micro bore

[wetfoot]

I would like to confirm the fragility of plastic microbore piping. My system is now between 15 & 20 years old, and four mornings ago I was awoken by the sound of the kitchen filing with water from a broken plastic pipe coming off the microbore manifold in the floor cavity above. I had great difficulty sourcing the relevant parts locally (North Kent) at short notice, so with help from a plumber friend I swapped most of the plastic pipe for 10mm copper. I bought 15mm radiator fittings, one for each end of the rads, then joined a small section of 15mm copper pipe from the rads to the 10mm copper pipe with a compression fitting. Of each rad that I converted, the feed plastic pipe was too brittle to manipulate at all. The return pipe was not too bad. I have only got two more rads to upgrade, and do not expect to sleep easily until they are done. If you have got an elderly microbore system, I would recommend moving house.
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[doitall]

Sorry to harp on about this. I just want to get this cleared up once and for all.

Can I definitely remove radiators on a microbore system without draining the who C/H system down? (as in by tightening the lockshield and inlet valve).

The only reason im checking this is because a plumber told me that there was absolutely no way id be able to remove any microbore rad without bleeding the system first. Yet other people tell me i can. I'm scared of what might happen!

Under the cap you unscrewed will be a allen key hole to turn the valve off clockwise.

Another point you can't connect off the 10mm for the extra rad/towel rail.