Valves

[Onewheeler]

I've been doing some modifications to the domestic water circuits at home and have found that most of the gate valves and "washing machine" ball valves I fitted twenty-five years ago are inoperable (won't close properly). I don't have anything quite so old on the boat, but wonder if anyone has ideas for valves which maintain their capability after long periods of not being used?

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, Onewheeler said:

I've been doing some modifications to the domestic water circuits at home and have found that most of the gate valves and "washing machine" ball valves I fitted twenty-five years ago are inoperable (won't close properly). I don't have anything quite so old on the boat, but wonder if anyone has ideas for valves which maintain their capability after long periods of not being used?

 

All valves in my experience have their problems with advancing age. 

 

 

[Onewheeler]

3 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

All valves in my experience have their problems with advancing age.

True... I can still piss like a donkey, but don't always know when.

[Tracy D'arth]

Peglers ball valves, the quality is far and away better.

Buy cheap rubbish, expect problems.  Gate valves have no place on a boat unless as balancing valves on a heating system, they never close properly.

[Onewheeler]

On 05/04/2024 at 16:16, Tracy D'arth said:

Peglers ball valves, the quality is far and away better.

Ta! They aren't cheap, but the extra would have been well worth it to save having to drain everything.

[StephenA]

On 05/04/2024 at 15:36, Onewheeler said:

I've been doing some modifications to the domestic water circuits at home and have found that most of the gate valves and "washing machine" ball valves I fitted twenty-five years ago are inoperable (won't close properly). I don't have anything quite so old on the boat, but wonder if anyone has ideas for valves which maintain their capability after long periods of not being used?

 

They are inoperable in Cheltenham after about 5 years - water is too hard.

[blackrose]

Apart from some isolation valves and one L-port valve between my calorifier and gas water heater I can't think of any other valves in my freshwater system? There's a NRV on the cold feed to the calorifier.... All are approaching 20 years old and operating perfectly.

Edited April 6 by blackrose

[Onewheeler]

27 minutes ago, StephenA said:

 

They are inoperable in Cheltenham after about 5 years - water is too hard.

Although we're only just the other side of Stroud we seldom need to descale anything. I've never done a kettle. When we were in Wotton only 10 km away, we had to descale the kettle almost weekly.

[StephenA]

1 hour ago, blackrose said:

Apart from some isolation valves and one L-port valve between me calorifier and gas water heater I can't think of any other valves in my freshwater system? There's a NRV on the cold feed to the calorifier.... All are approaching 20 years old and operating perfectly.

 

The drain valve on the calorifier on Mintball is a bit troublesome - tank has been in for about 30 years and I suspect it got left open for a bit and furred up.

[Onewheeler]

3 minutes ago, blackrose said:

Apart from some isolation valves and one L-port valve between my calorifier and gas water heater I can't think of any other valves in my freshwater system? There's a NRV on the cold feed to the calorifier.... All are approaching 20 years old and operating perfectly.

I like to have isolators on taps and toilet cisterns, mainly at home, it's not a problem on the UK boat. Our shared boat on the mainland has a much more complex heating and domestic water system with lots of isolators and drain valves which get used for winterising as it get's much, much colder than here.

4 minutes ago, StephenA said:

 

The drain valve on the calorifier on Mintball is a bit troublesome - tank has been in for about 30 years and I suspect it got left open for a bit and furred up.

I've never tried to open our drain valve. It's also about 30 years old. I only drained the calorifier once, reasoning that it's bottom is pretty much in contact with the water about 30 cm down and unlikely to freeze. The one occasion I did drain it, I took the PRV off the top and sucked it out.

[blackrose]

7 minutes ago, StephenA said:

 

The drain valve on the calorifier on Mintball is a bit troublesome - tank has been in for about 30 years and I suspect it got left open for a bit and furred up.

 

Ah yes, there's a PRV on the top of my calorifier too of course, plus a few gate valves in various places.

Edited April 6 by blackrose