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Fix water leak from Rainwater tank

Hello DIYers,

Hope you all are well.

We have a rain water tank and there is leak in the plumbing. Please see image for the plumbing.

You can't make out from this photo, but there is a drip leak, with a drop leaking every second or so. I tried uploading a video but unable to. So please allow me to describe as best as i could.

If you look at the second image closely, you can make out a drop - Although it appears as if the drop is from the middle of the black part(sorry don't know what's it called ), the waterdrop comes out from the open mouth, travels back underside and then drops down from the middle 🙂

I have tightened the tap(the round -orange thingy- again don't know the name) as much as i could but no joy.

Is there anything that i can do ? Any suggestions please.

Thanks in advance and please stay safe all of you

Thanks

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Comments

MitchellMc

Hi @bm,

If you are certain that the water is coming from inside the black fitting then that indicates the gate valve is faulty and allowing water to bypass it. A couple of options, the first is just to replace the gate valve or if the tank is full you might find it more convenient to just attach a secondary valve after the first leaky one and leave it in place.

In order to install an additional valve, you will need to unscrew the last black fitting, then screw on a new valve and a poly nipple so you can screw the last fitting back on. I presume the last black fitting is from a tap adaptor which allows you to click your garden hose on and you wish to keep it.

I don't believe there are any serviceable washers inside a gate valve as it is a copper gate that stops water passing through the unit.

Please let me know if you need further information or had any questions.

Mitchell

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/9687#Comment_9687

Thanks @MitchellMc for the options. While i look further into these, Please are you able to advise on the white strapping that appears on the valve?

what is that?

thanks

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/67152#Comment_67152

@bm,

The white strapping is thread seal tape and is wrapped around the thread of fittings before joining them together. It is used to seal the threads and stop water leaking through them.

Mitchell

Jason

Hi @bm,

Just wanted to note that you can share videos with other members on Workshop but they need to be hosted on YouTube first. You just hit the Insert video button and then enter the URL to the YouTube video. We are examining the demand for video hosting on Workshop and are considering adding the functionality in future.

Thanks,

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/96389#Comment_96389

Hi @MitchellMc

Thanks for all the help so far. Sorry took me a while to come back on this.

Please see attached photo.

I have now managed to remove the nipple- there was some damage on it so thought of removing it.

As you suggested , I am going to plug in another valve , retaining the existing valve- so i don't lose the water load.

Now to connect the new one to the existing valve, Wouldn't I would need a "joiner" - joiner with the same sized sides? both valves are 1 inch.

Would Bunnings have this joiner? Please suggest. The poly nipples , as i understand have differing sides.

Sorry, normally i would have gone to the shop and asked , but in locked down Vic I am not allowed..

Thanks

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/114840#Comment_114840

Hi @bm,

The "joiner" you'll need is the nipple that was removed. It provided a male thread at one inch for your female valve to screw onto. If you need a new nipple this Philmac 1 Inch Threaded Bsp Pipe Nipple would be suitable.

Please let me know if you have other questions.

Mitchell

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/125216#Comment_125216

Thanks @MitchellMc for all your help.

MitchellMc

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/132181#Comment_132181

Hi @bm,

I just wanted to make sure that you managed to install the new tap.

Please let me know if you had or are having any issues.

Mitchell

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/136423#Comment_136423

Hi @MitchellMc

Good evening and thanks for checking in .

I used the the following:

https://www.bunnings.com.au/kinetic-25mm-brass-gate-valve_p4790286

Philmac 1" Threaded BSP Pipe Nipple)

Garden Rain 1 x 3/4" Poly Irrigation Reduce Nipple) for the Tap Adaptor to go in.

All thanks to the Bunnings team, I have now managed to install these and voila, there is no leak .

I retained the original valve as is, so i did not lose the water load.

Now, when i connect a 12 mm hose to water the lawn/garden beds, i notice that the water pressure is a bit low.

I must say that the tank is located at a slightly lower ground than the level of the lawn. Is using a 18mm hose better ?

Any suggestions please on the options i have to achieve better water pressure ( happy to kick off a different discussion thread on this )

Thanks once again

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139337#Comment_139337

Hi @bm,

Have you considered a pump? We have one for our water tank so we can use the water across the garden. Without the pump we could only really use a soaker hose.

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/141296#Comment_141296

Thanks @Jason for the advise. I assume these are the ones https://www.bunnings.com.au/our-range/bathroom-plumbing/plumbing/pumps/constant-pressure-pumps

What pump have you got?

thanks

Jason

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/142767#Comment_142767

Yes, that's the right category @bm.

Something like the Ozito 800W Constant Pressure Pump would be a lot more powerful than the pump that came with our water tank and would be more than capable of the job.

Jason

SalBay

https://www.workshop.bunnings.com.au/discussion/comment/139337#Comment_139337

@bm

Regarding low water pressure, and initial cause of leaking gate valve:

Have you checked for debris inside the tank, ? gate valves don't do well with debris, it gets jammed under the gate. and there maybe leaves/ sticks/ silt/ frog blocking the pump outlet.
If you connect a hose up to your tank (using the arrangement you have just made), then you should be able to force any blockage back into the tank. If this improves the flow then you will need to clean the inside of your tank at some stage.

Using some 19mm poly pipe will double the flow compared to a standard hose.

r23on

It looks like the water is bypassing the packing ring around the stem. Most gate valves have a packing ring around the stem to stop the fluid leaking up the stem and as the nut just below the handle is tightened the packing is compressed to create a type of O ring effect you may be able to replace the packing ring. failing that replace the valve

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