tiling behind a radiator

[imperato]

hiya guys just a quick question, im starting a job monday and i have to remove a radiator to tile behind.

some people might find this a silly question but i havent had to remove 1 before. when removing the radiator do i have to cut all hot and cold of in the house ? or do i just turn the valve off on the side of the radiator?

[whitebeam]

Turn both valves off

[imperato]

so i dont have to turn of the water just the valve will do? theres only 1 valve on the right with 2 pipes going to that

[diamondtiling]

Turn the valves off on both sides, slightly undo both of the nuts on each valve, the one that connects the water feed, not the one that holds the valve, you can then lift the radiator off its brackets and turn it 90 degrees so that it rests on bricks or timber, make sure that someone helps you if you have never done this before.

When you have tiled simply turn and reposition the rad.

[hillhead]

strange,has to be a valve though.

[whitebeam]

Two pipes going to one valve, not one I've seen before

[diamondtiling]

There should be a flow and return pipe, usually one on each side.

[mikethetile]

im trying to get my head round that one, they may know on the plumbing forum

[whitebeam]

It's not micro bore is it

[diamondtiling]

It's not micro bore is it

It should still have a pipe at either end though Mark, is it a designer rad?

[imperato]

yer it deffo has 2 pipes going into the right side, ive seen this done before so i should be fine. just wonted to no if i had to turn the hole suply of water of or if its fine to just turn off the valve

[whitebeam]

Not one I can answer I'm afraid, others may have more idea

[Colour Republic]

hiya guys just a quick question, im starting a job monday and i have to remove a radiator to tile behind.

some people might find this a silly question but i havent had to remove 1 before. when removing the radiator do i have to cut all hot and cold of in the house ? or do i just turn the valve off on the side of the radiator?

Hot and cold has nothing to do with the central heating, isolating the water to the property has no bearing on the system (well unless it is a gravity feed system that you plan to drain)

turn off the thermostaic valve and the lock shield - the pipes either side of the rad. one you can do by hand the other you may need some pliers for, you have then isolated the rad you need to remove. please be aware that some old valves may weep slightly and it would be best practice to cap them off (some caps will cost you £1-2 depending on which size valves you have) also keep in mind that some thermostaic valves can open many hours after you have left them if the water temp drops (rare but does happen) so try not to leave the valves, unless capped, over night

[whitebeam]

Two pipes into one valve Rob

[Colour Republic]

somthing else you need to take into account is the thickness of tile, sometimes if there is limited play in the pipes and you tile behind it can put extra pressure on the flow and retun pipes because of the new position of the rad. you can off course tile round the rad brackets and not re-install them on top of the tiles but this does look awful IMO. The rad brackes will normally have two settings, one close to the wall and one set slightly further. If the rad is currently set further away from the wall then you can turn the brackets the other way around, thus taking into acount the thickness of tile. if it is already set at the minimum setting and you decide to tile round please be aware that towels and what not may no longer be able to slide behind the rad because the gap is too small

whoops didn't mean to go into it so far but there you go

[Colour Republic]

Two pipes into one valve Rob

what did i say that? or did somebody else??? let me read again...

[faithhealer]

The flow and return both go into one valve in this case. The flow actually has, or should have a tube which forces the water to the other end of the radiator. As well as the contol knob you can see there will be a cap/cover with a screw inside to shut the other flow/return off. I forget which way round. You have a problem though, after the valves are turned off and you have let the water drain out, (Just crack the nut round the valve) you can't just lift it off because of the tube. You have to lift and move the radiator away from the valve end. Sometimes you haven't the space.especially in a bathroom. Might have to call a plumber in to be safe.
pm if I can help any more

[mikethetile]

im my experiance tsv's never turn off fully and must always be capped or the system drained

[faithhealer]

im my experiance tsv's never turn off fully and must always be capped or the system drained

this won't be a trv Mike but some do only go to a frost setting. In these cases unscrew the top of the trv off, put a 5p piece inside and screw back on and screw down. this usually shuts the valve off

[suave]

5 pences? awenaw no anutha tool

[faithhealer]

5 pences? awenaw no anutha tool

always have a couple in my tool box lol

[doug boardley]

always have a couple in my tool box lol

thats more than I have in my bank account

[Dave Ramsden]

May I also add that when you take the wall brackets off to tile you mark the holes drilled in each tile before fitting thus the brackets just screw straight back into the original place and the rad just slots on...

[imperato]

thanks alot colour republic for great advice

[Sir Ramic]

5 pences? awenaw no anutha tool

At least they dont cost much

[Dave]

always have a couple in my tool box lol

How much is that in Euros..

[Scott]

I use the 5p trick, works well on Honeywell valves but not all. ALthough i have broken off the small tabs inside the control valve holder before.

The double pipe valve is usually a microbore system so take exta care when undoing it frmt eh rad as the pipes are very soft and easily bent.

I keep some caps in my tool kit for closing them off. I call them decorators caps as this is generally when they get used. Some householders do know what they are and will have them in that 'tat' draw in the kitchen!

Just for further info, a hepworth/polypipe or speedfit 22mm tap connector with a couple of inches of pipe and a cap on the end serve well to screw onto the rad valve once you taken the radiator off. Some are 22mm and some are 15mm. you can also get a female cap to screw on over the outside of the valve threads but will need a rubber washer on the inside of it to make it water tight.

[redmist6]

I don't mean to be funny, but, it might be worth sticking minor plumbing works on your insurance just in case. I did..!

[Daz]

A tip that I was given is to open the bleed valve so that the extra air helps speed up the draining of the rad and forces all the water out of it.