Impending disaster?

[andywatson]

I am about to replace my kitchen, and I have a radiator that I don't want, so I want to remove it. The CH is run off a combi boiler.

Here's the plan.

1) Drain as much water as possible from the CH system.
2) Take off the radiator, catching any other water draining out of the system.
3) Investigate the pipes & see where they come from.
4) Cut the 2 pipes where-ever it is most convenient, and join them together.
5) Fill up the CH system again.

I really dont know much about CH, so it is possible I am completely wrong in how I am approaching this and about to flood my house & have no central heating in the middle of winter!!! I would also appreciate any hints & advice for when I tackle this job!

Many thanks in advance.

Andy

 

[Breesey]

You will need to drain down but not join the pipe tails together; just cap them. While you're at it flush the system (fill and run with a cleaner for as long as you can - upto a couple of weeks) drain again and then put an inhibitor in when you finally refill.

 

[andywatson]

Thanks for a very speedy reply.

Now maybe I have completely misunderstood how the CH works, but isn't it one single big loop of pipe passing through the various radiators? If so wouldnt capping the pipes just stop the water at that point? I have no intention of replacing the radiator afterwards, which is where the guides all get very vague all of a sudden!

Thanks for the flush & inhibitor tips though.

Andy

 

[Breesey]

It is possible that you have a one pipe system - how old is the system?

Most likely you have a two pipe system where you have flow pipe delivering hot water to each rad and another return pipe taking it back to the boiler.

 

[bengasman]

Now maybe I have completely misunderstood how the CH works, but isn't it one single big loop of pipe passing through the various radiators?

Used to be, looooooong time ago, way before combis. Combi must have parallel rads. Unless your system was installed by a cowboy, there is no connection between the flow and return pipe, other than through rads

 

[andywatson]

The house was built in the mid 80's. We have had a CH engineer in recently to look at a motor that was broken, and he described the CH as "the way he would have put it into his own house" so I am confident we don't have a cowboy job on the system.

In which case am I correct in thinking the original advice I was given is absolutely correct, and I simply cap off the pipes to/from the radiators?

If so that news is brilliant, since it will make my job much easier.

 

[Breesey]

In which case am I correct in thinking the original advice I was given is absolutely correct, and I simply cap off the pipes to/from the radiators?

Yep!

 

[wms]

would advise you cap close to out let to avoid dead legs. do not leave long pipes just capped.