Help!: when tiling round a radiator

[spenny]

having done my mates bathroom as a favour to him and to help me practice as im not long started on my own, i came to tiling around his radiator. He said he doesn't mind that all behind the radiator isnt tiled, just as long as it was at least one tile in then it would "look the part". This is obviuosly all well and good as its my mate giving instruction, but normally it probably would have been alot easier to remove the radiator (especially when it came to drilling in my batons to start off!

Is it an easy job to take a radiator off and what do i need to watch out for (any common mistakes/mishaps etc)?

[smurf21]

its simple enough to take of, just be carefull if the pipe work is microbore(really thin stuff ) as this buckles easily. make sure you turn the water flow of to the rad. once its of tile upto the brackets otherwise if you go behind the pipes wont reach the couplers on the rad. if the pipework is loose in the wall you may have enough play to tile behind the brackets. BUT IF IN DOUBT LEAVE IT TO A PLUMBER. hope this helps

[smartile]

I hav in the past been able to loosen the horizontal joints on either side then carefully lift the rad off its brackets rotate the rad downwards and rest in on a couple of buckets to support the weight and not strain the joints. Re-tighten the joints to stop any weeping tile behind then reverse above to put back...saves draining!

[Turkish]

I could remove it but i don`t for the simple reason that i don`t think my insurance would cover me if anything went wrong. I always say to the customer that it will need to be removed prior to me starting then they can do it themselves or get a plumber.

Turkish

[Mike Strutter]

Unless you're 100% confident you can remove it safely yourself, get a plumber to do it, or even anyone else as long as you don't, water does a lot of damage and it's a hassle you don't need. You'll be a lot happier with the job if you tile the wall completely, it can be fiddly tiling behind rads and can look rubbish.

[spenny]

thanks alot guys

[bigneil]

i usually sugest they get a plumber in to whip off the rad, but if they ask me, "can i not do it ?" i just do what smartile says and tilt it forward. I also take the brackets off too so i can get right in at the back for a clean bit of tiling, then re-fit the brackets after having marked and drilled holes in the correct places before sticking the tiles on.

[bbp1]

as i work in the gas central heating business i would suggest ALWAYS get the customer to get the rad removed as i see countless jobs where the rads havent been put on properly and once you start moving them all manner of problems arise. just my 2pee,s worth.

[Oli]

If your not insured for plumbing, I wouln't take it off. All it takes is a drip which goes un noticed to ruin the ceiling below.

If your the last person to touch it, you'll be the one they ring to ask for the cash if anything goes wrong.

Get them to either get a plumber in, or do it themselves, leaving the brackets on for you to tile upto, or mark and remove then refit.

It's easy to do, but as i said a tiny drip, can cause alot of damage over a period of time.

To remove it, close the valves, undo on side whilst holding a bucket or tray underneath, (depending on what you can fit under it).

Let the water drain out, to speed it up open a bleed valve, but remember to close it once empty, so you dont forget before you refit.

Once empty, undo the other side, lift it off the wall, stand it upside down, it will still have a bit of water left in it, which will be sludgy, so leaving it upside down stops it running onto the customers new carpet.

To refit, simply do the reverse of the above, remove any old ptfe, and put 2/3 turns of new on.

Hand tighten the valves then give them an extra 1/2 turn with a wrench, dont over tighten them.

Open the valves, check for leaks, if theres a drip, tighten the valve nuts a bit more, slowly, dont over tighten them.

Open the bleed valve again, to let the air out, close and job done.

When turning the valves off in the first place, try and count the turns it takes to close them, then when you've refit, turn the same muber of times the opposite way, saves someone having to rebalance the radiator.

[bigneil]

i know that doing it myself could be a little risky and slightly cowboyish, but i only do it if i have a good rapore going with the customer, and state before hand that i am not a trained plumber, and to keep an eye on it after i'm done in case they need a qualified plumber to fix it... at that point the customer has a choice.
Although i do have a wee horror story for you if you want to hear it?

[brian c]

imo...you should be taking it off and definately not tiling around it as this will leave a very unprofessional piece of work....REMOVE IT

[DS Tiling]

It is not hard to remove a radiator and have done so many times in my own house where i know what is what. I don't get involved in other peoples houses however as i don't think it is worth the potential hassle of an air lock or messing about with filling loops etc.