Any way to get this rad valve head off?

[cnb23]

Morning All,

I awoke this morning to a bit of a leak from the radiator in my bathroom. Not huge, it is just dripping slightly from the valve. I have had a look on youtube and know I can fix it temporarilly using some PTFE tape. However I don't see any way to get the tap head off to get to the bit underneath it.

There is no screw and there doesnt seem to be any push mechanism. I don't really want to replace the entire valve because that will (I think) mean draining the entire system. We have only just moved in and I have no idea how to do this as it has two water tanks in the loft and not the combi boiler that I am use to.

Please tell me I am missing something and I can just remover the tap head?!

Untitled

• cnb23
• 21 Jan 2015
• 1

Untitled

• cnb23
• 21 Jan 2015
• 1

 

[Terry lambert]

If the screw is removed you should be able to wiggle the head up and off.

If stiff, sometimes I put my pump pliers across for a better grip.

Careful not to much pressure that it cracks

 

[cnb23]

Thats what I thought but there doesnt seem to be a screw in the tap. I assumed they all came with one but this one doesnt

 

[Burnerman]

No screw means a push fit.....it's probably jammed with lime scale etc.
There's no guarantee the valve has a gland that can be packed, unfortunately....best give us a pic with the head off if you can.
John

 

[Madrab]

Oh dear, the good old microbore twin entry valve. The cap is usually screwed down as suggested.

Looking at it, as you mention, there isn't a screw down there. I cant see clearly, does it look like there was a screw there at one time? If so, then a pair of grips below the plastic head and tap up on the grips may lift it.

You may have fun with that valve if you can't repair it. They are like hen's teeth to source.

 

[cnb23]

No the hole in the centre seems completley filled. WIll try some to wiggle it with some pliers or push and hope for the best. If it is push fit is it push and turn? If so what direction?

Yeah I have just been looking for another valve and it seems like an impossible find. The plan is to replace the bathroom in the next year or so, at which point we will get a new radiator. We dont have the money to do it now unfortuantly and don't really want to spend too much on this when it might all get ripped out later in the year. I assume to replace the valve I would also need to replace the radiator so it has space at the other side?

Another annoyance about the house seems to be that all the pipe work is 8mm. Is that going to cause problems futher down the line?

 

[Madrab]

If it's a push fit then it should be straight up to pull off though there usually isn't a hole in the cap, if you see what I mean. There's no need to mould a cap with a depression in the plastic. Unfortunately the screw head can snap off sometimes. Without being there it's hard to offer how to get a problem cap off.

The radiator may have a blank on the other side where normal bottom entry valves could be used.

Microbore can be ok for a long time if the system has been commissioned correctly, inhibited etc and left undisturbed.
The trouble comes when work needs to be done and the installation is disturbed, especially with those twin entry valves.
A lot of engineers will not guarantee work done on old installations of microbore as it can be troublesome especially when powerflushing.

 

[cnb23]

Thanks Rob, Thats really helpful. I am in work but off the top of my head I think this is the only twin valve radiator in the house. The other end has the tap at the bottom meaning that I will not be able to extend the pipes and add on a standard valve. This will mean an entirely new radiator. Something I dont really want to do when most likely be replacing it all shortly.

Is it possible to just diconnect the radiator entirley? If I cut the in and out pipes and join them together that would be ok right? Other than the annoyance of the radiator not working obviously. If that is all theoetically possible, would you use pipe freeze for that or still reccomend draining the system?

Sorry I realise this is a lot of questions, pluming really isnt my forte!

 

[Madrab]

Does that valve turn off, usually that stops a weeping gland nut. Then just leave it that way.

If not then you need to disconnect and can just cap off with a couple of 8mm compressions or 10/12mm JG push fits depending on size of pipe, if it's only temporarily until new system goes in rather than try to connect them.

Is it a combi system? If so release the pressure and you should have a minimum of water loss when undoing from the valve and applying the stop ends, just have a few towels about

 

[cnb23]

no it is still weeping even when turned off. Will try with some pliers tonight though to make sure it is extra tight.

If I put a push fit on each end wouldnt that mean that I break the loop and water couldnt flow to the next radiator on the system? Unless I am somehow lucky and this is the last one. When I say temporary I am probably talking a minimum of 6 months and a maximum of 18.

It is an old school open vented system. Two water tanks in the loft to keep things topped up. There is a pressure pump by the water tank in the airing cupboard...the whole system makes me feel a little uneasy as I have grown up with combi boilers all my life and know what I am doing with them.

 

[Madrab]

no it is still weeping even when turned off. Will try with some pliers tonight though to make sure it is extra tight.

Don't overdo it as you could snap the spindle

If I put a push fit on each end wouldnt that mean that I break the loop and water couldnt flow to the next radiator on the system?

Unless you have an old 1 pipe system, then all radiators should be piped in parallel from a main flow/return, blanking off those pipes wouldn't interrupt the flow unless it's piped into the hot water circuit then it could interrupt the hot water feed/return. When you turn the rad off do the others stay on? If so that will prove it's not a 1 pipe. Does that rad get hot when only heating the hot water with rads off, if not, it's not on the HW circuit.

As it's a gravity fed vented system - don't be uneasy, it's a well thought out system, you would need to bung the f/e tank feed and vent pipes before draining down to the level of that rad before playing with the pipes.