Leak in the copper cylinder

caspermccormack

I have a leak in my hot water copper cylinder, I thought it was the fitting from my heating to the coil inside. I removed the fitting and found that the leak is coming from the 1" male tread on the end of the coil, and the wall of the cyclinder:mad:!

I have the cyclinder drained down and was thinking of soldering the joint, or any other suggestions that anybody may be kind enough to share?

Kind regards,

Anthony.

caspermccormack

Didn't have any flux so the solder didn't stick!! Off to get some now, or would the likes of Tec 7 be a better seal on the joint?

antiskeptic

caspermccormack wrote: »

I have a leak in my hot water copper cylinder, I thought it was the fitting from my heating to the coil inside. I removed the fitting and found that the leak is coming from the 1" male tread on the end of the coil, and the wall of the cyclinder:mad:!

I have the cyclinder drained down and was thinking of soldering the joint, or any other suggestions that anybody may be kind enough to share?

Kind regards,

Anthony.

Hi there,

What's the joint construction look like? If it's already soldered it'd be worth the attempt to repair it. You'd need a butane blowtorch to get enough heat into it + a bit of experience in blow-torch level soldering. You'd pick one up in Chadwicks for maybe 15 quid.

Perhaps the joint is threaded though?

Perhaps a photo could assist advice giving?

caspermccormack

Its water coming from the wall of the cylinder and the 1" tread that is fitted to the cylinder from manufacture, and it looks treaded.

antiskeptic

caspermccormack wrote: »

Its water coming from the wall of the cylinder and the 1" tread that is fitted to the cylinder from manufacture, and it looks treaded.

Yes, but what is the nature of the thread-to-cylinder joint? Is the threaded section soldered on? Or is it retained with a large nut (older cylinders would be made so - a large nut at the base of the thread section tightened up against the wall of the cylinder.

To be honest, a decent picture would help loads. If you can't figure to upload it here then pm me and you can email it to me.

caspermccormack

I see if the camera is charged to take a snap, It looks like it is held on by a inch and a half nut on the tread, but any movement on this is moving the coil inside the tank.

antiskeptic

caspermccormack wrote: »

I see if the camera is charged to take a snap, It looks like it is held on by a inch and a half nut on the tread, but any movement on this is moving the coil inside the tank.

You could be in luck then.

Briefly: it should be possible to grip the stub of thread sticking out then undo the nut so as to prevent the coil turning in the tank. The seal is probably on the inside of the tank and is thus inaccessible - but it's possible to fashion something that'll work by being applied on/from the outside. Do up the nut against this new seal and you're away.

Less briefly: it'll be a pain in the arse for you to bugger it up and have to replace the whole tank so a little care/sensitivity needs to be taken for this to work. For example:

- you don't want to crush that pipe stub or damage it's threads whilst gripping it. The best way to achieve a safe grip is to purchase two nuts to suit the thread stub, screw them on and lock them against each other (good and tight) on the stub. You can now grip those (instead of the pipe stub directly) whilst you undo the tank nut. Clean off all the thread stub with a wire brush if there's crud on it - and things will run even smoother.

That's one step. There are a few more if you need a cyber-hand doing it just say so.

caspermccormack

Sound, I was thinking that, now to get nuts that fit, what would you recomment as a seal? boss white and hemp?

A friend suggested that i take it out and have it copper brassed,

any ways me head is wreaked!!

ART6

antiskeptic wrote: »

You could be in luck then.

Briefly: it should be possible to grip the stub of thread sticking out then undo the nut so as to prevent the coil turning in the tank. The seal is probably on the inside of the tank and is thus inaccessible - but it's possible to fashion something that'll work by being applied on/from the outside. Do up the nut against this new seal and you're away.

Less briefly: it'll be a pain in the arse for you to bugger it up and have to replace the whole tank so a little care/sensitivity needs to be taken for this to work. For example:

- you don't want to crush that pipe stub or damage it's threads whilst gripping it. The best way to achieve a safe grip is to purchase two nuts to suit the thread stub, screw them on and lock them against each other (good and tight) on the stub. You can now grip those (instead of the pipe stub directly) whilst you undo the tank nut. Clean off all the thread stub with a wire brush if there's crud on it - and things will run even smoother.

That's one step. There are a few more if you need a cyber-hand doing it just say so.

One trick is to grip the stub with a round jaw mole wrench with a few layers of fine sandpaper between the jaws and the stub. Then, as antiskeptic says, free off the nut and clean the thread with a wire brush.

To make a sealing washer there are several alternatives. One way is to take a piece of card (like in birthday cards) and cut out a washer, then soak it in varnish and let it dry before using it - that's an old (!) engineers trick and it's surprising what pressure it will hold. Another (and better) way is to get a piece of copper, perhaps cut from a copper pipe and split and opened up. Anneal it with a blowlamp and when it is colouring with the heat drop it in cold water. That makes copper soft and it makes an excellent seal. The third way is to make a washer from whatever you can get hold of, wind some scrim around the stub and coat it in Boss White, then screw the nut back, again using the sandpaper/mole wrench.

caspermccormack

Mole wrench? Vise grips, the same thing? I'll replace the seal on the cylinder now that its out! Many thanks to all for the time and info!!

ANTO:)