Plumbing help with leaky tap shaft

[steveo3002]

Ive got a drip from the shaft/ spindle on this indoor tap...if I close the tap can I undo the nut/ cap thingy with the water still on? And what do I need to redo the gland I think its called....Google mentions greased string but doesn't sound right

 

[Kayos]

You can swap the guts if it will undo, easier to swap the valve usually

 

[armalites]

Turn it off, if you can undo the nut between the body and the red hand wheel then you can pack the shaft with PTF tape, you need to wrap it round and poke it down and do it all back up. I've done my stop cock and an outside tap in exactly the same way recently no issues since. The only difference on mine was the securing nut was a male and yours is a female

 

[WorkshopChris]

I have yet to come across one of those valves that will reliably work when you need them to.
Replaced all ours with quality full ore ball valves when the new boiler went in years ago.

 

[brightspark]

try nipping up the gland nut a bit. if not change the whole valve. its easy and quick the compression fittings either side will fit the new tap without changing them . trouble is with any stop valve no one ever turns them on and off now and then . then when u get a problem its 2 late and they leak u never see an outside tap leak

 

[rtbcomp]

Is it turned fully open? Sometimes if they're left half-open they can leak.

 

[Olderisbetter]

I used some graphite string on the last tap to stop the drips, I think gas tape or some PTFE will do it

 

[Kayos]

It’s worse when they almost close then snap, so they won’t shut off then what they are connected to takes ages to drain because they are only open a crack

 

[steveo3002]

Turn it off, if you can undo the nut between the body and the red hand wheel then you can pack the shaft with PTF tape, you need to wrap it round and poke it down and do it all back up. I've done my stop cock and an outside tap in exactly the same way recently no issues since. The only difference on mine was the securing nut was a male and yours is a female

can i do this without turning the water off...cant see what does what lol

as in close the tap then repack the nut?

thanks all

 

[hunter27]

Should be able to repack the stuffing box with the water on but expect a bit to come out and be prepared for it, crack it open slowly and see what you are going to have to deal with.
I would replace it if you can they are usually cheap and you can see why. They are often fitted to aid maintenance by isolating the supply, but often cause more trouble as they also have to be replaced when they don't work.
If you decide to re-pack and tighten the stuffing box watch the thread doesn't sheer off like one did to me recently in a loft due to the brass going manky luckily I had an old towel handy to catch the drips while I drained down and replaced it.
Ball-o-fix valves are not much better in my experience.

 

[Muppet]

Nasty gate valve , swap it for a full flow ball valve ,
strange two gate valves together, has one already failed and they have just fitted another,
Just undo the gland nut winde some thick Pte tape around the shaft and nipp back up,
Done loads to save messing about

 

[waddycall]

Have you tried tightening the gland nut?

 

[steveo3002]

tightening the nut seems to have worked for now - thanks

 

[Farside]

A lot of those are fitted as shut-off valves, which is not their intended use. As a result, they get left on full bore for years and the recess the slide rides in gets all clagged up, so the valve simply doesn't shut or seizes open or simply breaks off at the spindle, handle, any part, depending on quality and neglect.
They are only supposed to be flow regulators.