Moving Radiator - Combi System

Hi - I am about to move a radiator and was wondering if I needed to fully drain down the system or if it was possible (after taking precautions to mop up minor spills) to simpy rely on the vacuum created to hold the water whilst I cut the pipes to make the new conection and similar when I close off the old connections?

Advice please

Thanks



Alex

Drain the system down from the drain cock(s), open some bleed screws after most of the water has drained out. Don't cut into live pipes as it always creates a mess. Have a flat type container(tray) ready for excess water and a couple of old towels are always handy......

I would suggest that you do NOT open any bleed screws except on the radiator you want to remove. Also isolate the combi heating circuit before you do any draining as this will allow hot water to be used and stop air entering through the boiler.

This will enable the other rads to keep their water content by suction.

Draining at the valve connection into the rad will remove virtually all the water which is likely to come out and often a towel is all that is required to soak up the excess water.

This applies to a single floor flat or the upstairs of a two story. The downstairs still would usually not be a problem but an auto air vent anywhere or air in upstairs rads can cause more to be expelled.

Tony

I'm sorry but that last post just sounded like a load of waffle just for typings sake.....! Dr Spock eat you heart out....!

I assume by moving the radiator you will need to change the pipework in some way..........?

Unless you are a very quick worker and freeze the pipes either side of the radiator that you are working on, you should expell all water, as a novice the last scenario you need is to have water in the pipes when you are trying to solder the new connectors/pipes together, this will cause much more anguish than getting rid of all water and turning the combi off whilst you work in the first place.

Allowing air in through the various bleed screws allows the air to push all the water out apart from low lying pipes. Admittedly after doing this it takes slightly longer to refill and bleed the radiators, don't forget to add new inhibitor if you drain the system down.

Now if your only moving the radiator to paint or wallpaper behind it, then thats a different kettle of fish.............

To add some clarity - the radiator is already removed but the pipes that supplied it have simply been isolated via in line valves. The pipework is Speedfit (put in by the developer) so I need to shut off the two redundant feeds and creat new connections via Tees a few feet away. I was planning ot carry out one operation at a time.

I need to ponder a little longer.

Sandybeach the way you are thinking of doing it is by far the easiest and quickest for a awkward to empty and fill system providing the isolating valves to the boiler turn off an back on without leakin or if the auto airvent is accesable this can just be screwed down. and once pressure realesed job is usually straight forward. But most combi`s can be drained and filled in ten minutes each procedure so for a DIYer best to just drain and not take risk if your not feeling totally confident.