Radiator valve

[ekmdgrf]

The TRV on the radiator in my spare room has been jammed in the on position for some time. Maintly because I only think about it during the winter and I'm not so inclined to f*** around with the central heating in the middle of winter. This year I finally recalled the issue and decided to do something about it. Having come to replace it, I've noticed that while the replacement does indeed mate with both the 15mm pipe and the rad (which I believe to be 1/2 BSP), it does so via an adapter, which the previous value did not have. The issue being that it makes the valve quite a bit longer and so does not fit in place (it's a right angle value and there isn't a lot of play in the short stub of pipe that comes up from the floor. I've looked around online and all valves seem to have this adaper. All except the ones in my house. Am I missing something?

 

[polesapart]

Photos would help.

 

[ekmdgrf]

Voila

 

[denso13]

Not an adapter just two different styles of valves. That's the way they are, you have a choice with the lockshield (non TRV) side.

 

[endecotp]

it does so via an adapter

What are we looking at in these photos?

In the first photo, I can see from top to bottom: a radiator tail, a lockshield valve, and an (old?) TRV.

In the second photo I can see a radiator with a tail connected.

So no photo of the new TRV or the supposed adaptor?


Are you looking at the new radiator tail, and thinking it is an adaptor?

 

[CountryFan]

You have a 1/2” x 15mm tail in the radiator and the lockshield in the photo has a 1/2” x 3/4” thread for the valve connection. Are you replacing the faulty TRV with a lockshield?

 

[terryplumb]

Buy a new TRV and it will be a straightforward swap.
The new valve ,wheel head/ lock shield, is not a direct swap.

 

[dilalio]

You can buy lockshields that are not union connections.
They use the 1/2" tail and nut that is currently on the rad.
Unions are better for rad removal when the pipework is rigidly fixed (2 fixed points).
However, as said above, the new valve is a manual wheel head and not a direct replacement of the TRV.

 

[ekmdgrf]

I my naivety, I had assumed that the existing tail was part of the radiator. In an unhelpful coincidence, it was a compression fitting on the other end that mated perfectly with the new tail. Having removed the old tail and inserted the new one, I have a new value in place. After several redemedial turns off the spanner, the water even seems to have stopped coming out of it!

Thanks for everyone who helped me out.