I would like to disconnect a ground-floor radiator and cap of the flow and
return pipes, without turning off or isolating the pipes.

I hoped I could simply cut the pipes with a cutter, and secure a compression
'dead-end' fitting, or even isolating valaves - albeit getting a bit wet in
the process. Is there still likely to be a lot of pressure in the flow if
the central heating is turned off (i.e. in summer) that would not allow me
to get the fitting over the pipe, once I've cut it.

The central heating system is off a back-boiler in the living room,
cyclinder in bathroom and header tanks in loft (one for water, other for
c.heating top-up)

Once the extension is built, I'll get a plumber to extend the pipe to the
new location, but would rather not have to pay a huge sum, simply to have
the pipe cut and sealed to allow removal of radiator.

All suggestions gratefully received. Cheers
--
KEVIN BRADY, Oxford
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On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 10:36:16 +0000 (UTC), "Kevin Brady"
wrote:

I would like to disconnect a ground-floor radiator and cap of the flow and
return pipes, without turning off or isolating the pipes.

I hoped I could simply cut the pipes with a cutter, and secure a compression
'dead-end' fitting, or even isolating valaves - albeit getting a bit wet in
the process. Is there still likely to be a lot of pressure in the flow if
the central heating is turned off (i.e. in summer) that would not allow me
to get the fitting over the pipe, once I've cut it.

There is plenty of pressure (from the F&E tank - the small tank in the
loft and the higher radiators and pipe work) and you will flood the
place if you take the radiator off.

Do this: Go into the loft and tie some string around the ball cock arm
in the F&E tank - then tie the other end of the string round something
suitable so the ballcock cannot "sink". [Alternatively you might be
lucky and there might be a gate valve to the F&E you can turn off]

Then you have to find the draincock - somewhere near the lowest point
of the system. Mine for example is sticking out of an airbrick into
the conservatory. Connect a bit of garden hose to it and use a jubilee
clip to keep it in place. Open the draincock and allow all the water
to flow out down the hose and into the drain. While it's flowing out
check in the loft to make sure the ballcock really is secure.

When it's all gone you can take the radiator off. Make sure you add
some anticorrosion inhibitor when you refill the system.

Mr F.

Kevin Brady wrote:
I would like to disconnect a ground-floor radiator and cap of the flow and
return pipes, without turning off or isolating the pipes.

I hoped I could simply cut the pipes with a cutter, and secure a compression
'dead-end' fitting, or even isolating valaves - albeit getting a bit wet in
the process. Is there still likely to be a lot of pressure in the flow if
the central heating is turned off (i.e. in summer) that would not allow me
to get the fitting over the pipe, once I've cut it.

How much pipe have you got to play with? You could probably
crimp the pipe, cut above the crimp, and attach the fitting.

If I drain the system as descibed, will I need to bleed all the radiators
once it is filled again - will I have to do anything to the boiler/pump to
get all working again? If not, then this seems a fairly simple exercise - I
should have done it ages ago!

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 11:21:19 +0000 (UTC), "Kevin Brady"
wrote:

If I drain the system as descibed, will I need to bleed all the radiators
once it is filled again - will I have to do anything to the boiler/pump to
get all working again? If not, then this seems a fairly simple exercise - I
should have done it ages ago!

Yes you will have to bleed them, though this is hardly difficult.

You don't need to do anything else except remember to close the
draincock! :-)

Mr F.

Cheers Mr F - that's Saturday morning taken care of. (I think I'll print
this off as a reminder).

It just occured to me - the radiator I intend to remove is on the end of a
run - rather than cap the f & r pipes, do I need to connect the together,
thereby closing the 'circuit'? or is this not necessary since they are at
the end of a 2-pipe (F&R) system?

Thanks once again.


--
KEVIN BRADY, Oxford
_____________________
replies to newsgroup only
mail to reply address is automatically deleted from server

On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 13:35:45 +0000 (UTC), "Kevin Brady"
wrote:

It just occured to me - the radiator I intend to remove is on the end of a
run - rather than cap the f & r pipes, do I need to connect the together,
thereby closing the 'circuit'? or is this not necessary since they are at
the end of a 2-pipe (F&R) system?

Thanks once again.

Someone with more expertise might care to comment, but I would say
that one would never have a system topology where one would have to
connect the two radiator pipes together. Otherwise if you turned off
the end radiator, you'd be b******d.

The flow and return pipes are normally a complete loop themselves with
branches off to each radiator.

Mr F.

Kevin Brady wrote:

It just occured to me - the radiator I intend to remove is on the end of a
run - rather than cap the f & r pipes, do I need to connect the together,
thereby closing the 'circuit'? or is this not necessary since they are at
the end of a 2-pipe (F&R) system?

There will still be a path for the water through the other rads. In fact
if you joined them you would probably mess up the ballancing since you
would create a very low resistance flow path.



--
Cheers,

John.

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On Fri, 29 Jul 2005 15:13:37 +0100, Mr Fizzion wrote:

The flow and return pipes are normally a complete loop themselves with
branches off to each radiator.

No they are not. Think of them more like the rails of a ladder, with the
radiators running across like rungs. At one end you have the boiler, at the
end usually a radiator rather than plugged ends - they are certainly not
joined. That would form a short-circuit. Any radiator can be shut off or
removed without the need to do anything to the rest of the circuit (minor
rebalancing aside.)

--
Stay Alert! Trust No One! Keep Your Laser Handy!

Kevin Brady wrote:
I would like to disconnect a ground-floor radiator and cap of the flow and
return pipes, without turning off or isolating the pipes.

I hoped I could simply cut the pipes with a cutter, and secure a compression
'dead-end' fitting, or even isolating valaves - albeit getting a bit wet in
the process. Is there still likely to be a lot of pressure in the flow if
the central heating is turned off (i.e. in summer) that would not allow me
to get the fitting over the pipe, once I've cut it.

The central heating system is off a back-boiler in the living room,
cyclinder in bathroom and header tanks in loft (one for water, other for
c.heating top-up)

Once the extension is built, I'll get a plumber to extend the pipe to the
new location, but would rather not have to pay a huge sum, simply to have
the pipe cut and sealed to allow removal of radiator.

All suggestions gratefully received. Cheers
I froze my pipes when I did a similar thing in my house. Those freezer
kits from the sheds do actualy work. However, not wanting to pay about
£10 a pipe, I got the wife to bring home a load of dry ice from work.
Cut some notches in an icecream container (empty) so that the container
would fit around the pipe and filled it with the dry ice. Wrapped a
towel around it for insulation and gave it about 15 minutes. You really
need to pack the icecream container full of dry ice. Cut the pipe and
fitted an end cap. Altough a better idea might be a gate valve. It's
more convenient when you come to do some work later on. Eg you can drain
the water out of the pipe in a controlled manner.

Oh, don't juggle with the remaining dry ice whilst waiting for the pipes
to freeze. Have a party instead and use it as a special effect

Cut the pipe and fitted an end cap. Altough a better idea might be
a gate valve.

A gate valve would not be appropriate. Gate valves do not entirely turn off
and will dribble continuously. A ball valve would be better, but a
compression end cap much better still, as it will more reliably hold back
the water and it is no hassle to remove when you decide to extend.

Christian.

Thank-you everyone. I now feel up to a task that would probably have cost me
£60 of someone else's time. Once again the Forum system demonstrates its
worth.

Cheers guys

Kevin Brady
Oxford, UK


"Christian McArdle" wrote in message
. net...
Cut the pipe and fitted an end cap. Altough a better idea might be
a gate valve.

A gate valve would not be appropriate. Gate valves do not entirely turn
off
and will dribble continuously. A ball valve would be better, but a
compression end cap much better still, as it will more reliably hold back
the water and it is no hassle to remove when you decide to extend.

Christian.

Rob Horton wrote:

Oh, don't juggle with the remaining dry ice whilst waiting for the pipes
to freeze. Have a party instead and use it as a special effect

.......and if there is any left over don't be tempted to take it on a
plane and flush it down the toilet.

http://www.salon.com/tech/col/smith/...t13/print.html


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