A Home Maintenance Afternoon...

The overflow from our hot water header cistern has been dripping intermittently for a while. It must be at least 30 years since I last replaced the washer in the ball valve so I guess it wasn't surprising. Cue a dirty afternoon in the loft (doing battle with 120 years of dust and debris!) reaching at arm's length to get to it (I'm sure my arms must have been longer 30 years ago!). And naturally the split pin didn't want to come out so had to be snapped off to remove it.

The photo shows the somewhat aged piston, and the new washer waiting to be slid into place. It's now done so I need to wait and see if that's cured the problem. If not, a trip to the DIY store for a new valve may be necessary in the next day or two.