I have to drain down a whole system to remove one rad

[opps]

This morning I planned to remove a rad so that I could paper behind it.

The lockshield valve needed an allen key. I turned it clockwise, turned the wooden rimmed thermostatic crown clockwise, and then opened the bleed valve to let the pressure out.

The pressure would not drop. After having let out about 1L of water, I turned the lockshield valve the other way. The water was still pressurised.

I eventually asked the customer to call the plumber that fitted all of the rads the other week. He explained that the thermostatic valves do not shut completely and that I would need to drain down the whole system...



The valves were purchased from Victoria Plumb. I did look at the product description

The Heating Co. Traditional thermostatic angled radiator valves with lockshield - black nickel

Click here to find out more about The Heating Co. Traditional thermostatic angled radiator valves with lockshield - black nickel

victoriaplum.com

Are they just rubbish quality?

Over the years I have encountered TRVs that weep slightly, but not ones that won't shut.

 

[Mottie]

Have you used the decorators cap? Years ago, I was decorating a bedroom around this time of year. I had to remove a rad so I closed the two rad valves - one was a TRV. No leaks but overnight, the temperature dropped which allowed the TRV to open slightly resulting in a fair sized leak!

 

[opps]

Have you used the decorators cap? Years ago, I was decorating a bedroom around this time of year. I had to remove a rad so I closed the two rad valves - one was a TRV. No leaks but overnight, the temperature dropped which allowed the TRV to open slightly resulting in a fair sized leak!

AFAIK they aren't supplied with a decorator's cap. I am not even sure that you can remove the crown. I did open the TRV fully and try to twist the smooth shroud under it but it didn't seem to want to unscrew.

But yeah, when working with "normal" TRVs, I use an female cap with a washer in it and a decorator's cap.

 

[CBW]

Doesn’t say on VP website, but could just be crap as they are VP. Depends on the system as to whether the full system needs to be drained down and rad location, eg first floor

 

[Exedon]

Being from V P I would expect them to be absolutely crap.
That company (and similar) are main reason we no longer fit bathrooms and will only supply and fit radiators.

 

[opps]

Doesn’t say on VP website, but could just be crap as they are VP. Depends on the system as to whether the full system needs to be drained down and rad location, eg first floor

Yeah, I am working on the first floor and hope that I can do a half drain down.

It is a newly installed electric boiler in a victorian house (new pipe work and rads).

Chuffin' annoying that I have to drain down so much. I will then have to walk around and bleed all of the rads when I recharge the system. Fortunately, only one room has carpet thus far.

 

[robinbanks]

Freeze the pipes to the rad?

 

[opps]

Freeze the pipes to the rad?

I am a decorator. I don't have a pipe freezing kit.

My gripe is that I need to drain down a system. I have only ever only had to do that when working in houses where I cannot pull the tails away from the valves, eg when there is a tight hole that comes up through a solid wood floor and I have to remove each of the valves.

 

[robinbanks]

Got enough room/assistance/packers that you can slacken the pipes a little, rotate the rad 90 degrees flat and then nip em up again?

 

[opps]

Got enough room/assistance/packers that you can slacken the pipes a little, rotate the rad 90 degrees flat and then nip em up again?

I get what you are saying, but nah. I still wouldn't be able to reach the top of the skirting board to cut a straight line.

 

[robinbanks]

Is the homeowner interested in that "bubble wrap with foil face" stuff to "reflect the radiator's heat into the room"? I ask not because I think it would work that way, but it might make a papering job easier to have disparate materials, shiny stuff installed over the limits of what you can reach to with a paste roller etc.. until the client forgets about it and moves onto other things

 

[opps]

Is the homeowner interested in that "bubble wrap with foil face" stuff to "reflect the radiator's heat into the room"? I ask not because I think it would work that way, but it might make a papering job easier to have disparate materials, shiny stuff installed over the limits of what you can reach to with a paste roller etc.. until the client forgets about it and moves onto other things

They are column rads...

 

[robinbanks]

Indeed; hence why I wondered if they would or wouldn't accept a different colour/texture look behind.. if they want same paper behind I guess you might be looking at installing with the rad in (or nearly in) situ..

 

[opps]

Indeed; hence why I wondered if they would or wouldn't accept a different colour/texture look behind.. if they want same paper behind I guess you might be looking at installing with the rad in (or nearly in) situ..

The visible area behind the rad is bare plaster, and nah, they wouldn't want the silver bubble wrap. Even then, to hang that, I would need to remove the rad.

Anywho, I drained it down today.

I only drained the rads on the the first floor. In part because the only drain off point is about 3ft off the ground. It is the underside of the Fernox filter. The only lower possible drain off point is the filling loop. No idea why the plumber didn't fit a lower drain off point.



The rad was re-hung and I have recharged the system and bled the 4 first floor rads.

I am still unsure why anyone makes TRVs that cannot be closed...

A 20 minute job became a 1+ hour job.