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  • Moving a radiator – combieboilertrackworld…
  • verses
    Full Member

    I’ve a bit of DIY coming up which will involve moving a radiator back couple of feet (made bathroom smaller last year, which means we can make mini-verses’ bedroom a bit bigger).

    I’m not 100% clear on what I need to do to stop water pouring out of the radiator pipes when they’re cut through…

    Under the combi-boiler I have;
    – 2 isolator taps (in and out of the boiler presumably), I use them when emptying the Fernox sludge collector.
    – a stop tap that I use to top the system up if pressure is low (usually following emptying the sludge collector)

    Do I need to drain the whole upstairs heating system, or can I just isolate the boiler with the taps and rely on the vacuum in the system to keep the water in place?

    Any useful guides on-line?

    verses
    Full Member

    Should mention I plan to lock down the valves of the rad in question first and remove and drain it.

    somouk
    Free Member

    I’d just drain the system and refill when the new rad is in place, saves any worry then.

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    WorldClassAccident
    Free Member

    Probably easiest to drain the lot. You can then stick some inhibitor in when you refill. Sort of like an oil change for the central heating getting rid of the crud that gradually builds up.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    Should mention I plan to lock down the valves of the rad in question first and remove and drain it.

    The rad will be full of water when you remove it (leaving the valves on the pipes), so that’s a very messy way to do it.

    nickjb
    Free Member

    I usually fully drain down. It’s not that tricky on my system as it has a couple of reasonably placed drain taps. Do the work then refill with lovely clean water and some inhibitor. In theory the airlock thing works to keep the water in place but sometimes it doesn’t. I suspect most people who have done a bit of plumbing have at some point been stood with a thumb over a bit of pipe to stop flow while frantically trying to find something useful in arms reach to deal with the problem 🙂

    verses
    Full Member

    The rad will be full of water when you remove it (leaving the valves on the pipes), so that’s a very messy way to do it.

    It’s not usually that messy. Towels below the valves and then quickly lifting it over a tub has done the job OK in the past…

    verses
    Full Member

    I’m seeing a common thread to the replies here 🙂

    Should I still isolate the boiler before draining?

    Thanks for the advice so far.

    nickjb
    Free Member

    You shouldn’t need to isolate the boiler as the heating loop will already be isolated. I would turn it off, though, as you don’t want the pump kicking it while its empty.

    footflaps
    Full Member

    I just drain the system and then add isolation vales for that Radiator, so next time I can just isolate it and then remove it with the lock valves closed and connected to it.

    thegreatape
    Free Member

    You can usually rotate the radiator once you’ve loosened the nuts so it’s lying past horizontal with the holes higher up, then lift it up that way and carry it outside/to the bath upside down. Minimal water/sludge spillage. You can in my house anyway.

    peterich
    Free Member

    Don’t drain it just go for it what’s the worst that can happen- just kidding definitely drain system it makes life much easier. Don’t forget to ad inhibitors when you refill

    wrightyson
    Free Member

    And the reason I wouldn’t drain is having to piss about readding inhibitor. Work fast with a couple of towels handy. Oh and fwiw you shouldn’t have to “keep” topping up the pressure.

    squirrelking
    Free Member

    Draining takes minutes as does filling, if you can – do it. Why arse about risking spilling magnatite* saturated water everywhere when you can do it quickly and cleanly?

    Pissing about with inhibitor? Bottle in rad or filter, fill system, job done.

    *Which is an utter shit to clean – if you are quick enough.

    dovebiker
    Full Member

    Done this countless times – as you have a sludge remover and inhibitor then likely you’re not going to be sloshing black sludge all over the place (it stains carpets permanently). If you have an expansion tank, then needs to be isolated also. As you’re cutting into the pipework, I’d drain the whole system as sludge can get trapped in pipe bends and spill out where you don’t want it e.g. into ceiling voids.

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    If you have a wet & dry vacuum cleaner, have it on standby. I have a rad that can’t be turned on its side so it’s useful to drain it into a small pot with the vac sucking out the water from the pot.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    +1 on the inhibitor not being considered pissing about. Insanely stupidly easy.

    I try to avoid draining mine down as i have an outdoor boiler and have to use silly expensive antifreeze/inhibitor…..

    How ever if i wAs doing what your planning id be draining my system.

    Not had heating here for 3 weeks now due to ongoing building work plasterers just left waiting to get paint on the walls behind the rads before putting them back. Takimg the chance to change the hall rads and some new valves etc etc.

    And its normal to top up the pressure after emptying the magnaclean 🙂

    bigad40
    Free Member

    Pay a professional it’ll be way cheaper!

    squirrelking
    Free Member

    Oh, you can also fit special lockshield valves that allow you to drain the rad once isolated. Not useful immediately obviously but worth sticking on when refitting. Come in either contract form or Danfoss do one that matches their TRVs

    Kryton57
    Full Member

    Potential stupid question: where do you pour the inhibitor in in a close loop system that needs refilling one the new rad is on (going through this myself in 3 weeks)?

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    You buy a funnel with a fitment that screws into the blanking hole at the top of the radiator.

    trail_rat
    Free Member

    I just shut off the towel rad in the bathroom and drained it down and topped it up with a regular funnel with the bleed plug removed (its vertical on my towel rad)

    you can also get fernox dosers that screw into the rad ports also.

    bigsurfer
    Free Member

    To move the radiator as the OP says needs the pipes cutting and new pipes joining which you cant guarantee can be done in 30 seconds. Just drain the system, you have said you already know how to do it. Cutting corners if the job doesn’t work perfectly can leave you with a lot of water to mop up. If the rad in question is upstairs as suggested by bedroom and bathroom you should be able to get it completely drained pretty easily. New water and inhibitor will give you a couple more years.

    verses
    Full Member

    UPDATE
    ======
    Thanks for the comments above. I’m tackling the job this weekend and I’ve pretty much sorted what I need to do, but have one query left, regarding refilling the system.

    I understand how to re-pressurise the system while bleeding the radiators as I go, however I’m concerned about the boiler.

    The boiler lives in the loft so is the highest part of the system, will I need to bleed it or its pump in some way? Or should it be self ventilating?

    If it helps, it’s a Worcester Bosch Greenstar 28i Junior.

    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    I used the finger of a 13 year old boy…

    I had new rad and pipes in, compression fitting ready to go and fitted to new pipe tails.

    Simply cut through.
    Finger applied firmly to pipe end.
    Added nut and olive.
    Replaced finger firmly on pipe end.
    Connected new pipe quickly, nipped up compression fitting.
    Emptied ‘drip tray’ below.

    Job done.

    benp1
    Full Member

    When I replaced a radiator at home I drained the system, then filled it up after (combi boiler here)

    I put inhibitor into the system through the radiator at the highest point in the house – where I normally bleed the system from

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    The 2 combi boiler I’ve had both go through a self-venting cycle when they’re switched on. That’s why I always turn the power to the boiler off when I do a job like that.

    verses
    Full Member

    Thanks for the pointers. In the end I contacted the installer who confirmed that it should self-vent when switched on.

    Sure enough it did and the job’s all done.

    Cheers.

Viewing 28 posts - 1 through 28 (of 28 total)

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