do I need to drain the central heating to replace a radiator

[sococsi]

I am putting in a new towel rail radiator where there was once a normal radiator, at the moment there are the two lengths of pipe that connected to the old radiator valves with stop ends on, there is also the drain valve (hose pipe) after this radiator, the c/h is operating at the moment, do I have to drain all the radiators before I can install the radiator now? also can I use the spped fit pipe and connections in place of copper:?:

[corgiman]

well if you dont, when you pull of the push fit stopends your going to get wet

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[sococsi]

MMMM even I knew that! lol what I wanted to know is do I have to drain ALL the system or could I for instance lock off the flow at the radiator before this one in the system? and can I use the plastic push fit conectors into the radiator valves?

[corgiman]

not unless you have a one pipe system no you cant shut off the rad valve at the next rad.

you have to drain it down

as for the pushft into the rad valve I doubt it

__________________
If at first you don't succeed, remove all evidence you ever tried.

[sococsi]

Thanks for the reply, looks like I'll have to try and solder then eh!

[Softus]

corgiman wrote:

not unless you have a one pipe system no you cant shut off the rad valve at the next rad.

How does that work cm? AFAIK even a one pipe system would require draining down.

Also, there is such a thing as a rad valve with a pushfit connection, but I'm not a big fan of them.

BTW sococsi - how did you end up in this situation, i.e. stop ends on the rad pipes instead of closed valves?

sococsi wrote:

Thanks for the reply, looks like I'll have to try and solder then eh!

I have no idea how you're going to use solder to solve this problem

[corgiman]

[quote="Softus"]

corgiman wrote:

not unless you have a one pipe system no you cant shut off the rad valve at the next rad.

How does that work cm? AFAIK even a one pipe system would require draining down.quote]

I Know I know, but its thursday

sorry

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If at first you don't succeed, remove all evidence you ever tried.

[Softus]

No probs - just checking in case I'd gone [completely] insane.

TGIF, in 15 minutes time...

[JohnD]

1) if you want to reduce the amount of water that you drain out (e.g. it has inhibitor in) then you can close BOTH ends of all the other rads.

2) you might like to use bungs (tapered rubber things that you will find on the plumbing tools shelf) instead of draining down. They really do work. If you have the F&E tank in the loft, you stuff one into the vent pipe that hangs down over the tank, and one into the feed pipe at the bottom of the inside of the tank. this prevents much water coming out provided that you only have one open end at a time (so, cut off one of your stop ends, put a closed valve on it, then do the other.

3) you will find it very difficult to solder wet pipes, even when you think you've got all the water out.

[sococsi]

How I ended up with stop ends in place of radiator!
Well my sister in law hired the services of a plummer / tiler???? from the local rag to fit her new bathroom suite, he was sacked after 3 weeks and 3 house floods later! he took the rad out and put stop ends on the pipe work!
Now I'm putting it right!

[sococsi]

How solder would sort it out!
I meant I will have to use copper pipe and cut into the exsisting pipe work with yorkshire fittings if I could not use the plastic connections to the rad valves!
But you have redeemed my faith in plumbing by telling me you CAN buy the fittings in plastic to the valves!