Leaking 1/2" union -- face on a lathe?
Existential Angst
It's an old-style union (flat mating faces), immediately on my compressor,
with the controls and fittings on that.
Should be a quick job, if it will work... will save me a trip to the store.
Plus it would be but another DIY thrill.... :)
Alternatively, can I just putty/dope the faces up?
I know this is a no-no in water plumbing, but mebbe it's an OK stopgap here?
Even tho the psi are higher -- 120 air vs. 60 or less for water.
--
EA
basilisk
"Existential Angst" <UNfi...@UNoptonline.net> wrote in message
news:4bbf779d$0$31274$607e...@cv.net...
basilisk
whit3rd
wrote:
> It's an old-style union (flat mating faces), immediately on my compressor,
> with the controls and fittings on that.
>
> Should be a quick job, if it will work... will save me a trip to the store.
> Plus it would be but another DIY thrill.... :)
>
> Alternatively, can I just putty/dope the faces up?
If it ever needs disassembly, the 'just dope' solution has flaws.
Why not get out the razor knife and some oaktag or gasket material
and cut yourself a gasket?
Someone did a dope-but-no-gasket replacement on my car's water
pump. When it needed replacement, I found that the housing parts
were glued tight and couldn't be budged. No gaskets meant that the
attaching bolts were a couple of turns tighter, and went into the
engine
block past the fully-cut-thread length (so the bolts broke, of course,
at disassembly time).
dca...@krl.org
wrote:
> Awl --
>
> It's an old-style union (flat mating faces), immediately on my compressor,
> with the controls and fittings on that.
>
> Should be a quick job, if it will work... will save me a trip to the store.
> Plus it would be but another DIY thrill.... :)
> EA
I would think it would work. What is the worst that can happen? Does
not work and you have to get another union.
But it might be easier to use some valve grinding compound and lap the
joint smooth.
Dan
Existential Angst
news:nuLvn.359108$Hq1....@en-nntp-04.dc1.easynews.com...
Good one!
Esp. since I got o-rings!!
--
EA
>
> basilisk
>
Bill McKee
"Existential Angst" <UNfi...@UNoptonline.net> wrote in message
I remember a flat water union with flat rubber washers. Maybe the washer is
old and cracked.
Existential Angst
news:iKWdnc6Jj9kwgF3W...@earthlink.com...
Heh, no washer, which is proly the real problem, given this style of union.
I'll go and see what fits, mebbe a garden hose washer will do..
I can always cut a washer from 1/8" rubber.
It doesn't take much of a leak to empty a tank overnight.
--
EA
>
>
Existential Angst
Heh, washer seems to be working!
When you got a hammer, everything looks like a nail.... when an empty
lathe is standing around, everything seems to need turning!
--
EA
> --
> EA
>>
>>
>
>
Paul Hovnanian P.E.
What kind of pressure?
Rubber or fiber gaskets or pipe dope may just get blown out over time. Maybe
a copper gasket will hold?
Face it on a lathe and then lap the mating faces with valve lapping compound
(the automotive stuff will probably do a decent job).
--
Paul Hovnanian pa...@hovnanian.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Have gnu, will travel.
Existential Angst
news:55adna2-FeVbIV3W...@posted.isomediainc...
It's 120 psi. Fiber would proly be good, or nylon. I put in a nylon-ish
washer, leaked a little, tightened'er up, rock solid now for hours at 105
psi.
I thought of copper or alum, as well.
But this is good for now, no machining drama req'd.
And lapping is def'ly beyond my psychological wherewithall.... :(
Most modern unions don't appear amenable at all to gasketing. Which is
probably just as well.
Even black pipe unions have bronze facing at the mating surface, however,
for a good seal.
My old-style union was all steel, tho.
--
EA
Existential Angst
My found washer works like a charm -- 106# for days.
I wouldn't do this for water plumbing, esp. where access is a problem, or
eventual leaks an issue, but for clearly visible stuff, these old
unions+gasket seem fine. You don't really have to muscle them together,
either. Two smallish channelocks did fine.
--
EA
Bill McKee
"Existential Angst" <UNfi...@UNoptonline.net> wrote in message
Lots of water systems have 100 psi+ pressure. My locale has pressure
regulators on the input to the house.
Bob Engelhardt
> It's 120 psi. Fiber would proly be good, or nylon. I put in a nylon-ish
> washer, leaked a little, tightened'er up, rock solid now for hours at 105
> psi.
Good to know - thanks for closing the loop. Bob
Existential Angst
Municipal? Why so high?
NYC is 60 psi, max. That extra 40 psi is a lot of extra juice for 100 psi
pumps, no?
effingYonkers is mebbe 30 psi -- hmmm, lemme check... I happen to have two
gauges on the laundry spigots -- guess I had nuthin to do and had extree
gauges, fittings.....
HOLY SHIT -- 60 psi!! Heh, my tax dollars at work....
Cain't believe I've had these gauges installed all this time, and never read
them....
--
EA
>
>
sta...@prolynx.com
wrote:
> "Bill McKee" <bmckeespam...@ix.netcom.com> wrote in message
>
> news:-4mdnR_PKI5yrF_W...@earthlink.com...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > "Existential Angst" <UNfit...@UNoptonline.net> wrote in message
> >news:4bc22865$0$31271$607e...@cv.net...
> >> "Existential Angst" <UNfit...@UNoptonline.net> wrote in message
> >>news:4bc0d754$0$22534$607e...@cv.net...
> >>> "Paul Hovnanian P.E." <p...@hovnanian.com> wrote in message
> >>>news:55adna2-FeVbIV3W...@posted.isomediainc...
> >>>> Existential Angst wrote:
>
> >>>>>news:iKWdnc6Jj9kwgF3W...@earthlink.com...
>
> >>>>>> "Existential Angst" <UNfit...@UNoptonline.net> wrote in message
> >>>>>>news:4bc00c58$0$22183$607e...@cv.net...
> >>>>>>> "basilisk" <basil...@invalid.org> wrote in message
> >>>>>>>news:nuLvn.359108$Hq1....@en-nntp-04.dc1.easynews.com...
>
> >>>>>>>> "Existential Angst" <UNfit...@UNoptonline.net> wrote in message
> >>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
> >>>> Have gnu, will travel.
>
> > Lots of water systems have 100 psi+ pressure. My locale has pressure
> > regulators on the input to the house.
>
> Municipal? Why so high?
>
> NYC is 60 psi, max. That extra 40 psi is a lot of extra juice for 100 psi
> pumps, no?
>
> effingYonkers is mebbe 30 psi -- hmmm, lemme check... I happen to have two
> gauges on the laundry spigots -- guess I had nuthin to do and had extree
> gauges, fittings.....
>
> HOLY SHIT -- 60 psi!! Heh, my tax dollars at work....
> Cain't believe I've had these gauges installed all this time, and never read
> them....
>
> --
> EA
>
>
>
>
> - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
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> - Show quoted text -
Maybe it's like here, lots of hills and apartments in this town.
Gotta have enough oomph to get up to the top, you know. The high-
rises probably have booster pumps on the upper floors, but the smaller
buildings probably don't. And if the water tower is on top of the
highest hill and he's at the bottom of the deepest valley, his
pressure is going to be high. A little thing called gravity is
involved.
Stan
Bill McKee
"Existential Angst" <UNfi...@UNoptonline.net> wrote in message
I live in the land of big hills. Some places they would be considered
mountains. the hills around San Francisco are about 1500' high. I live
about 40 miles from SF at an elevation of 440' and they put the storage
reservoirs high up the hills around here.