Ball valves were invented a long time ago, but initially they were not widely used, despite the simplicity of design and ease of maintenance. The problem was that at that time there were no materials capable of providing a reliable and tight connection.
Today, the problem has been successfully solved, and billions of fluid control devices around the world have been replaced by ball valves. The ease of use of this type of crane is obvious: ease of manufacture and maintenance, as well as relative cheapness.
However, even modern technologies cannot insure even the most reliable design against breakage. In addition, the human factor cannot be ignored.
The article deals with the repair of a ball valve at home.
Content:
- Cause of faucet failure
- No. 1 Inspection of the state of the ball valve
- No. 2 Removing the faucet handle
- No. 3 Unscrewing the clamping nut
- No. 4 Unwinding the rod
- No. 5 Completion of work with the stem
- No.6 Clamp Nut
- No. 7 Installing the handle
- No. 8 Checking for leakage of the assembled faucet
- No. 9 Features of working with various types of cranes
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Cause of faucet failure
The main reason for the failure of ball valves is not at all the liquid medium, not the operating conditions, and not some circumstances of an external force. The reason for the jamming of taps is the lack of elementary maintenance.
It is enough to carry out one cycle of turning the crane once a month to extend its service life by almost 2 times.
The fact is that it is necessary to change the position of the crane, turning it at an angle of 90 °, and then returning it to its original state. It must be remembered that if the handle is parallel to the tap, then it is open, if it is perpendicular, the tap is closed.
Without this procedure, the tap in 5-7 years on cold water is covered from the inside with stalactites, and the ball will simply jam and it will be impossible to close it.
The following is a sequence of actionsto be taken to shut off a stuck ball valve.
No. 1 Inspection of the state of the ball valve
In this case, the crane turns to a certain angle and does not move further.
In some cases, the crane cannot be moved at all. However, some people try to fix the problem using some additional tools, such as pliers. This should not be done, since such a manipulation will lead to the breakdown of the “butterflies” on the crane, but will not help in any way in wedging it.
The reason for this is very simple - faucet handles are made either from pressed metal or silumin. Both are very brittle and easily breakable composition.
What should be done in this case?
No. 2 Removing the faucet handle
- In order to free the crane, you need to use a different approach.not associated with the use of a faucet handle.
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- Unscrew the nut
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- Removing the faucet handle
No. 3 Unscrewing the clamping nut
The clamping nut is located just above the faucet body
- After the handle is removed, start working with the clamping nut.
- The gland is pressed with this nut. If the valve stem does not move at all with the handle or some tool, then you must try to unscrew the clamping nut with a wrench.
Turning the clamping nut is done counterclockwise
- In this case, it is not necessary to turn the nut too much. It is enough to turn it about a quarter of a turn.
No. 4 Unwinding the rod
Using any suitable wrench, you need to grasp the rod protruding above the clamping nut
- After the clamping nut is loosened, stem loosening occurs.
- At this stage, use pliers instead of a wrench. However, using pliers can damage the stem itself.
View of the damaged stem when using pliers
- The stem must be twisted a little in different directions 3-4 times. As with the clamp nut, the stem should not be turned too far.
- Enough minor turns of the stem at an angle of 30-45 ° left-right.
With each turn, the amplitude of the stem rotation increases slightly.
- If you immediately sharply turn the stem to a large angle, you can break the screwdriver or ball. The screwdriver is inside the faucet; it is placed in a groove on the ball. With a sharp turn, that part of the structure that turns out to be less durable will break.
- Regardless of what will be broken - ball or screwdriver, this will lead to the final breakdown of the tap, and it will need to be changed completely.
Attempt to close the faucet "swing": the handle is in the open position, but the faucet is closed
- In this situation, the handle moves freely in any direction, but the ball stays in place all the time.
If you disassemble the crane, you can see that under the influence of too much force the ball was destroyed
- The stem movement process canpour long enough - it all depends on the degree of jamming of the crane.
- The maximum possible time of its "loosening" takes about 10 minutes. But this is too neglected case, usually 2-3 minutes are enough.
As soon as a drop of water appears, the preliminary work with the stem can be considered completed.
No. 5 Completion of work with the stem
Actions continue until the stem is in the position corresponding to the closed state of the valve
- The stem unclenched, but it has not yet reached the closed state. It must be brought to a position at which the valve will be closed. In this case, the same actions are performed by which the stem "moved off" from a stuck position. The amplitude of the swing of the key to the left and right can be slightly increased.
- Now you need to make sure that the valve is completely closed.
To do this, put the handle back
- In this case, it is necessary that the protrusion on the handle coincides with the emphasis on the crane.
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- Faucet handle
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- Ledge on the handle and emphasis on the body of the crane
- If at the same time the groove of the protrusion does not touch the stop, the valve must be moved further. After several movements of the rod, the handle is put on it again and the contact of the protrusion and stop is checked.
- As soon as they touch stock will be completed.
No.6 Clamp Nut
Tightening the clamp nut
- After the valve is completely unlocked by means of the movements of the stem, it is necessary to tighten the clamping nut back. Movement is clockwise. The angle of rotation will also be small. Ideally, the clamping nut will be in the same position in which it was before all manipulations with the crane.
- After the nut is in place, you can say that the crane is serviceable and ready for work.
The faucet is wiped dry with a paper towel
- After tightening the clamping nut and wiping the tap, you should carefully inspect it for leaks. If there is no leak, proceed to the installation of the handle.
No. 7 Installing the handle
The nut fixing the handle should be tightened with a wrench
- A handle is put on the crane and the nut fixing it is tightened.
- It is advisable to tighten the nut with a wrench to the end, to "butterfly" pressed down as much as possible and touched the stop when closing and opening the tap.
No. 8 Checking for leakage of the assembled faucet
Crane end position
- Next, you need to check whether the tap is leaking in extreme positions.
The absence of leakage in the extreme positions of the valve indicates that the gland is in good condition.
- If there is a leak in the extreme positions, then the valve is faulty, and nothing can be done; faucet needs to be replaced.
- If the valve leaks only in the middle position, this is normal, since it is not used in this mode.
- The ball valve should only be fully closed, or fully open.
Variable (middle) tap position
- On this, the procedure for "wedging" the crane can be considered completed. The faucet may be a little tight in close to open or closed positions. This is not a problem, it is enough to close and open the tap several times and it will move freely.
No. 9 Features of working with various types of cranes
Comparison of reinforced and conventional body ball valve
The procedures described earlier can only be performed with valves that have a reinforced structure (the valve body is of sufficient thickness). If the faucet body looks thin and suspicious, then this is not recommended, as it may break.
The reason for the breakdown of "thin" cranes is most often the use of cheap materials in their production (the same silumin). Therefore, if there is no certainty in the manufacturer of such a device, it is better to completely replace it, having previously turned off the water somewhere before the tap. If this is a riser tap, you need to contact the representatives of the housing office and ask them to either block the riser or come and change the tap themselves.
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