I've got a Radius stove (#19) with a problem. I loosened up the nrv, it turned off quite easily actually. But then it refused to fall out! It comes out approx. 1/4" or less but then won't come out any further. I've grasped it with some long medical "forceps", I've retightened it and then loosend it again but no luck. The only thing I haven't tried is using a blast of pressure from my compressor, but I'm kind of afraid to bugger up the tank doing this. The tank has no gummed up old kero gunk in it, it's dry and clean. I'm kind of stuck myself? It's also kind of hard to get a picture of the nrv still in the bottom of the tube. Stan
If you can twist the NRV back in (yes sounds crazy), and slosh in some Break-Kleen or what ever brand you have and make sure some gets on the back of the NRV and the inboard side of the threads. There may be some gunk keeping things from moving free like they should.
I hope the threads werent overtightened and stripped. That might explain why only 1/4" movement then no more joy. I hope Im wrong...
I had one like that. Spent an hour trying to get it to drop out. Finally realised that there was a ring of rotted pump leather at the base of the pump tube that I hadn't spotted. Took another hour to winkle the leather out. Terry
I encountered a similar problem. The NRV unscrewed but would not drop out of the pump tube. As a last resort the pump tube was unsoldered from the tank. Then I saw the problem. The NRV was bent. How that had happened beats me - obviously happened when the stove was manufactured. It was then simple to unscrew the body of the valve and then remove the rest. Of course, the harder part came next - soldering the pump back onto the tank.
Had this problem a few times, as I guess have most stove users, but have found that a long pair of lockable medical forceps will clamp on perfectly well to lift the recalcitrant NRV out. (They can also be used to change broken Series Land Rover 3rd-4th gear syncro hub springs through the top plate, horribly fiddly but saves an awful lot of major dismantling!)
Magikbus, If you do not get the NRV out, you may want to remove and replace the pump tube. A very fine tutorial is written here by one of our Master Fettlers in The Fettlers Master Class section. ...... Link ..... There is probably even more written somewhere else on the site. If you decide to do that, may I suggest you find a stove that is less valuable to practice on, if you have not done it before. Maybe an old kero stove with engraving so polished down you can't see it anymore. I have 2 of those in my stable. A stove you wouldn't mind if the legs fall off while removing the pump tube. (That happened to me the first time). Ken in NC
Well, most of you were right. It was a double fiber washer on the nrv and lots of corrosion on the barrel of the nrv that was preventing it from being removed. I have a pair of medical forceps but they proved to be too "wimpy" to pull the offender out. I went to our local rental place and their repair guy dove into his tool box and withdrew a very sturdy pair of forceps that did the trick on the third try. Whew! I wasn't looking forward to pulling the pump tube as she's a beautiful stove. Thanks for all the insight, this is a great forum with great people on it! I'll come on with a before and after fettling series of pictures of the #19 in the days to come. Stan
Great result! It's happened to me too, mostly when a lead washer seat has clung onto the NRV threads. Makes me replace with PTFE washer in its place, or nothing. John
had the same problem, leaking NRV; unstuck without problems but the blasted thing would spin but not come out, tried compressed air in tank, could get hold of it with one of Bernie Dogs lo0ng forceps; applied heat and it would only spin, about to the point of drilling it out and destroying it or de-soldering the pump tube when my 12 year assistant "can't you put something behind it daddy?" OK something like you used to get my dollies head out of the potty................a plumbing snake cork screw end? too short and my wife would kill me if I took it apart and soldered and extension soooo; piece of very stiff wire and twisted it into a kinda corkscrew put compressed air into the canister blew it out enough to where the primitive corkscrew was able to get a purchase and pull it out by pushing down while twisting counterclockwise then twisting as I pulled; the PO had wound some kind of fabric with fine wire around the NRV threads for an "emergency" seal; some had slipped into the tank and were holding it; no good pix as had to painfully pull the threads out with Bernie Dogs tool a bit at a time; fettled the NRV, new cork pip and she runs well hope this helps others in the same predicament
