Warmaride heater tap dissassembly
Posted: Fri Jun 11, 2010 10:56 am
It's getting cold, and the Warmaride needs to work! Like a lot of people, I have the dreaded "leaky Warmaride tap spindle". Some internet hunting shows that Rare Spares has an overhaul kit for these (they have none in the country... been on backorder for a few months). When I look at the tap though, it doesn't appear to easy to get apart. It looks like:
a) the side copper elbow is silver soldered on,
b) the bottom copper elbow is crimped AND silver soldered on, and
c) the top metal washer that the spindle comes out of is crimped on.
My guess is:
a) that there is no use taking the side elbow off.
b) that I could sweat the bottom elbow off with a gas axe. However, the silver solder will require way to much heat when I reassemble and will cook the new rubber seals. I could put the tap in 2-3" of water to act as a heatsink, but am not likely to get enough heat to do the soldering. Even if I got the bottom elbow off, I'm not sure if there is a brass valve seat under the elbow (or if it will come out to let me replace the rubber seals).
c) the top metal washer is the best bet. I can uncrimp the top brass lip by tapping gently with a round drift, then pull out the steel washer, spindle and valve rubber seals. To get it together I recrimp as best as I can by tapping, then epoxy the edge to get a seal.
Before I spend many hours tapping (and potentially buggering the tap!), can anyone share please how they got the tap apart?
a) the side copper elbow is silver soldered on,
b) the bottom copper elbow is crimped AND silver soldered on, and
c) the top metal washer that the spindle comes out of is crimped on.
My guess is:
a) that there is no use taking the side elbow off.
b) that I could sweat the bottom elbow off with a gas axe. However, the silver solder will require way to much heat when I reassemble and will cook the new rubber seals. I could put the tap in 2-3" of water to act as a heatsink, but am not likely to get enough heat to do the soldering. Even if I got the bottom elbow off, I'm not sure if there is a brass valve seat under the elbow (or if it will come out to let me replace the rubber seals).
c) the top metal washer is the best bet. I can uncrimp the top brass lip by tapping gently with a round drift, then pull out the steel washer, spindle and valve rubber seals. To get it together I recrimp as best as I can by tapping, then epoxy the edge to get a seal.
Before I spend many hours tapping (and potentially buggering the tap!), can anyone share please how they got the tap apart?
. Thirty views on the FB/EK forum, and sixty views for the same question on the FE/FC forum.... someone must have pulled on of these taps apart before (please? ;D).