Leaking radiator valve?

[JessicaA]

Please excuse what is prob a stupid question but hubby always did all the DIY and he had recently passed away. My radiator developed a pin hole very near top and has been continually draining for 2 days and still not empty. I've checked both valves are off and a neighbour checked that he couldn't tighten them any more so fairly sure they are off. This just seems a long time for 700 x 500 double radiator to empty About 15 litres of water collected so far and still a constant but v small drip. Is this too much/too long to empty is there a way to check if valves are shut or not?
Any help appreciated!

 

[Burnerman]

How are you draining the radiator, Jessica? Its usually done by cracking open one of the valve nuts where the valve connects to the rad, and the bleed valve needs to be open for this. Completely releasing the valve quickly lets you see if the valve(s) are passing water. Also the pressure will drop if you have a combi boiler.
If you have a TRV on one end of the rad, be aware that these don't fully turn off by hand.
John

 

[JessicaA]

Hi John that was quick!!

The radiator is "draining" (sorry if that's the wrong terminology) via the pin hole itself and has previously been draining from the bleed valve although this seems to have stopped now. The reason for the question was mainly that my neighbour said it was an easy job to replace a radiator but wasn't so confident if the whole system needed draining because the valve wasn't closing (I'm sure he knows what he means!). So far we've not cracked open any of the nuts until we're sure that it's the "easy" job not a more difficult one.
I was just really confused because for water to be coming from the bleed hole it seems to be either flowing up hill (it really is very high on the radiator) or there's water getting in. We decided to ask the experts

 

[Burnerman]

Good evening Jessica
If the radiator is still leaking from the pin hole on the top then its a sure sign that one or both of the rad valves is still allowing water to pass. You must have a water header tank in the loft I imagine which is keeping the heating system full.
So, to stop this leak I'll state the obvious and say turn both valves fully off.
If this happens, then the leak will stop.
As I said earlier, if you have a thermostatic valve on one end of the rad, then turning it to off doesn't often completely stop the flow - you need to remove the valve head and replace it with a 'decorators cap' that the valve originally came with.....these do stop the flow completely.
If you have the 'normal' rad valves, they are actually identical although the caps may be different. One valve has the hand turn cap, and the other will need the cap removed (often held by a screw in its centre) and then the valve turned clockwise with a small spanner or pair of pliers. These valves usually turn off the supply reliably enough.....he said!
Post back with what you find.
John

 

[JessicaA]

Hi John

Thankfully not a TVR valve in sight. There are "normal" valves with a hand turn to close ( I managed that one myself!!) and a "locktight" it was this one that my neighbour talked me through turning off on the phone in with exactly as you said (a couple of small spanners) and something about counting how many turns it took. He then checked later that he couldn't tighten them any more (he did manage about another quarter turn on one side) but the very small leak still seems to be there it's a constant drip coming out of the pin hole but still seems strange to me as I'd have thought the water level would be well below the pin hole by now (or maybe I'm missing something??). He did suggest tapping the valve with a spanner but I'm not sure if he was serious!!

 

[Burnerman]

Ok Jessica and thanks for the post back.
It does seem that one of your radiator valves is still allowing some water through - the theory is if both valves are fully shut (turned clockwise) then no fresh water can enter the rad and the drip will surely stop after a few minutes.
The 'locktight' valve is in fact the lockshield, and the number of turns it was open effects the balance of your heating system - but don't worry about that one.....usually they are about 3/4 turn open.
If I may suggest removing the plastic hand valve cap (central screw usually, then it just pulls off) and turning the brass stem thats revealed with your spanner may have the desired effect, but please don't overdo it! Sometimes opening the valves and then closing them again can shift any grit that maybe interfering with the seal, but thats a long shot.
If that doesn't sort things then having new rad valves is the only real option, and you might like to call out the cavalry for that one - but in the mean time, don't poke about with the pin hole and catch the drip with a shallow dish. Various 'sealing compounds' that you may see advertised aren't the way to go - a new radiator will be needed at the end of the day.
John

 

[JessicaA]

Well John sometimes the outside chances are the winners we tried both of your suggestions turning valves back on and then off again and also turning the valve a little bit more with a spanner and surprise surprise (to me anyway) it appears to have worked. Still a tiny bit of water around but think it's just residual so hopefully (fingers crossed) tomorrow when I check again there'll be no dripping anywhere in sight .

So thanks again for the quick reply - looks like the cavalry can wait for another day.

 

[WabbitPoo]

To replace the rad you are still going to have to drain it first. Make sure u know what's involved before you loosen any nuts.