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Gate valve bleeder/ drain

dave1234
dave1234 Member Posts: 16
in Radiant Heating
Ok this is a dumb question but here goes- checked out a friends "spraying leaking radiator" water spraying our what I thought to be some sort of bleeder cap on the side of the gate valve- I did a temp repair but now I must put my foot in my mouth as I believe it's really a drain not a bleeder am I correct? There was a perfectly round hole in the cap it was pissing out of so I thought it was a bleeder of sorts- the cap looks like a Pete's plug cap. I think the hole in the cap was where water eroded it away. Big question is that normally just 1/8" MPT for the bleeder as I need to get a cap as my "repair" was temporary ... Hey give me a break it was 11:00 pm and -10*F! Thanks!

Comments

  • Zman
    Zman Member Posts: 7,610
    3 sizes

    I believe there are 3 common sizes. The last time I did something equally brilliant ( dropped it in a hole) , I picked up a package with all 3 sizes from ace hardware.

    Carl
    "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough"
    Albert Einstein
  • dave1234
    dave1234 Member Posts: 16
    Yes sir

    Yes did some searching and there are replacement caps but they all have a machines hole also so what's the hole for? Must be just the rubber washer/ ring rotted out. The small hole must be for slow draining?
  • MikeG
    MikeG Member Posts: 169
    Drain

    My experience is that it is a drain or call it a bleeder.  Ball valves and other valves have them to drain a line down stream of the supply after closing the valve to work on a fixture or something.  Usuall they have a rubber gasket in the cap with a side hole.  I have also seen the same type of setup on vent 90 ells for baseboard emmitters instead of a coin vent.  If its 1/8" MPT, I get a brass coupling and then have put a coin vent valve in the other end.  I used this on some baseboard vented 90 ells.  Should work on the valve also.  Just a brass cap with tape or dope should work also. 

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