a leaking ballcock

amandstu

Can I glue a piece of polystyrene or somesuch on the underside of a stopcock ball in order to lower the level of the water at which the stopcock stops taking in water?

In the past I have bent the arm to get this effect but it is not always possible to do that.

If it is possible what kind of a glue would do the job? Something used in aquariums perhaps?

sky6

Firstly. It's not a Stopcock it's a Ballcock. If the Ballcock is not stopping the Tank from filling you possibly need a new high pressure Ballcock.

amandstu

thanks.Yes ballcock it is.But my "solution" sounds a lot cheaper. I normally just bend the arm downwards so that it closes up sooner with the rising water .I could do the same in this instance but as the whole thing is a bit fragile I would need to remove the arm and bend the arm with a vice and perhaps a hammer as the arm is fairly short and fairly sturdy.

I just had the idea of attaching or gluing a piece of polystyrene or polyurethane foam to the underside of the ball to effectively lower the "full" water level by an inch or so -just enough to stop it overflowing as it does right now.

And I thought maybe this was a common bodge job( not the same as a botched job- it means that it is serviceable) that others might already have tried...

PeteFalk78

You could cable-tie polystyrene around the ballcock.
It would be tidier if you could modify the valve/spigot mechanism (e.g. thicker rubber washer) to achieve what you want.

danjo-xx

reducing the mains pressure going into the tank, by turning down the mains stopcock under sink might help solve the problem. It worked for me recently

chuckyarelaw

I'd consult a urologist.

danjo-xx

chuckyarelaw wrote: »

I'd consult a urologist.

that's very helpful, NOT

chuckyarelaw

danjo-xx wrote: »

that's very helpful, NOT

NOT jokes are out of style man.

Sheldons Brain

I tied an empty plastic water bottle under my ballcock in this case.

amandstu

Sheldons Brain wrote: »

I tied an empty plastic water bottle under my ballcock in this case.

Yes that sounds fairly sensible.Thanks for all the suggestions.

chuckyarelaw

amandstu wrote: »

Yes that sounds fairly sensible.Thanks for all the suggestions.

You're welcome.

dhog4n

You'd be surprised how cheap a replacement ballcock is. Any half decent hardware shop will have them in stock. Most of the cost of getting a plumber to do this kind of job is labour/callout charges.

The leak is most likely down to a failed rubber washer in the valve. These are replaceable but a bit fiddly to do.

Tow

Replace the washer, with any luck you will get another 40 years :-)
BTW "reducing the mains pressure going into the tank, by turning down the mains stopcock" reduces the flow rate, the 'pressure' will remain the same.

amandstu

dhog4n wrote: »

You'd be surprised how cheap a replacement ballcock is. Any half decent hardware shop will have them in stock. Most of the cost of getting a plumber to do this kind of job is labour/callout charges.

The leak is most likely down to a failed rubber washer in the valve. These are replaceable but a bit fiddly to do.

Actually in my case it is the plastic expansion tank that has deformed over the years ( the sides are bulging at the top) with the result that the water overflows before the ballcock has fully closed .

I did replace the washer but this had no effect even though it did need to be done.

A new expansion tank would fix the problem alright but then I have to repeat the process of drilling boles for the inlet and outlet which I am too lazy to contemplate.

I am a bit myopic when it comes to this kind of thing and tend to just see one step or two at a time -apart from the initial expense.

dodzy

amandstu wrote: »

Actually in my case it is the plastic expansion tank that has deformed over the years ( the sides are bulging at the top) with the result that the water overflows before the ballcock has fully closed .

I did replace the washer but this had no effect even though it did need to be done.

A new expansion tank would fix the problem alright but then I have to repeat the process of drilling boles for the inlet and outlet which I am too lazy to contemplate.

I am a bit myopic when it comes to this kind of thing and tend to just see one step or two at a time -apart from the initial expense.

Just one hole, a few cms below the current inlet. Leave the overflow where it is (and a new ballcock is only a tenner or thereabouts).

jimgoose

Replace the ballcock unit. There's nowt to be gained messing about with it for the sake of the price of them. You'll need a large (usually 32mm) open-jaw spanner and a large adjustable.

doctorchopper

amandstu wrote: »

Actually in my case it is the plastic expansion tank that has deformed over the years ( the sides are bulging at the top) with the result that the water overflows before the ballcock has fully closed .


Maybe put a ratchet strap around it to bring it back into shape

amandstu

doctorchopper wrote: »

amandstu wrote: »

Actually in my case it is the plastic expansion tank that has deformed over the years ( the sides are bulging at the top) with the result that the water overflows before the ballcock has fully closed .


Maybe put a ratchet strap around it to bring it back into shape

yes that has been on my mind to do as well.