Weeping Radiator

[TheFew]

Hi,

Possibly a dumb question...

One of my radiators has a "t" piece at one end. This "t" piece connects the pipe that comes up from the underneath the floor to the radiator and the TRV.

However where the pipe from under the floor enters this "t" piece it weeps a little. It is only a little weepage, but it looks like it may have been happening for a while.

Sadly the floor is big boards of mdf so it is not easy to lift the floor for access. And i cannot see any way to easily isolate how the water ends the TRV end of the radiator.

To resolve this weeping is it just a matter of trying to nip the connection up a bit using a wrench and turning anti clockwise? Or is there an alternate way to prevent the weep?

Thanks.

 

[dilalio]

If a nip doesn't stop it or makes it worse, then you will have to remake the joint with a new olive, maybe new valve, or even new pipe tail and for a diyer that involves draining the system.

 

[Agile]

Best to loosen a compression nut a few degrees before tightening it.

You will then see if it was just too loose or if there is a more serious problem.

 

[TheFew]

Having just looked online. My description above is slightly off. The weeping connection is the bottom joint of the TRV, as the TRV is itself a "t" piece.

Agile just to clarify, loosen it slightly then nip it up. How tight can you go on these without causing issues?

 

[45yearsagasman]

If you're not sure of the correct terminology to describe your situation, post a picture.

 

[Agile]

Untitled

• Agile
• 24 Aug 2014
• 1

Perhaps as tight as a female could do it with a 300 mm spanner!

Not a body builder, but an average sexy woman.

 

[dilalio]

Having just looked online. My description above is slightly off. The weeping connection is the bottom joint of the TRV, as the TRV is itself a "t" piece.

Agile just to clarify, loosen it slightly then nip it up. How tight can you go on these without causing issues?

If it's leaking between the head and the chrome body then it is the pin that pushes into the body, underneath the head... this pin is automatically manipulated by either a liquid or wax seal, in the head.
Unscrew the head and access the pin.
Manipulate in and give it a wipe and maybe some Vaseline around it.
Look for signs of leaking and try to stop it.
Although, most likely you'll need to renew the whole thing and perhaps others on the system, that are the same age... whilst you have the system drained.

 

[TheFew]

The weep is below the bottom connection just above the floor.

 

[dilalio]

That's not a TRV that's a 15mm equal compression T. And you need to scrape the paint away from the leaking part, clean it up as best you can with wire wool and try and nip it up or remake it as I described above.

 

[TheFew]

Thanks for the advice all. Loosening it and then nipping it up seems to have sorted it. Although i may have used more force than the average girl.

The next challenge is to work out how to get more water into the system and add some corrosion prevention, now that i have had thd radiator off...