Help please with new Faber 12L tank - leaks around valve knob

[The Chairman]

If the valve is CLOSED, there is no pressure on the outside of the valve. There is absolutely no need to drain the tank. Almost all valves use a #10 O-ring to seal the stem: use lots of lube. Sometimes, the gland nut hasn't been tightened down. See if that's the case first, but if it isn't just install a new 10 oring on the stem, making sure what's left of the old o-ring is out of there. This is a two minute fix.

 

[Diver0001]

Pete, I think he's talking about taking apart the mechanism that screws the plug into the high-pressure seat on the inside of the K valve. (part #10 on this diagram).

The plug may stay put if he doesn't try turning it but there is a good reason what the valve has all that retaining hardware.

But ok..... if he does take it apart I hope he makes a video for youtube so we can watch it on MTV's "Ridiculousness". I wouldn't do it without draining the tank. Why take a risk when it's not necessary. How much does a fill cost? How much does it cost to get a broken shin put in a cast?

Call me overly cautious but ... yeah.

 

[divad]

If he isn't totally familiar with the valve and positive he's doing the correct thing, maybe it would be better to err on the side of caution, or, at least practice on an empty tank. The schematic should be a big help.

 

[T.C.]

It's probable he's looking at part #5, since he has the knob off and sees a 5/8" nut. But, I'm not sure if it can be turned without turning #9 and #10. And that would be...bad.

Yeah...caution is better than injury. Is a dive and a $5 air fill really worth Murphy smacking you upside the head with a very large chunk of metal?

 

[The Chairman]

Call me overly cautious but ... yeah.

OK, you're overly cautious. Great blow up (sorry couldn't resist). Just don't turn number 10 and replace number 08 with a 010 O-Ring. I've done this any number of times. The orifice closed off by number ten is maybe 3/16". Number ten is doing all the work when the valve is closed.

 

[underH2Oman]

Just as a note sometimes the Teflon seat may not be completely sealed. put a regulator on the tank and open the valve all the way. when it meats resistance give it a firm turn to seat the Teflon. If it is the Teflon seat leaking this may stop the leak. No dis-assembly required.

 

[timthefish]

No need to drain the tank. My Faber leaked around the knob. I took it off undid the nut then removed the stem , gave it all a quick look over and just put it back together and the leak was fixed

Sent from my HTC One SV using Tapatalk

 

[Bob DBF]

Hi,

Wonder if anyone can help me with a problem with a brand new Faber 12L steel tank. I'm out on my boat and trying to use it for the first time. When I go to open the tank valve I can hear air hissing out. Thought it was the O-ring, changed that, no better. Then thought it might be the regulator, put it on another tank and all works fine.

Unless you know exactly where the leak is coming from it may still be the Valve/reg o-ring. I had the same problem and I knew the leak was the o-ring, it seems that the o-ring on the Faber valve is a slightly different size than the usual o-ring found in a save a dive kit or used on most US market tank valves. If you use the wrong one it may work, but only for a while, it will ultimately fail. Probably a metric thing.

Find out exactly where it is leaking before making a repair.



Bob
---------------------------------
I may be old, but I’m not dead yet.

 

[T.C.]

Question answered, things learned, post deleted.

Still a Good Thread.

 

[Namreg 58]

Whenever you have a problem involving air under pressure, your best friend is going to be a spray bottle of soapy water as the leak source is going to blow bubbles.

The best way to find the leak is to place the first stage on the pillar valve and turn the air on so you can just hear the air rushing out. Spray the area with soapy water to determine the source of the bubbles that will invariably form.

If the bubbles come from the face where the first stage meets the pillar valve, depressurise and remove the first stage. If the pillar valve has an 8mm hexagonal hole where the air comes out of the tank, unscrew this plug with a hex key and check if there is an O ring on BOTH sides of this plug and that they are both in a serviceable condition and then screw the plug back tight.

If the pillar valve only has an 1/8th hole it is a yoke only valve and you should look at the surface where the O ring sits in the groove. What happens sometimes with careless fill monkeys using one of the automatic locking fill valves is that the piston hits the pillar valve face at an angle and flattens the top inside face of the circular O ring groove deforming it and causing a leak.

If the leak does come from the knob area, Netdoc and timthefish have covered this accurately. Take note that this type of leak could also result from a bent spindle where the O ring #8 and the white teflon washer # 7 will be slightly deformed enough to allow the air that escapes from the thread of the seat when the valve is open to escape to atmosphere.