Struggling to fit a TRV

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31 Dec 2014
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Hi all,

I am trying to put TRVs on my radiators. I've got 10mm pipes so I've bought Drayton TRV4 with the included 10mm reducing olive (whatever it's called, it looks like this http://www.screwfix.com/p/reducing-set-15-10mm/70435). I'm assuming it acts like an olive and no other olive is required. But I'm questioning that assumption now.

I've come round to trying to fit it now and it only goes in one place, one way round, but I have the problem that it doesn't grip the pipe when I do up the compression fitting as easily as a normal olive would. I'm not sure if that's just because it's a lot thicker and so less compressable or if I'm doing something wrong and it's not meant to compress.

I have little experience of compression fittings, let alone this thing that came in the box with no instruction, do I just need to do it up tighter to get it to grip like a normal olive or do I need to add something in etc.

Thanks very much.
Matthew
 
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Well I kept trying, something went click and it tightened an extra turn and now grips the pipe. Hopefully that's right.

Next problem.
The next radiator currently has an extension piece between the radiator and the valve. Something like this http://www.geyser.co.uk/pipe-extension-piece-between-valves-tapping-25mm-p-1828.html

Trying to remove the valve from the radiator brings the extension out with the valve. Is there any realistic way to separate and reuse the extension piece or is it best to just replace. Can't find it at B&Q.

EDIT:
Nevermind, I found the extension thing at toolstation.

Matthew
 
the mechanical reducers need an extra bit of 'oomph' just after they tighten up, this splits it and then you can tighten it up, but not too much because it'll crush the pipe.
 
Thanks, I thought as much. I did find instruction on the inner side of the packaging which I hadn't noticed saying to do them finger tight plus 270 degrees. Anything past finger tight and they don't go until they click and then it easly turns the rest of the 270 degrees with the spanner which seemed about right even before I found that instruction. They seem to be OK now, 4 TRVs fitted, no leaks. The last one took me only 25 minutes from getting the old one off to completely fitting the new one :)


Now I just need to address the initial problem I had with my heating that made me even look at what I had in place, that the last and lowest radiator on the loop - a little Myson Kickspace in the kitchen - only gets hot if the boiler is on full, the pump is on full and every other radiator and the bypass valve are completely shut off. Even then it only gets moderately hot at a moderate speed. Since it does get hot in this situation, I think it's a balancing problem but that the Kickspace heater, the 1/4 turn isolation valves and flexible hoses or the pipes running to it are so restrictive to flow that it's impossible to balance as I can't even open up the bypass valve a bit without stopping it from warming up.

I took it off and flushed it outside while I had the system drained down, quite a bit of black water came out but it didn't fix it. I might try taking it off again and connecting both flexible hoses to a hose pipe outside one at a time and opening the isolation valves and let them flush out that way. Unless anyone else has a suggestion...

Matt
 
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Flexy pipe connections are real handy and easy to use, but as you said, very restrictive. Get some full bore butterfly valves and some 15mm barrier pipe. To make it flexible, just add bends. Should work a treat.
 
Oh, and if you have sludge in the system, fit an ADAY magnaclean. It will save you a packet in the long term.
 
Good post Bitzer - but you can use the edit to add something you've forgotten. I do it all the time , it's my age ;)
 
Thanks for the advice. The flexible hoses are about 1m long and those which came with the unit. Unfortunately, they join the 15mm copper pipe right at the back wall underneath the kitchen units, i.e. about 3 feet back in a less than 6 inch height space, and I don't think I can get to the joint easily without destroying the fitted kitchen. Just to get to the joints between the heater and the flex hoses I have to pull the heater forward about a foot. It may be possible, but I am a novice.
 
It is always possible. It's just your imagination that's stopping you, lol. There's always a way. Drain it and get cracking! Maybe use the kick space below the other units as a place to coil the new pipe into the heater. That's what I would do.
 
Seriously???? Welcome to the modern world of plumbing. Half of what you use is 'plastic rubbish' so don't even go there. Magnaclean's are a first class product that's effective and easy to use, saving the general public from lots of heating faults. Look about and see what the other guys are saying elsewhere.
 

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