Taking off radiators during decorating

[taz777]

I'm getting a completely new CH and DHW system installed shortly. A few weeks later I will be decorating my property and this is likely to take 3-4 weeks. During that time the deocrators will need to remove all of the radiators.

The central heating company will bleed and balance the system when they install it.

What precautions should take with respect to removing the radiators and switching off the boiler (WB 30CDi). Would it be better to get the CH company in to take care of it all and then put the rads back on and fire up the boiler and do whtever is necessary to bleed the system and balance it again?

 

[studips]

yep - let the heating company take responsibility for removal and refitting and so any accidents are down to them. if the price is right it's a no brainer. it's all to easy to slurp black liquid over nice porous tiles of white carpet

if you are doing it yourself, you can drain down, shut down the trv and lockshield (cap them as well), then deftly slip plugs/caps over the rad tails prior to you and a friend inverting them and taking them away.

 

[John506]

I'd say it depends how comfortable you are in doing it yourself?

Doesn't take much to drain a system and remove radiators (see guides)... and re-fitting is just reversal of removing.

Many people are weary of touching central heating thinking they could cause major damage, but at the end of the day, all it is, is water within pipes and big hunks of metal on the wall, when you empty the water, you need to refill the pipes and hunks of metal when you want to use again.

First of all you need to switch the boiler off by the fused spur or the on/off button on the front of the boiler.

Next you need to clamber into the loft (or wherever the feed and expansion cistern is kept) and turn the isolation valve off to the float valve that is feeding the cistern. If it's old and there is no isolating valve, use some string to tie the float valve up to stop the water coming out.

When removing radiators individually you need to shut off both valves as stated above, undoe the nuts that seperate the radiator tail to the trv and lockshield, and drain into a chippy tub, whilst constantly emptying into a bigger bucket until empty, then lift the radiator off the brackets.

If you have a drain-off you may be able to drain the whole system if you wish to do so by attaching a hose to one that is within your downstairs radiators (if the pipes don't come down the wall next to the radiator, or you will only drain the upstairs radiators and this specific one, all the rest downstairs will be full, if that's the case you will have to drain each downstairs radiator individually).

When performing either of these methods, you need to open the vent on the radiator to let air in, which in turn lets the water out, or you will be sitting there for hours.

As for the white carpet, you peel it back or use plenty of dust sheets, simples..

When it comes to re-filling, untie the float valve and bleed the rads. Don't forget to add your inhibitor into the cistern and let it get sucked down into your system whilst bleeding.

All in all it's not a hard task, and if you need help that is what this forum is for, we can save you alot of money and grant you with knowledge at the same time

Good luck and dont hesistate to ask questions.

John.

 

[taz777]

Hmm...thanks very much for the advice.

I don't feel comfortable doing it all myself. It's a brand new central heating system and I fear that I may damage it!

I may just get a plumber in to remove all the rads and cap the pipes for 2-3 weeks whilst the rooms are being decorated.

Then when all the decorating is complete and the carpets are ready to be installed, i'll call a heating engineer to put the rads back, bleed and re-pressurise the system.

 

[landyandy]

Combi

 

[MrGassafe2011]

test

 

[Happyplumber]

That is good idea to call in professional at the end of the day a diy site can try and explain how to do the job

Without underpinning knowledge if things go wrong its you who will have the problem and obviously nothing to do with the people who advised you

Make sure who ever comes to refill the system and set up the heating system adds Inhibitor back into it because all of it will have been drained out when the radiators are removed

Best of luck and hope it all goes to plan

 

[MrGassafe]

test

Yes of course you should test at every stage

 

[Charnwood]

Next you need to clamber into the loft (or wherever the feed and expansion cistern is kept) and turn the isolation valve off to the float valve that is feeding the cistern. If it's old and there is no isolating valve, use some string to tie the float valve up to stop the water coming out.

We seem to be making the assumption that it's not a combi boiler.

Be a BIMF like me and decorate around them. There's usualy enough room to make a 3/4 decent job, and anyway, who looks behind rads.