Help needed: Leak Stereo 20

[symon]

I've got a Leak Stereo 20, which has two ecc83 valves on one side (and one on the other as you'd expect). One of the pair doesn't work. If I leave it place can I still use the amp? Or is this dangerous?
By the way, I know it's the valve that's gone because I swapped the pair round and the fault moved with the valve.

[Firebottle]

Hi Peter,
If it is the second valve in of the pair then one channel won't work, if it's the first valve then both channels won't work, why would you want to leave it in?

As the stages are capacitively coupled it is very unlikely that damage will occur to the amp. PM your address and I'll send you an '83 :)

[symon]

Thanks Alan.

And thanks for the kind offer. I can happily say I've already got one on order, and the person who sold me the amp is sending me one as well. So, I think I'll be ok for valve replacements :)
The amp still works, and works quite well actually. My thoughts were that I wanted to keep using it whilst waiting for the replacement. I had assumed it would be best to have even a dud valve in it's socket than nothing. Happy for that to be wrong.

[Firebottle]

If it's still working what makes you think the valve is dud?

Good news on the replacements :)

[symon]

It doesn't glow - at all. The other two definitely glow, even when placed in the socket the dud one is in.

[Arkless Electronics]

It wouldn't work on both channels if one section of the input ECC83 was duff and would either not work or be very distorted on one channel if either of the phase splitter ECC83's was duff.... I have known dual triodes where it's hard to see the glow from the filament;)
I do rebuilds and all sorts of upgrades and mods for the Stereo 20 BTW...

[symon]

Hmm. So, the fact that a valve doesn't glow (when all others do in the same position) doesn't indicate duffness? Ok, that seems fair. But, but, I like the glowing!! ;) We'll see what the replacements do. To be honest, I'm fairly ignorant when it comes to how valve stuff works (which probably shows!)

I'll bear that in mind Jez, thanks.

[Arkless Electronics]

If the filament stays cold it won't work but I have sometimes known ones where unless in a really dark room you couldn't see the glow.

[Firebottle]

Some heaters are very difficult to see due to the construction of the valve. As Jez says you would know from the sound if it wasn't performing.

Some triodes, probably the long plate (anode) ones have a heater that is possibly shorter than the cathode tube, making it very difficult to see the glow.