Do seals ever seize?

jumper

I've never seen one but I've experienced stuck ball valves.

ChrisJ

What kind of seals specifically?

I've heard of rubber seals getting stuck on motor shafts after sitting and getting torn when it starts.

Mad Dog_2

Absolutely...every mechanical joint has a life span....If it's not regularly exercised, greased & maintained...expect premature failure Mad Dog 🐕

Intplm.

Yes.

jumper

I've got a stuck ball valve, open, in a place where I dread replacing it. Should I try hammering on the handle? My inclination is to remove handle so that nobody else will try.

EdTheHeaterMan

here is a picture of an army of Seals that took over a small island town after they Seized the beach

And here is Seal Team 6 preparing the seize another beach.

hot_rod

They tend to dry out and get hard and brittle. Leave o rings around your shop exposed for several years and they are useless.

Water quality and chemicals used in public water can damage rubbers and composites.

Intplm.

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1805072#Comment_1805072

Sounds like the Delrin seal around the internal stainless steal ball has indeed seized.No hammering will change things. It needs to be replaced.

mattmia2

https://forum.heatinghelp.com/discussion/comment/1805072#Comment_1805072

If it is scale that has formed on the ball holding it in place and that is likely what happened, you might be able to put a citric acid solution in that part of the piping and let it soak a while and dissolve enough deposits to free the ball. Of course the chances that it won't hold because there is still some scale on the ball are high.

jumper

Thank you Intlm & Mattmia. Guess I did not exercise that valve often enough? Each leap year.

Mad Dog_2

You could try to take off the handle and WD 40 the gland. It MIGHT loosen up a bit where you start to get it moving. If not...OUT. Mad Dog 🐕