A weeping valve is not yet a real leak but is heading that way: a slow drip at the gland, a damp ring around a flange, or a white crust where steam condensate dries. Fitters call it a weeper and usually snug the gland or bolts before it grows. A weep through a casting wall, rather than at a joint, means porosity or a crack and the valve should come out.
Gate on the 2 inch steam is weeping at the packing, give the gland nuts a flat each before it starts blowing.
Also heard as
- weeper
- weep
- seeping
Related terms
Packing
Compressible rings packed around a valve stem to stop process fluid leaking out to atmosphere.
Gland
The part that presses down on the packing to load it against the stem, adjusted by the gland nuts.
Repack
To pull the old packing out of a valve stuffing box and install a new set of rings.
Fugitive emissions
Small unintended leaks of process gas or vapor to atmosphere, mostly from valve stem seals and joints.