leaky heating
- Thread starter CADMan1
- Start date
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change the rubber washer inside. or if thats a pushfit that the draincock is in just change the whole draincock
do i have to drain the system to change the draincock. and should it just pull out when i do change it.
you'll have to drain it, push the plastic ring in on the pushfit and pull the draincock out.
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right ok thanks for that. how long will it take to drain. and this may sound stupid but do i have to use the draincock to drain the system or is there another way of doing it.
what type of system is it sealed, open vented, how big is the system ?
most systems drain in under 15 mins. use that draincock or another one.
where is this one ? is it under a rad etc.
most systems drain in under 15 mins. use that draincock or another one.
where is this one ? is it under a rad etc.
couldnt tell you what type of system it is sorry, im in a flat with 6 rads in, this one is under the rad in the bedroom.
that won't take long to drain at all, you could have it all done in half hour.
have you tried tightening the draincock to see if its just loose ?
have you tried tightening the draincock to see if its just loose ?
i was just thinking this, im sure as its push fit i could just do it really quickly and not have too much water release. not quite sure though.
Only do this if your really sure you can do ti quickly.
It looks a bit tight ot the floor can you get anything underneath it or lift it a little.
A little tip I cam across the other day, is to use a black bin line (no holes in bottom) and encase the whole valve inside. You have to confident as you will be doing the change over blind, (although you may be able to get hold of an almost see throught bag, industrial cleaners seem to use them in office bins) any water would then be directed into the bag and away from your floor.
Rico
It looks a bit tight ot the floor can you get anything underneath it or lift it a little.
A little tip I cam across the other day, is to use a black bin line (no holes in bottom) and encase the whole valve inside. You have to confident as you will be doing the change over blind, (although you may be able to get hold of an almost see throught bag, industrial cleaners seem to use them in office bins) any water would then be directed into the bag and away from your floor.
Rico
using a clear bag is a good tip, i would do it live if the water was cool, if you stay calm you can usually change things live without too much spillage, but no disrespect the the OP, given the questions asked i think they would panic drop the valve etc etc, its not something to do until you have had some practice.
i would do it without draining but then i know what im capable of doing so i'll leave that choice to the op to decide
You will be shocked to find that the washer inside is a miserable little piece of soft rubber, whch gets softer when the water is hot and squashes away from its seat if the valve is closed too tight. Then it breaks up and you get the leak.
There's no need to change the whole valve - assuming you can buy an identical new one you can just unscrew and swop the core but the washer will be no better. If you close all your radiator valves both ends and drain a little water you might find that most of the water will "hang" in the system while you do the swop.
The last time the washer disintegrated and our downstairs loo got flooded with boiling hot water I sat down with a proper tap washer and a sharp Stanley knife and very carefully cut the washer down to the required diameter then fitted it to the little nipple on the end of the valve spindle. It is a good thickness of a hard rubber and two years later it hasn't leaked. I still consider it to be a weak point in the circuit and plan to take it out then fit a drain valve somewhere like the utility room with an extension into the garage where the water can run away harmlessley if it leaks or I need to drain down.
There's no need to change the whole valve - assuming you can buy an identical new one you can just unscrew and swop the core but the washer will be no better. If you close all your radiator valves both ends and drain a little water you might find that most of the water will "hang" in the system while you do the swop.
The last time the washer disintegrated and our downstairs loo got flooded with boiling hot water I sat down with a proper tap washer and a sharp Stanley knife and very carefully cut the washer down to the required diameter then fitted it to the little nipple on the end of the valve spindle. It is a good thickness of a hard rubber and two years later it hasn't leaked. I still consider it to be a weak point in the circuit and plan to take it out then fit a drain valve somewhere like the utility room with an extension into the garage where the water can run away harmlessley if it leaks or I need to drain down.
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