Leaking Apex Limiting Stop Valve

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nickb800

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#215265 19-Jun-2017 19:13

Have noticed that the stop valve is leaking in my parents four year old home. The valve is an Apex Limiting Stop Valve (this one http://apexvalves.co.nz/pressure/pressure-limiting-stop-valve-20mm/)

The leak is coming out very very slowly through the blue cap - where you would adjust the pressure. I might have expected a leak from one of the seals (where the pressure/filter body fits in) or at the input/output. But it seems like water should never come out of the blue cap. There's a bit of build up of rusty water on the blue cap and drops on the dwang below.

I cleaned the filter (for the first time) and there was only a few tiny grains or sand in it.

Is the filter unit buggered?

Is it unreasonable to expect it to be replaced by the original plumber?

RunningMan

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#1803603 19-Jun-2017 19:19

@aredwood knows a wee bit about these things

Aredwood

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#1803637 19-Jun-2017 19:59

There is an internal leak in the limiting valve cartridge. You can buy the cartridges separately for those valves. Apex did have issues with them leaking at that point previously, Don't know when they fixed that issue. Also there will be a 4 digit number stamped into the valve somewhere. Last 2 digits are year it was made. Can't remember if first 2 are month or week made.

Just unscrew the cartridge where it meets the brass body to remove it. But make sure that you turn the water off first. How old is it? As it is hard to comment as to whether the original plumber should replace without knowing that.

nickb800

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#1803648 19-Jun-2017 20:25

Aredwood:

There is an internal leak in the limiting valve cartridge. You can buy the cartridges separately for those valves. Apex did have issues with them leaking at that point previously, Don't know when they fixed that issue. Also there will be a 4 digit number stamped into the valve somewhere. Last 2 digits are year it was made. Can't remember if first 2 are month or week made.

Just unscrew the cartridge where it meets the brass body to remove it. But make sure that you turn the water off first. How old is it? As it is hard to comment as to whether the original plumber should replace without knowing that.

That's great thanks!

0512 - so 2012 which is consistent with the age of the house.

Tempted to be cheeky and ask Apex directly for a replacement cartridge

Dadababa

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#2258009 14-Jun-2019 10:15

I have a similar situation...the Apex LSV20 unit on my hot water cylinder (installed in 2013) is slowly leaking. It was brown rusty mud-like stuff leaking out from the top initially. After I wipe that off, the leak is about 50ml a day, almost clear water.

This thread is the only item online I can find on the leak of the LSV20 unit. Thanks for the info.

Is it OK to do a DIY replacement of the filter, after turning the water off? When I was in the plumbing world store to look at the filter, the staff cautioned that the replacement should be done by a professional, as a pressure limiting valve can blow up if not installed correctly. Apex seems to advertise that replacement is a simple job. On the other hand, the pressure is adjustable using a screwdriver. So for replacing the filter, do I need to worry about changing the default pressure setting?

Plumbing world sells the filter for ~$120. Someone on Trademe sells a new LV20-500 unit (limiting value with the filter) for ~$85. I called Apex and they say the filter (APEX LVC) is the same for LV20 and LSV20, so one can take the filter out from the LV20 as a cheaper option to buying the filter itself.

I have not figured out how to uncrew the filter out from the lv20 or lsv20 assembly...it is quite tight and cannot be uncrewed with hands and gloves. Is any special tool needed to uncrew it?

Many thanks.

Aredwood

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#2258025 14-Jun-2019 10:32

Just use a spanner or similar to undo the old cartridge. New one just needs to be firmly tightened up by hand.

Turn off the water and release the remaining pressure from the pipes before undoing it.

Dadababa

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#2259799 17-Jun-2019 22:02

Thanks a lot...Replaced the cartridge this afternoon. All good. The old one was really dirty inside.