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Leaking oil valve

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The Natural Philosopher

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Oct 31, 2012, 2:32:43 AM10/31/12
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After SWMBO's rearranging the cupboard to the side of the Aga This...

http://www.bes.co.uk/product/79~LPG~1225~1225~-Handwheel-Fire-Valve.html

...is weeping kerosene and stinking the kitchen out.

It appears to be from the gland at the top.

If anyone is familiar with these things can they let me know whether
there is any chance it may be fixed, or whether its going to be a
brutally awkward replacement job with every chance of damaging the pipe
going into it requiring demolition of the part of the house it runs through?


--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc’-ra-cy) – a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

harry

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Oct 31, 2012, 4:25:10 AM10/31/12
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On Oct 31, 6:32 am, The Natural Philosopher <t...@invalid.invalid>
wrote:
> After SWMBO's rearranging the cupboard to the side of the Aga This...
>
> http://www.bes.co.uk/product/79~LPG~1225~1225~-Handwheel-Fire-Valve.html
>
> ...is weeping kerosene and stinking the kitchen out.
>
> It appears to be from the gland at the top.
>
> If anyone is familiar with these things can they let me know whether
> there is any chance it may be fixed, or whether its going to be a
> brutally awkward replacement job with every chance of damaging the pipe
> going into it requiring demolition of the part of the house it runs through?
>
> --

Remove the handle/Knob and see if there is a gland nut you can tighten
down a bit.
On some designs the nut is hidden.

If not you may be able to buy new "guts" for the valve. Or if you can
get an identical valve, remove and change the guts while leaving the
valve body in line.

The big problem will be how to cut off the oil supply to do this.
Maybe you can disconnect the oil line and swiftly put on a cap/plug or
tap a wooden plug in the hole. You need to be well organised
beforehand to do this and maybe wait until the tank is near MT.
(Bucket, gloves, overalls etc Could get messy, try to disconnect
outside if possible)

harry

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Oct 31, 2012, 4:38:00 AM10/31/12
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IT's normal for there to be an isolating valve on the oil tank BTW
which would solve all you changeover problems.

Dave Liquorice

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Oct 31, 2012, 5:07:50 AM10/31/12
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On Wed, 31 Oct 2012 06:32:43 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> http://www.bes.co.uk/product/79~LPG~1225~1225~-Handwheel-Fire-
> Valve.html
>
> ....is weeping kerosene and stinking the kitchen out.

Hmm, the fire valve is supposed to be outside the building these days
with a capillary to an internal bulb mounted in or very near the
appliance.

Do you use that as an on/off valve as well? I note that the BES
description says it can "... provided it is treated carefully.". I also
note it doesn't say anything about OFTEC approval or the standards that
the other, admitedly capillary type, fire valves on the BES site have.

I think I would take the oportunity to install a capillary fire valve
outside the building and put a proper shut off valve in place of that
knackered one inside. Presumably there is a shut off valve at the tank
and a filter somewhere? An Aga might not worry quite so much about a
missing filter as a pressure jet boiler though.

--
Cheers
Dave.



The Natural Philosopher

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Oct 31, 2012, 6:33:07 AM10/31/12
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Thanks for that. I think the wife had banged something against it
disturbing the seal.. I worked it in and out a few times and, fingers
crossed, its not weeping any more..

but I think your suggestion about replacing the guts is sound.

No problem with cutting off the oil - there's another fire valve in the
line a few meters upstream..

There's actually three fire valves on that aga - one inside that has the
actuator just downstream of that valve, that valve, and another one with
a sensor in the kitchen wall that is located just outside the kitchen door..

The Natural Philosopher

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Oct 31, 2012, 6:35:58 AM10/31/12
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Actually - see earlier post, - that's only one of THREE fire valves.

One inside the aga, that one to one side of it and one outside with the
sensor in the kitchen stud wall.

TBH I never use that valve even to cut the aga oil off - I used to use
the aga firevalve till the wife knocked the tit off it - now I use the
one outside..

Dave Liquorice

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Oct 31, 2012, 11:18:07 AM10/31/12
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On Wed, 31 Oct 2012 10:35:58 +0000, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

> One inside the aga, that one to one side of it and one outside with the
> sensor in the kitchen stud wall.
>
> TBH I never use that valve even to cut the aga oil off - I used to use
> the aga firevalve till the wife knocked the tit off it - now I use the
> one outside..

Other valves not mentioned in the orginal posting. B-) And oil
installers are just as big a bunch of cowboys as any other professional
installer...

I'm wondering why the sensor vial for the external firevalve is inside
the studwall though. Surely that would take far to long to get hot enough
to shut the flow of oil off into the building in the event of a fire?

--
Cheers
Dave.



Michael Chare

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Oct 31, 2012, 7:22:26 PM10/31/12
to
On 31/10/2012 06:32, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
>
>
> After SWMBO's rearranging the cupboard to the side of the Aga This...
>
> http://www.bes.co.uk/product/79~LPG~1225~1225~-Handwheel-Fire-Valve.html
>
> ...is weeping kerosene and stinking the kitchen out.
>
> It appears to be from the gland at the top.
>
> If anyone is familiar with these things can they let me know whether
> there is any chance it may be fixed, or whether its going to be a
> brutally awkward replacement job with every chance of damaging the pipe
> going into it requiring demolition of the part of the house it runs
> through?
>
>

I would try turning the valve off and on a few times.

The valve for the gauge on my oil tank likes to weep. The above
treatment usually works.


--
Michael Chare

Grimly Curmudgeon

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Nov 1, 2012, 11:53:10 AM11/1/12
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On Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:18:07 +0000 (GMT), "Dave Liquorice"
<allsortsn...@howhill.com> wrote:

>I'm wondering why the sensor vial for the external firevalve is inside
>the studwall though. Surely that would take far to long to get hot enough
>to shut the flow of oil off into the building in the event of a fire?

Some clown with too short a capillary just put it where it reached to.

Dave Liquorice

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Nov 1, 2012, 12:18:27 PM11/1/12
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On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:53:10 +0000, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:

>> I'm wondering why the sensor vial for the external firevalve is inside
>> the studwall though. Surely that would take far to long to get hot
>> enough to shut the flow of oil off into the building in the event of a
>> fire?
>
> Some clown with too short a capillary just put it where it reached to.

Ah another install to professional levels of incompetence then.

--
Cheers
Dave.



The Natural Philosopher

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Nov 1, 2012, 12:40:22 PM11/1/12
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Tht awas me.

Actually I aksed the BCO and he said something to the effect that 'it
was there to cut the flow of oil if the pipework got really hot. And to
allow manual shutting off of the oil OUTSIDE the house' Now frankly
there was already the one by the aga and that was where the only hot
pipe would be - the rest of the pipe is under screed anyway so really it
was pretty much unnecessary anyway. And the pipe goes under an internal
doorway so no way was the sensor going to get any nearer to the aga than
where it was.

As it is, its a place to cut off the aga just outside the door. And
thats handy.

The Natural Philosopher

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Nov 1, 2012, 12:40:56 PM11/1/12
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well you can take it up with the BCO then.

I just did what he advised

Grimly Curmudgeon

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Nov 2, 2012, 2:31:58 AM11/2/12
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On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:40:22 +0000, The Natural Philosopher
<t...@invalid.invalid> wrote:

>> Some clown with too short a capillary just put it where it reached to.
>>
>Tht awas me.

Hah.

>Actually I aksed the BCO and he said something to the effect that 'it
>was there to cut the flow of oil if the pipework got really hot. And to
>allow manual shutting off of the oil OUTSIDE the house'

How much of the kitchen would be firmly ablaze before a sensor inside
a stud wall did its job?

There's chapter and verse in boiler/cooker regs.
Even the destructions in the box say it should be within X-distance of
the burner. Preferably on the burner casing, but above the
feed/blower/inlet/whatever and in position where the normal heat of
operation won't trigger it. It's a common installation fault, to fit
one that's too short, but they're available in some quite long sizes.

The Natural Philosopher

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Nov 2, 2012, 4:03:26 AM11/2/12
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On 02/11/12 06:31, Grimly Curmudgeon wrote:
> On Thu, 01 Nov 2012 16:40:22 +0000, The Natural Philosopher
> <t...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>>> Some clown with too short a capillary just put it where it reached to.
>>>
>> Tht awas me.
>
> Hah.
>
>> Actually I aksed the BCO and he said something to the effect that 'it
>> was there to cut the flow of oil if the pipework got really hot. And to
>> allow manual shutting off of the oil OUTSIDE the house'
>
> How much of the kitchen would be firmly ablaze before a sensor inside
> a stud wall did its job?
>
Most of it.

> There's chapter and verse in boiler/cooker regs.
> Even the destructions in the box say it should be within X-distance of
> the burner. Preferably on the burner casing,

There's one there, as well. The leaky one.

Which has stopped leaking


As I said, there are three. One senses in the front of the combustion
area, one at the side of the cooker and one in the kitchen stud wall.

but above the
> feed/blower/inlet/whatever and in position where the normal heat of
> operation won't trigger it. It's a common installation fault, to fit
> one that's too short, but they're available in some quite long sizes.
>


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