Nasty burn to left hand

[htgeng]

A good trick to play on an apprentice. If there is a stuck drain cock washer, tell him to open it fully and then tell him to dislodge the washer by sticking a screwdriver into it....

Er... what other way is there to get it working again?
Tony

lol. well Im still pondering your method of draining a cylinder when the draincock is seized. So if you stick a screwdriver in, how many times have you been soaked before you managed to get the hose on.

 

[Agile]

My undisclosed method is for draining when there is NO drain cock ( or its jammed ).

Unjamming a drain cock you/I get wet every time but I dont see any other way to deal with it.

Tony

 

[namsag]

So whats this secret method of emptying a cylinder then

 

[Gasguru]

I normally pull a vacumn first and then hoik out the washer with a No 12 screw (although with some setups you risk collapsing the cylinder). On some unvented's though they have an anti vacumn valve fitted so this will not work (and the valve may leak afterwards if you try).

Otherwise cut the feed pipe, stick the hose down and syphon out. Afterall, half the time there's no access to the drainoff or some lazy bastard's used a combined MT cock and elbow on the cylinder inlet instead of bringing the drain-off round to the front.

If the cylinder's scrap core a hole in the top for the hose.

 

[doitall]

Disconnect cold feed

You may have noticed the valve should be above the height of the cylinder, so just swing the pipe over and the water runs out of the cylinder.

A word on warning to the domestic types

There are several calorifiers on the market without draincocks for a very good reason, and if you do drain the the domestic side the inner cylinder will collapse.

Do not touch what you don't understand

 

[namsag]

Why would you go to hassle of drilling a hole far easier to take hot water draw off fitting out and stick the hose in and syphon

 

[htgeng]

The only other way I can think is to connect hose above the water line on the cold feed connection. Then fill the cylinder with air - using a compressor. A bit too risky to try though in someone elses house...

 

[htgeng]

btw, has anyone seen a copper cyl 'implode' when you drain with syphon and forget to uncap the vent? Only really visible on an unfoamed cyl... If you have used a speedfit cap then the only way to get some air in is with pipe cutters or punch a hole in the top.

 

[Gasguru]

Why would you go to hassle of drilling a hole far easier to take hot water draw off fitting out and stick the hose in and syphon

'cos after 30 years the top elbow doesn't always want to shift and me being the cautious type takes the lighter approach.

 

[namsag]

It`s brass an copper 2 mins off heat and it all shifts at most twelve inch stiillys.. do half a dozen a month and neve had one not come out

 

[Balenza]

DiyDoitall wrote

the inner cylinder will collapse.

I doubt that very much as calorifiers don't have inner cylinders.

 

[doitall]

DiyDoitall wrote

the inner cylinder will collapse.

I doubt that very much as calorifiers don't have inner cylinders.

That shows how much you know about it

http://www.mhsboilers.com/site/81/20.html

download the installers guide or the O&M manual then scroll down to page 18, filling and commissioning.

You may want to read the bit about draining the cylinder as well, note there is no draincock, spot the pipe teed into the cold feed

 

[Balenza]

DiyDoitall wrote

the inner cylinder will collapse.

I doubt that very much as calorifiers don't have inner cylinders.

That shows how much you know about it

http://www.mhsboilers.com/site/81/20.html

download the installers guide or the O&M manual then scroll down to page 18, filling and commissioning.

You may want to read the bit about draining the cylinder as well, note there is no draincock, spot the pipe teed into the cold feed

I thought you were referring to a steam system.
Silly me.
In any case all you need is for someone to turn the mains pressure off and leave a hot water tap open.
The primary system will still be pressurised and the secondary system is then open to the atmosphere and the possibility of the inner tank crushing is no more or no less liable to happen.
That shows how much you know about it.

 

[doitall]

Drain the secondary water out and the inner cylinder will colapse.

You must drain the primary water first.

 

[Balenza]

Drain the secondary water out and the inner cylinder will colapse.

You must drain the primary water first.

No different than turning the mains pressure off and leaving a hot tap open.