Replace bad Zodiac valve with Leafield

[dhaglund]

Has anyone here ever replaced the old Zodiac recessed valve with a Leafield C7/D7?

This type Zodiac valve is poorly designed, doesn't hold air well and spare parts are expensive.


So I was just thinking about replacing them with a more modern and far better valve, the Leafield D7. But I'd be interested in knowing if they require the same size hole or not. I realize that I will have to cut the hole a bit to fit the new inner piece. Does anyone have any experiece doing this? If so, how did it go?

[Peter_C]

Keep the Zodiac valves, as they work fine and parts are not very expensive at least when I had a Zodiac, as I had changed all cores out.

Replacing to a larger valve means cutting the tube open larger than the new valve, gluing a backer in after putting the inner part inside the tube, and you will have a different colored patch on the outside. It is a fair amount of work, and you would either need to do them all, or carry two different pump end fittings. Cost will be far higher than just replacing the Zodiac cores.

[dhaglund]

The cores are around £5 and the gasket £1 or so. So not bad. A complete Leafield valve is £15. At defender.com the cores are $44 and caps that look almost the same are $37. Sadly two of my caps have one of their "handles" broken off and these caps seem very hard to find. It is not absolutely necessary to replace them but it would be good since it is considerably harder to operate the cap with only one handle. Lets not forget the £90 Zodiac valve spanner!

Fortunately it is easy to replace the core membrane yourself and the Zodiac spanner is not necessary. I use needle nose pliers instead. It is just that I'm used to Leafield valves that are trouble free, hold air perfectly and the valve tool is cheap by comparison.

But it is certainly less work to keep the Zodiac valves. And less expensive too, unless new caps are needed. It's just mildly annoying that even if you replace the cores and gaskets there is still a good chance that they will leak some.

[User name]

Originally Posted by dhaglund

The cores are around £5 and the gasket £1 or so. So not bad. A complete Leafield valve is £15. At defender.com the cores are $44 and caps that look almost the same are $37. Sadly two of my caps have one of their "handles" broken off and these caps seem very hard to find. It is not absolutely necessary to replace them but it would be good since it is considerably harder to operate the cap with only one handle. Lets not forget the £90 Zodiac valve spanner!

Fortunately it is easy to replace the core membrane yourself and the Zodiac spanner is not necessary. I use needle nose pliers instead. It is just that I'm used to Leafield valves that are trouble free, hold air perfectly and the valve tool is cheap by comparison.

But it is certainly less work to keep the Zodiac valves. And less expensive too, unless new caps are needed. It's just mildly annoying that even if you replace the cores and gaskets there is still a good chance that they will leak some.

I might have some of those original Zodiac valves/caps going spare somewhere if I can find them. I can have a search later if you need any.

I actually made my own valve tool from a piece of 3/4inch or 22mm copper pipe that I notched with a hacksaw and then filed smooth. It fits really snug and its the perfect size for a common bicycle grip to fit onto so it's comfy to use.

[cgoing]

Those prices for the replacement Zodiac parts are very steep. The cap for your valve was discontinued many years ago and replaced with one that threads rather than turns only a 1/4. Many service shops will probably have some kicking around. I know I do but i am located in the US so sending to you is not so simple.

[dhaglund]

Originally Posted by User name

I might have some of those original Zodiac valves/caps going spare somewhere if I can find them. I can have a search later if you need any.

I actually made my own valve tool from a piece of 3/4inch or 22mm copper pipe that I notched with a hacksaw and then filed smooth. It fits really snug and its the perfect size for a common bicycle grip to fit onto so it's comfy to use.

Thank you for that offer. I'll get back to you sometime if I really need this. Good idea on the pipe too. I've read that others use slotted sockets also.