draining ch and hw system

[jonsanders]

Hi,

I'm going to fully drain my central heating and hot water but can't see how to drain the hot water cylinder. I have a vented system with a hot water cylinder in an airing cupboard with a header/expansion tank immediately above it. the tank is mains fed and there are no other tanks. the hot water cylinder fills up the central heating system via a back boiler downstairs. I'm going to strip it all out and replace it so need to drain it.

there's no drain valve attached to the hw cylinder, so the only way I can see to drain it is with a syphon tube fed into the top of the cylinder to a bucket or something. Is this right or an i missing something?

any help greatly appreciated

jon

 

[adlplumbing]

turn cold main off at stop tap
and turn kitchen hot tap on

 

[jonsanders]

turn cold main off at stop tap
and turn kitchen hot tap on

thanks for reply. that will empty the header/expansion tank but i will be left with a full hot water cylinder which wont empty once there is no water coming in from the tank above (I think). how do i then empty this without a drain valve at the bottom?

 

[tamz]

You have a primatic cylinder so if you find the drain for the heating it will also drain the cylinder. If you are replacing the cylinder it is still possible to buy a primatic (single feed indirect) cylinder. If you use a std indirect you will need to fit a F&E tank. While you are at it put a drain in for the cylinder even a pet cock is better than nothing.

 

[jonsanders]

You have a primatic cylinder so if you find the drain for the heating it will also drain the cylinder. If you are replacing the cylinder it is still possible to buy a primatic (single feed indirect) cylinder. If you use a std indirect you will need to fit a F&E tank. While you are at it put a drain in for the cylinder even a pet cock is better than nothing.

thanks for that Tamz. so to be sure, procedure for fully draining is:
turn off water at main stopcock
run hot water out of tap
drain ch system

then tank, cylinder and pipes will be empty.

is that right?

just read up on primatic cylinders. they seem tricky things. wont be replacing it as going to put in combi boiler.

 

[tamz]

Thats about all you need to know.

Btw Strip and cut back the unused pipe and take it and the cylinder to the scrap for about a £100 bonus.
Close cut any brass fittings off the copper (leave any soldered fittings on), leave them on the cylinder and seperate into copper and brass/copper