Wanted to tale a radiator off the wall for some decorating, but it's got a thermostatic valve at one end which has broken off. This means that the spring-loaded valve actuator(?) that protrudes out of the top of the valve which the plastic thermostatic controller bit pushes down on to close the valve is permanently up, allowing water to flow freely through the radiator.
Am I right in thinking there's no easy way to shut off the water going into the radiator apart from (a) replacing the valve (or at least the broken bit that sits on top) or (b) turning off the heating system and draining it?
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I may be wrong, but most, certainly mine, have a thermostatic body that screws down onto the valve part, and can be separately replaced
If yours is not like this, you could turn off the heating and use some pipe freeze locally near the valve and then replace it.
If it were me i would draw air in through my teeth, wax lyrically about how much aggro its going to be, and put it off till the summer. Then drain the system, remove the radiator, decorate, replace the valve and radiator, and then refill.
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Z: "I may be wrong..."
[Gasp!]
Last edited by: FocalPoint on Thu 29 Mar 12 at 21:01
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I know - but it was the way he said it.
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Have you got a TRV on another rad you can borrow the head off? Mine came with caps to allow the rad to be taken off with no risk of leakage (there's always the possibility of the TRV opening if you rely on it to keep the valve closed!) - but yours are probably long since gone.
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>> Mine came with caps to allow the rad to be taken off with no risk of leakage
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The familiar Drayton TRV ( with the small chrome head) that has been around for decades comes with a plastic cap ( called a decorator cap) that screws on to the valve and closes it ( when the TRV head is removed)
www.screwfix.com/p/drayton-trv4-white-chrome-trv-15mm-angled/26100
Yet another coincidence-- A replacement TRV head arrived in the post this morning to replace a broken one.
Example of a replacement head.
www.heatingcontrolsonline.co.uk/acl-drayton-invensys-trv4-replacement-head-p-608.html
I found one for £9 so well pleased.
As I have installed several TRV4s I have several caps saved for decorating.
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>>As I have installed several TRV4s I have several caps saved for decorating.
Just checked and I do still have the Drayton TRV4s decorator caps.
I you need one then I can put one in the post ( with the mods help with your address)
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>>If yours is not like this, you could turn off the heating and use some pipe freeze locally near the valve and then replace it.
I recently investigated using pipe freeze and the answers I got were not encouraging.
The plumber I contacted said the freeze jobs do not work well unless ypu have about a foot of pipe to work on.
He said the electric ones are much better but very expensive to hire.
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Thanks guys. Appreciate the offers to send things in the post, but I've got a plasterer coming tomorrow morning at 8. No, not great planning I admit :)
Great suggestion to swap the broken one with a good one - I'll try that now...
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>> Great suggestion to swap the broken one with a good one - I'll try that now...
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Have you got a Drayton TRV4?
If so just buy a replacement - available at many places.
This will give you the decorators cap and a replacement head.
You will pay for a spare valve body but a quick proper result.
( assuming you are not a million miles from a plumbers merchant / B & Q
£34 @ the shed ( sucks teeth ) but will be much cheaper elsewhere.
£26 in Homebase.
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>> Great suggestion to swap the broken one with a good one - I'll try that
>> now...
...and success! Thanks RichardW. Now why didn't I think of that? :)
Having trouble undoing the nut at one end though; off to look for the wooden mallet...
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Now, did he put some grips on the valve body or did he over do it and kink the pipe?
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Ha - once I worked out I was trying to turn it the wrong way it got a lot easier :)
But then I realised that there were still lots of bits of wallpaper stuck to the walls due to be skimmed tomorrow - just finished scraping that off now. Time for bed; up again at 5:40. I suspect there might be a bit of snoozing on the train to Bath tomorrow...
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"I recently investigated using pipe freeze and the answers I got were not encouraging.
The plumber I contacted said the freeze jobs do not work well unless ypu have about a foot of pipe to work on."
I would confirm this especially if you only have a few inches of pipe below the valve to work with. Only a few weekends ago we had an interesting new water feature in the hallway. Again due to a TRV which would not close properly. Long story but it ended up with a pipe cutter and a speed fit cap !
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I don't know why I bother trying to do this sort of thing myself...
With the new radiator and new valves, I reckon I'm about 32mm short of being wide enough to fit the (copper) feed pipes. Any suggestions, apart from get a plumber in?
I've just been over to Wickes and had a look at their radiator valve extension:
www.wickes.co.uk/radiator-valve-extension/invt/424914
But I can't see how that connects with the valve. The big thread presumably screws into the radiator, but how does the small end connect with the valve, which is one of these:
tinyurl.com/7rcge95 ?
I also had a look at their valve+extension, but that looked like it only gave me another 5mm, so not much use.
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Throw away the existing short threaded section from the valve, keeping the nut. Put nut on over the threaded section of the extender, and screw on to the radiator valve. Simples?
Should be ok for 32mm since it claims to be good to 40mm. But possibly depends on how you measured the 32mm?
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Ok, thanks - I think I get it now. Back to Wickes...
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How about a realy really "cool?" radiator!!!
www.artlebedev.com/everything/teplosaurus/
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That is stunning. I want one.
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Me too, if you'll plumb it in for me.
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What a great idea for a kid`s bedroom! - cuts heating costs to the bone!
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My first reaction was what a great idea.
Then the engineer in me started coming up with all the technical difficulties.
Then I noticed the release date - April 01 2012.
But I still want one!
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radiator removal - thermostatic valve - Zero
