Accucraft Joan -access to safety valve

D

davecar

Registered
Hi,

I have recently purchased a second hand Accucraft Joan. It was originally purchased in 2013 so it is a recent model.

It has not been run for some time. I have now steamed it up a few times and I am concerned about the safety valve. When getting into full steam, with the needle quite high, very little steam is coming from the safety valve. I have another Accucraft loco, a Ragleth, and it spits at you when the PSI is 60 or thereabouts.
How do I gain access to the Joan safety valve? The valve is covered by a "cosmetic dome" and into this dome there are two "pretend pipes" which fit into the side of the dome on each side and do appear to be firmly fixed.

Kind regards,

Dave
 
You need to unscrew the two brass "fake valves" protruding from the top of the dome first. The pretend pipes in the side just pull out with a bit of persuasion and then the top just comes off revealing the safety valve.
 
Hi James,

Your a star, many thanks for that. I could not not find anything on the Internet so your information has been a great help. I have now accessed the safety valve. The book says that the valve should kick in at about 60PSI. I don't get anything at 60 PSI. I get a gentle release of steam at about 80 PSI but still nothing like I have experienced with my other Accucraft loco. Can I adjust the valve using a speciall tool? The loco now runs well so wondering should I leave well alone?

Thanks again

Kind regards,

Dave
 
I couldn't advise knowingly having a safety valve that doesn't release at near enough the correct pressure. However I suggest checking that the pressure gauge is giving a reasonable reading before getting unduly concerned. I'm lead to believe that small pressure gauges can be unreliable.
 
The main thing is that the safety valve releases the steam pressure in the boiler. If the safety valve is working properly then when it is blowing off the pressure on the gauge should remain steady, .ie it shouldn't continue to rise. If it does rise then it isn't working properly. If it does release steam and stay at a constant temperature then you can adjust the valve by screwing the centre section of the valve in using a pair of tweezers. Neil is right in that the pressure gauge may not be correct so the best thing to do if you're concerned is either get it tested or buy a new safety valve and pressure gauge. Of the two, the safety valve is far more important so if you only fix one, fix that.
 
Hi All,

Many thanks for all the helpful advice - very much appreciated.

I adjusted the safety valve and it is blowing off correctly. A few teething problems with the loco have been sorted and now Joan is running very nicely and proving to be a good addition to my railway.

Many thanks.

Dave
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top