Changing Radiator Valve

[chewymix]

On decorating a bedroom just about ready to have new carpet fitted i notice that there is water weeping from the left had radiator valve, is this the 'exit' valve ? Its leaking from where the valve attaches to the copper pipe so i guess the olive is shot or something similar. I also note that the joint looks a bit 'furry' so i am reluctant to give the nut a tweak in case that makes things worse.

If i have to replace this valve how do i go about it? The house does not have a combi so is the heating system sealed and if so apart from the water in the rad will it be possible to remove this valve without draining down any of the system? If i do need to drain down the system then how do i go about doing this? I can drain the hot water system easily enough but i know heating is different. Is it worth trying to tighten the nut a little to see what happens?

Right now its only a slight leak in that if you put your finger on the pipe its wet near the joint but there is no damage to the floor or carpet that was removed. I just dont want to put a new carpet down with it in this state at the moment.

thanks for any tips

 

[mogget]

The house does not have a combi so is the heating system sealed?

If you have a header tank for the heating, it's an open system.

If you have a filling loop and pressure gauge it's sealed.

apart from the water in the rad will it be possible to remove this valve without draining down any of the system?

No, you'll need to drain the water out.

If i do need to drain down the system then how do i go about doing this?

Have a look in the FAQ's, you should find what you need.

Is it worth trying to tighten the nut a little to see what happens?

Possibly. Personally, if it is covered in scale I would drain down and clean everything up.

 

[chewymix]

thanks for the response - i looked in the FAQ and as far as i can tell its as open system as there are a couple of tanks in the loft, one of them is above where the hot water tank is in the bedroom cupboard below. Also of note though is that i dont appear to have a drain valve on any of the radiators so i am a little unsure how i would go about draining down the system in order for me to be able to remove this valve.

I may bite the bullet and try to tweak the nut a bit to see if that helps, failing that is there any form of sealant that would work even if its damp?

thanks

 

[mogget]

thanks for the response - i looked in the FAQ and as far as i can tell its as open system as there are a couple of tanks in the loft,

Deinitely an open system then.

Also of note though is that i dont appear to have a drain valve on any of the radiators so i am a little unsure how i would go about draining down the system

You have a couple of options. One would be to crack open a joint, on a radiator for example, and catch what comes out using baking trays / cat litter trays / buckets etc. Probably easier would be to attach a self-cutting washing machine tap to one of the pipes, and drain using a hose, before replacing the w/m tap with a proper drain tap. Whatever you choose, make sure the float valve in the f&e tank is tied up first, or the supply to the f&e isolated (f&e is the smaller of the two tanks).

I may bite the bullet and try to tweak the nut a bit to see if that helps, failing that is there any form of sealant that would work even if its damp?

It would probably be worth trying to nip the nut up first. However you should bear in mind that if it were to suddenly come loose, you may need to drain the system in a hurry!

I wouldn't bother with any kind of external sealant. A smear of jointing compound on the olive wouldn't go amiss though.

When you refill the system, make sure you add inhibitor to the water.

 

[chewymix]

luckily for me it seems tightening the nut has fixed the leak and not caused a major issue. I cleaned up the joint and it looks OK so for now i'll leave this one alone.

Thanks for the tips on how to drain down the system - no doubt i'll be needing that in the future.

thanks