I went up to the roof for some air that day and noticed a slight leak at the valve on the solar water heater’s inlet pipe. After ten years of sun, wind, and weather, the handle had long since deteriorated. At that point, calling it a “switch” was mostly symbolic. One careless move and it could easily turn into a full-on gush of water, so without the right parts and tools on hand, I didn’t dare touch it.
The hot-melt pipe connected to the solar heater wasn’t in much better shape. Its surface had already started turning powdery and grainy. Any pipe left exposed to direct sunlight like that was bound to become a problem sooner or later. Since it clearly wasn’t going to fix itself, I ordered a hot-melt welding tool along with some pipe and fittings online, planning to replace everything when I had time and add an insulation layer afterward so it would last longer.
A couple of years ago, because the water pressure from the solar heater wasn’t great, I added a pump. It made showering much more comfortable for a while thanks to the stronger flow, but in less than two years it quit working. After that, the water flow was still barely usable, and since I had neither the tools nor the motivation at the time, I kept putting off replacing it. This time I simply removed the pump and decided to see how things worked without it.
Replacing the inlet valve turned out to be fairly simple:
- Shut off the main valve.
- Cut out the old, weathered valve with cutting pliers.
- Apply a generous amount of glue to the pipe and to the new valve.
- Push the new valve on firmly, adjust its direction, and keep pressure on it for about ten seconds.
Replacing the hot-melt pipe was a first for me. I had watched a few tutorial videos and read through some precautions beforehand, but actually doing it was another matter. Some parts were awkward to manage alone. With the pipe suspended in midair, I had to hold the pipe in one hand, the fitting in the other, and still keep the hot-melt tool steady. Melt too much and you risk clogging the pipe; melt too little and you worry about leaks later. Even the insertion depth matters.
![Learning a New Skill](/images/eadfa42c98c53e478c7afc52c9812d8b846ec607b8d894be2eaeeae9f3599cf1.gif "学了一门\\"手艺\\"")
The pump has been removed, and the line was connected directly with hot-melt pipe. The blue valve was replaced a couple of days earlier.
Tools and fittings.
This is what a ten-year-old valve ended up looking like.
PS: 12/10 — After adding the insulation layer, this was basically the final result.
Fortunately, after filling the system back up today and opening the outlet valve, none of the joints leaked. Better yet, the water flow was noticeably stronger than before, which proved the whole round of tinkering was worth it. Cleaning the solar heater pipes and the storage tank is already on the to-do list too.