't see is still iron, about 10' or so that runs under the fence to the meter at the roadside. Think that bits on borrowed time but if it does go it's down to the water board. I just went to make it easy for them!

 

2016-10-02_05-56-02

 

One thought was to carefully cut down a blue plastic barrel with lid, sink that level and then fill with loose EPS packing type beads. If it did need to be accessed later I could just unscrew the lid and scoop out the EPS?

 

 (Then backfill the trench half depth, put in the CCTV duct etc).

 

P.S. A big thanks to all for taking the patience whilst I relearnt my plumbing skills (if I ever had any). Hopefully the marks on Nick's forehead where he's been banging it against the wall will fade..... :)

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Haven't got around to finishing the outside tap off until now. Maybe created myself a problem. How could I eff up something so simple you may say.....read on:

 

Solid brick wall circa a foot thick. woodchip paper on the inside and really lumpy, tough render externally. 

 

Using a 1/2" hose union back plate to go through the wall, the brass thing with a length of 15mm copper pre fitted:

 

20161027_094316

 

Where I've maybe gone wrong is I've sleeved the hole in the wall with a bit of 20mm pvc conduit (my old man, a gas fitter would always bang on about sleeving pipes) and this sleeve is a tad long. The hole angle too might have been a bit steep. Hoping the push fit elbow is tolerant of that.

 

I had to drag the missus away from playing Candy Crush to help me (the 17yr old being likewise deep in some game with the rest of his nerd herd). I went outside and held the hose union against the wall whilst she pushed the copper push fit elbow on.

 

20161027_093714

 

My worry is the pipe inside might be a tad under length going into the push fit elbow. I can't remember how much was projecting through. With hindsight I'd have had the missus go outside and hold the union whilst I pushed it on from inside.  (Trouble is we don't work well together and even the simplest DIY job is one spark away from a row). Think but am not 100% sure that the fitting is a Connex Cuprofit that S'fix USED TO stock but they've now gone over to Yorkshire Tectite. No chance of removing it now. I'm not sure of the insert depth on these fittings?Pretty sure it's in past the teeth and in passed the O ring. 

 

I could maybe chip a bit of the resin/render away but the pvc sleeve length would stop me pushing the copper pipe any further into the elbow:

 

20161027_094327

 

Am I worrying too much?

 

(The grey filled btw is Fischer resin).

 

A case I guess of put the tap on, then the water on and see if it holds!

Edited by Onoff
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