How to turn water off to single radiator

Discussion in 'Plumbers' Talk' started by Dexterwolf, Sep 23, 2016.

  1. Dexterwolf

    Dexterwolf Member

    I have a a radiator that is only a fe years old but the valve is brown and rusted. How do I shut the water off to the radiator to put a new valve on?

    I have attached a pic of the valves both ends of that helps .

    It's the area where the valve meets the radiator that's brown and crusted up a bit.
     

    Attached Files:

  2. You can't shut off the supply to that one rad easily, at least not without freezing the pipe.

    You can buy kits to do this - see our hosts - and that freezes a plug of ice in the pipe to allow you to swap the valve. Do one side at a time, and keep the other valve shut.

    If it's a sealed system - like with a combi boiler - it would be worth depressuring it first (simply by placing a hose on that drain valve and opening it for a few seconds until water stops coming out) and then there would be little force trying to move that ice plug anyway. Repressurise afterwards to 1 bar.

    Bear in mind that, once you disconnect the pipe from the valve, the radiator itself will still be full of water, and this can sometimes be messy stuff with some black sludge in the bottom. So, once the pipe is removed from one end, place a pan under that valve end, open the valve and slacken the bleed screw and drain the rad safely before unscrewing the valve.

    It looks as tho' it's fed by 10mm 'microbore'? Is your system a sealed type - eg a combi boiler?

    If it is, then you'll probably find that you can depressurise the system quickly and easily as mentioned above and actually find that very little further water will come out the pipe after you disconnect it anyway, even without freezing. Chust be ready with pans and towels to catch dribble as you remove the valve and swap it.

    If it isn't a pressurised/sealed system but instead has a small storage tank up in t'loft, then you'd need to either block the feed outlet from that tank to your rad system, or else actually drain it down (using that hose connection).
     
  3. DaveF

    DaveF Active Member

    Those valves are not steel, they are brass, so they can't rust. If there is any rust it must be from the radiator itself. I would suggest buying a toothbrush size wire brush, giving the area a good clean, maybe dab it with some car anti-rust, then some white paint over the top.
     

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