Mike Rock
Member
Hi all. I made a visit this past Saturday to the apartment building I manage to check on the steam boiler , and walked into boiler room to find big puddle on the floor with water spitting out of the Watts 009QT backflow preventer valve that is connected to the water feed.
I believe this valve is approx. 10 years old.
I tried to take it apart and clean it out, but it actually got worse after I put it back together, so I said screw it. I went to the supply house nearby, picked up another one, installed , all done. No big deal, but now I am starting to wonder.
Usually when the heating season is done, I shut down the boiler and turn off the gas. I am wondering now if I should also turn off the water feed going into the backflow preventer, drain the valve it and relieve the pressure, so I can prolong its life.
In the past , I had never turned off the feed to the backflow, so it was always "charged " with pressure year round.
I believe this valve is approx. 10 years old.
I tried to take it apart and clean it out, but it actually got worse after I put it back together, so I said screw it. I went to the supply house nearby, picked up another one, installed , all done. No big deal, but now I am starting to wonder.
Usually when the heating season is done, I shut down the boiler and turn off the gas. I am wondering now if I should also turn off the water feed going into the backflow preventer, drain the valve it and relieve the pressure, so I can prolong its life.
In the past , I had never turned off the feed to the backflow, so it was always "charged " with pressure year round.