Replace ordinary valves Thermostatic valves

[peterb16]

Hi,

I am new to this forum, firstly I should say I am not a novice in plumbing, but am not a professional either !

I have a house with microbore pipework (10mm) I would like to replace the valves on all of the rads with thermostatic ones. I would like some advice please.

1 : Do I need to drain the whole system before starting ?
2 : Is it possible to change 10mm microbore to 15mm pipework ?
3 : What is the best type of themo valves to purchase ?
4 : Is it really a job for me or a pro plumber ?

Thanks in anticipation

Peter

 

[D_Hailsham]

I have a house with microbore pipework (10mm) I would like to replace the valves on all of the rads with thermostatic ones. I would like some advice please.

You should not have a TRV in the room where the wall thermostat is located.

1 : Do I need to drain the whole system before starting ?

Not essential but, if you are intending to replace all valves in one go, probably quicker. While you are installing TRVs why don't you remove each radiator and flush it through with a hose in the garden?

2 : Is it possible to change 10mm microbore to 15mm pipework ?

Why do you want to change the pipework to 15mm? You should be able to get converters which allow you to fit 15mm TRVs on to 10mm pipework.

3 : What is the best type of themo valves to purchase?

Danfoss, Drayton and Honeywell are all good quality products. Don't buy cheap £5 valves from DIY sheds. The best is probably the Drayton TRV4

4 : Is it really a job for me or a pro plumber ?

Shouldn't be any problems if you have done plumbing work before

Don't forget that you will need to rebalance the complete system when you have finished.

Edit

TRV's do not work well if the water has muck in it (they can block up), so it might be worthwhile putting a cleaner such as Sentinel X400 into the system and running it for a day before draining and flushing with clean water.

You will need to add some Sentinel X100 inhibitor when you eventually refill the system.

 

[peterb16]

D_Hailsham

Thank you for your reply, I now have another question.

Do I need to drain the whole system before starting ? [b ]Not ssential /b]!

If I don't drain the system how do I stop the water flowing out of the pipe when disconnected from the rad ?

Thanks

Peter

 

[spacethegas]

drain it.

 

[D_Hailsham]

If I don't drain the system how do I stop the water flowing out of the pipe when disconnected from the rad ?

See //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=144359

However you will probably be better off cleaning, flushing and draining the system.