Draining rad and refilling - all in FAQ but still confused!

[craynerd]

Hi guys

I'm putting in a new toilet, rad and sink in my grandparents downstairs toilet. I've just fitted a full bathroom in my house so thought this would be easy. I've damn well fallen at the first hurdle. I've got a combi boiler and they have a conventional boiler with hot water tank upstairs. I'm totally confused still. Despite reading the FAQ I still can't see how this system is filled! Also, the FAQ mentioned about zones for draining the rad!

I need to drain the radiator so I can relocate it. Is the system closed, from what I have read it seems like I simply turn off the boiler, turn off the cold water supply (is this needed?) and then start draining the radiator! In the garage there are about 5 copper pipes all coming down with drain valves... I guess these are for the different zones I read about. How do you know which is which??

Also, when it comes to refilling, I don't see how to do this!! Is it simply a case of turning the boiler all back on and the auto valve will open to refill the rads....then just a case of bleeding them to run the water through?

I'm really sorry...I appreciate this is totally basic stuff but it all made perfect sense with the combi boiler in my house yet I can't get into my head how there system works!

I can turn off the hot water from the tank. There is a red round handled stop coming in from the cold water tank in the loft - this is what I've used to turn off the hot water

There is also a pipe coming from the bottom side of the boiler which is warm just going down into the floor boards and then there is another hot pipe coming from the bottom of the boiler which splits, one side going to the water pump and one side going to another red circular stop tap and then under the floor boards (what does that stop do?)
There is also another circular red stop on a pipe which looks to be going straight up into the ceiling - I presume this is the vent I read about?

I know these area basic questions but I just can't get my head around it! All I want to do is drain the rad and refill it!

Any help, advice or info would be much appreciated!!

Chris

 

[craynerd]

Ok, looking at a youtube video: I presume I need to lock off the vent isolating circular red tap? - this will stop the header tank refilling as I drain? Which makes sense as it also mentions a stop cock in the header tank which you could tie up to do the same thing.

I'm also interested to know what the red isolating valve is below the hot water tank still?

As I keep reading, it is making more sense. I've got the vent stop tap and the cold water in stop tap.... I just can't figure what the bottom isolating tap is!

Chris

 

[rjm2k]

Post photos, it wont be a stop cock to tie up, it will be a ball valve.

 

[craynerd]

Hi, some pics here for you.... Basically, I'm trying to understand what everything is to work out how to change the radiator, drain the rads and refill.

Looking at the tank.. There is a ball valve (?) on the left and right. The one on the left just goes directly from the floor boards straight up to the loft, no joints or branches. The ball valve on the right is on a pipe coming from the loft into the bottom right side of the tank. The bottom ball valve, it is dark so didn't get a great picture, but can't see at all what it is doing!

Any help identifying all the bits would be great!

First picture shows both stop valves, one on the left and one on the right.

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• craynerd
• 29 May 2013
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• craynerd
• 29 May 2013
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• craynerd
• 29 May 2013
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• craynerd
• 29 May 2013
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• craynerd
• 29 May 2013
• 1

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• craynerd
• 29 May 2013
• 1

 

[craynerd]

Sorry, taken these directly on ipad and have no way of spinning them around until I get home later!

 

[rjm2k]

Post photos of the small tank in the loft if there is one. Assuming it's an open vented system, draining is a matter of tieing up the ball valve (unless you can find a gate valve to shut the supply to the small tank off) and opening a drain valve on one of the rads.

 

[craynerd]

So any idea what the gate valves are controlling?

Is that gate valve on the top left going straight from floor to ceiling not filling the loft tank - I.e stopping the water refilling the radiators for draining?