How much does a drain down cost?

[DIYNotIan]

Hi all

We are deciding whether it is worth having some work done on our radiators. A couple have not got TRVs and we are thinking of changing one for a smaller one so we can fit a piece of furniture easier.

Not quite sure of costings though and whether it will be worth it. Been told that changing/fitting new TRVs is around £25-£30 each. Have not got a clue what to expect to pay for the drain down...

Also, are there any other advantages to having a drain down?

In case it's relevant, our heating system is oil fired and there are 9 rads.

Cheers

Max

 

[ChrisR]

Nothing - you can probably do it yourself by simply opening a valve...

If you try to belittle job it'll only annoy people who know it might not be.
I stopped even going to customers who did that, because it's a sign of trouble. Be careful!

A plumber would very likely contrive to do the valves and one rad without a full drain-down. It would be whatever would be easier. Refilling can be trivial, or turn out to be a real pain on some old systems.
"Little" jobs like this can take anything between an hour and a day - we have to allow some contingency, travelling etc so I expect your minimum would be half a day, plus the time/travel for the visit to measure up, and get the parts.
Unless work's hard to get, half a day's work wouldn't be appealing at all. It depends where you live, etc.

If you go cheapo and get a handyman you might get away with it. If you use a larger firm you might get a higher bill but they should be more competent if something goes wrong or isn't as expected.