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The Medway Handyman

wrote:
On 14 Apr, 22:53, (Andrew Gabriel) wrote:
I need to drain a heating system, or at least the top floor.
Trouble is the pipework which is all under the floor raises
about 6" out of the floor before going into the duct which
takes it downstairs. So no amount of draining from downstairs
is actually going to empty the upstairs pipework -- only the
radiators.

Anyone got any ideas on emptying the pipework? I can cut into
it under the floor (actually, the reason for draining it is
to move towel rail connection to it, so I will be cutting
it anyway). Obviously don't want it pouring through the
ceiling below though, as it's literally just been decorated.
Not sure if I can get any sizable container under it.
Don't have a wet vac.

(Pleased to say that when I designed and installed my own
heating system, I arranged that all the pipework slopes
down to the drain points, specifically to avoid exactly
this sort of situation.)

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

As another poster has said, most of the water should syphon if you
open a lower drain point. A method that's worked for me to clear the
remainder of water in such a pipe section is to then cut the pipe
somewhere above and blow down the pipe with a bicycle pump. I cut an
older inner tube about 10cm either side of the valve. I fixed one end
of the tube over the pipe with a jubilee clip and tied a knot in the
other end of the tube. I used the track pump style of pump, as this
can move a lot of air with one pump operation. I was rewarded with a
jet of water out of the lower drain point.

What a clever idea! Brilliant!

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk