Permanent rad removal - open or closed system how do I know?

[vlangford]

I need to remove a radiatior in the kitchen as my amercian style fridge freezer needs to go there. however the f/freezer also needs a a cold water pipe fitted to supply the ice maker/water dispenser...so a few questions :

1) can I use a pipe cutter and get easy to fit end bits to remove the rad as the nuts are so tightly on I cannot imagine I will be able to unscrew them.
2) can the fridge be connected to the pipes that will be left there to supply the water required?
3) how do i know whether i have an open or closed system and why is this important??
4) is this safe to do myself? the wall is easily accessible and the pipes are so old they look like they will fall off anyway!

quick advice welcome as needs to be done today!

 

[vlangford]

there are two thin pipes feeding the rad, does this mean I have this ?

An Open-vented system typically uses a small-bore two pipe network, where one pipe is used to feed the system and the other allows the cooled water to return to the heat source (boiler).

(courtesy of http://www.helpwithdiy.com/plumbing/central-heating-systems.html)

 

[Nige F]

1.........yes 2 NO you must have mains fed drinking water 3 open ,you`ll find a small plastic tank in roof supplying water to rads,closed you have to use a filling loop. 4 yes if you drain the rad system after turning the boiler and heating pump off @ the mains electric feed to it...........have a look round the site here .....most answers are in the how to section

 

[vlangford]

1.........yes 2 NO you must have mains fed drinking water 3 open ,you`ll find a small plastic tank in roof supplying water to rads,closed you have to use a filling loop. 4 yes if you drain the rad system after turning the boiler and heating pump off @ the mains electric feed to it...........have a look round the site here .....most answers are in the how to section

Thanks!

 

[vlangford]

FYI, any other mums out there DON'T listen if a plumber tells you its a half day job, once I'd drained the rad, it took minutes to remove the rad itself.They just lift off the wall supports-beware tho, they are heavier than they look!

To any other complete novices - heres what I did-professionals correct me if I did anything wrong...

use something to screw the valves tight shut on both ends
carefully unscrew the nut on one end of the rad, have a bowl or bucket underneath as water will start coming out
let as much out as you can from the one side-it flows slower so you have more time to change the bowls over!
undo the other nut - water and or sludge will flow faster-be prepared!! I personally tipped the rad up to make it go faster, you dont need to to this I dont think.
you now have a mostly empty rad once the main emptying has stopped
if youre not strong, get someone to help you lift the rad off its brackets. - if there is any such thing as caps to put on the open bits ont he rad-do this, to save any sludge or water slopping about when you move the rad.
lift off wall-and throw into the garden
done!

i then got a proper plumber out to seal off the pipes, he originally said it would be a half or even a full day job...hence my basic laymans terms advice on here t anyone else-it looks scary, but isnt.

if you have trouble unscrewing the nuts on the rad-seek professional help-i wouldnt have tried it if that was the case, if it breaks and you havent sealed the water off you coud have a whole big mess!!!

Thanks DIYNOT.com, you saved me a lot of money!! now for the sink, sory, basin ;P project...