Watts Isolation Flange stem leak
Have a system that has four circulators with Watts isolation flanges (brass flange with built in ball valve).
Everything's been fine, maybe in service 4 years. Just opened the return manifold to add a 4th return (had added the 4th circulator at boiler change but used the old return manifold and hadn't added a 4th). Closed the main feed valve from the boiler rather than each individual flange valve and closed the existing return valves. Circulators were all turned off. The stems on all the flange valves began dripping while we were working. Unclear if that could have bee related to the cooling.
And there doesn't appear to be a typical stuffing box nut or any way to tighten any packing around the stem. Now they are all up and running again but all dripping just a little bit.I can't see any signs that there was any previous dripping although it is heating season and maybe there had been a tiny bit of seep and it was just getting evaporated. Can't testify that this was not happening.
only thing I can assume is that these valves use some kind of an o-ring around the stem. Can't tell if there is any way to dissassemble the ball from the stem, or how you would renew this.
Ideas anyone?
Thanks,
Brian
should have a packing nut
That iso pump flange should have a packing nut if you remove the handle and it should be right there. I'm not aware Watts made any without a packing nut but have run into other cheapo ball valves that didn't. It's very frustrating when that happens but at least you have a chance to get more work out of it by replacing.
