On 19/12/2012 16:45, newshound wrote:
On 19/12/2012 16:35, Huge wrote:
On 2012-12-19, BartC wrote:
Tried to remove a radiator for flushing, but the nuts attaching it to
the
valves are encrusted in several layers of paint.

Chipped some off but wouldn't budge (not without it breaking something).
(And I think I turned them the right way..)

Any ideas on how to free them up? Almost resigned to just replacing the
radiator and the valves as well, but I don't want the bother of draining
down the system.

Big spanner. Great care.


Agreed, can be a PITA. Threads may also be "glued" with dried up Boss
White. This can be softened using a normal gas torch. Try heating the
nut about as much as you would do to make a solder joint on "dry" pipe.
It won't get as hot because of the water inside, of course.

The right way is the wrong way (if you see what I mean) because the nut
unscrews from the valve towards the radiator, with a right hand thread.
It is as if you were trying to screw something into the radiator.

It does depend on the valve though... some have a traditional cone joint
where the nut is retained on the rad tail and screws onto the valve.
More recently the tails seem to simply have a protruding length of
chromed 15mm Cu pipe, and the valve in effect has a normal compression
fitting that tightens onto the pipe stub. Needless to say they undo in
the other direction.

(the new sort allow a little lateral adjustment of the valve relative to
the rad)


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/