Radiator coming away from wall

[ben j]

Hi all,
Apologies if this isn't in the right place!

I've got a central heating radiator which is coming away from the wall.. the wall/plaster has crumbled around the bracket fittings, and one side of the radiator has dropped several inches.

Unfortunately I don't really have the time or the know-how to fix this myself so wondered if I need to call a plumber, a plasterer, or both?

Cheers,
Ben

 

[noseall]

have the radiator valves been turned off recently?

is one of the valves a t.r.v.?

you should be able to close them both down by turning the valve all the way clockwise until they stop.

you may need to pack a towel round the pipe for the next bit. oh, and it may take two people depending on rad size.

you can undo each valve nut from the rad and prevent any water from leaking by imparting manual pressure on each valve seating.

once each nut has been fully undone, you need to swiftly lift the rad at the same time as prying the valve away from the seating and putting your thumb over the end of the radiator inlet hole, all in one go!

carry outside and let the water out.

easy!

you can then re-fit the rad brackets using decent screws and not the crappy things that heating engineers carry.

it is essential the brackets are replaced accurately, particularly if there is no play on the flow and return pipes.

 

[ben j]

Thanks for the info.

Will the wall need replastering before refitting the brackets? As at the moment there are a couple of large holes where it's crumbled around the old fittings

 

[JohnD]

a lot depends if the wall is made of plaster on brick or block, or plasterboard with a gap, or lath and plaster over timber studwork.

 

[noseall]

Will the wall need replastering before refitting the brackets?

yes it will.

be sure to locate the old wall plugs or fixing holes and re-drill the new fixings and re-fit the rad brackets.

after a 'dry run', testing to see whether the radiator is in the same place, remove the brackets, but replace the screws back into their plug holes.

re-plaster around the screws.

you can then remove the screws and re-fit the brackets, safe in the knowledge that everything will fit.