Master class: repair of a gas valve in a Soviet column

Recommendation points

• Preparation for work
• Execution of works
• We check the correctness of the assembly
• Results of the work done

Mechanics in Soviet gas water heaters during long-term operation can malfunction. This article shows the process of repairing a blocking gas valve using the example of a flow-through gas water heater VPG-18 produced by the Lviv plant of heat and gas equipment.

Soviet gas water heaters have been serving many for more than a dozen years, and, perhaps, will last as long. Their important advantage is energy independence. Automation in such devices is completely mechanical and, with timely maintenance, is quite reliable. The Soviet column is completely disassembled, which allows you to effectively repair it, which cannot be said about modern counterparts, the repair of which most often involves the replacement of entire units.

Note that any repair of gas equipment must be carried out exclusively by specialized organizations that have the appropriate permits. This work is provided for informational purposes only and will be useful to those who wish to control the process of servicing their gas column by the gas service.

Preparation for work

To repair the gas shut-off valve, you will need the following set of tools:

• Phillips screwdriver;
• flat head screwdriver;
• open-end wrench No. 10;
• gas valve grease (or graphite grease);
• rags.

Execution of works

Shut off the gas supply to the column.

We remove the handle of the restrictive valve and disassemble the body of the gas water heater. How to do this, we described in the article “Master class: annual gas water heater maintenance”.

Using a flat screwdriver, unscrew the two screws securing the flange with the stop.

We take out the flange together with the bushing and two springs.

Note:the second spring is inside the bronze bushing.

With the key No. 10 we turn the valve plug.

We take out the cork together with the washer.

Wipe the surface of the cork with a rag. If the grease is dry, it can be removed with gasoline or alcohol. We clean the inner surface of the valve body, the flange cavities and the sleeve from old grease with a rag.

Apply a thin layer of gas lubricant to the entire surface of the plug.

We install the plug into the valve body with a large hole upwards. The correct operation of the blocking valve depends on its initial position..

Apply a thick layer of grease to the bushing.

Install the sleeve into the flange so that the bump on the sleeve fits into the groove on the flange.

Installing the spring into the sleeve.

We put the washer on the plug stem with the rolled bead on ourselves.

Install a large spring and press it with a flange, while aligning the groove of the bushing with the slots on the plug stem. To do this, adjust the position of the sleeve in the flange, slightly scrolling it until it hits.

Install the flange with a slot to the left. We crimp it evenly with two screws.

We put on the crane handle and check the smoothness of the movement.

We check the correctness of the assembly

We put the valve handle in the closed position. We open the gas supply. We hold down the automatic button. We bring the match to the igniter. The igniter should not light up!

We turn the tap handle to the ignition position. We hold down the automatic button. We bring the match. The igniter should light up (this may take up to a minute, since air could have entered the system during disassembly-assembly). We release the automatic button. The igniter should be on, when opening the hot water tap, the main burner should not light up!

We turn the tap to full opening mode. We open the hot water tap. The main burner should light up.

We put the valve handle in the closed position. The igniter must go out completely.

After making sure that the gas valve is working correctly, we fire up the column and check the tightness of all gas connections with soapy water. If the column is not ignited, the tightness can only be checked up to the automatic button.

Results of the work done

The gas shut-off valve functions correctly and is completely sealed. The valve works smoothly, which makes it easy, and most importantly, precisely to regulate the gas flow to the burner to ensure the required hot water temperature.

If you do not use the gas water heater for a long time, it is still advisable to perform a test run once a month. This will eliminate many problems associated with downtime, and will allow, if necessary, to start the equipment without problems.