fitting essex flange

[dexion]

can anyone please let me know the best way to slightly drain the hot cylinder to allow me to fit essex flange. do i need a suction pump or is there a secret method which someone can tell me

 

[broxy]

There should be a drain cock fitted to the cold feed at the bottom.

 

[garethgas]

Or...you could try to syphon it out through the OV / draw off?
garethgas

 

[Paul Barker]

50 years ago all the plumbers in Scarborough though it would be a great joke to put the drain off right at the back of the cylinder. I am laughing my head off. I think the gist of it is, they had a much harder life than we do now, so tough doodoo.

Basically assume it is useless to you, run the hot taps, crack the nut at the top poke hose in suck and see if you can pull out before you get a mouthful, if you don't DHW isn't classified as that bad.

Someone here (probably a Chris or Kev) suggested the tip of holding the wire bit of the flange with mole grips. Otherwise the routine is buy an essex flange, drop half of it in the cylinder, buy another and take very great care.

A huge amount of plumbers in Scarborough don't use them, they just take the power shower or pump off the top before anything else or fit a York or a Surrey flange (depending if you have a male or female union on top of your cylinder). I believe there is also a newer type of flange available which replaces the Essex flange but uses rubber instead of wire that is less prone to dropping what it is meant to be holding onto.

 

[ChrisR]

The other standard tip is to fix a piece of pipe onto the compression fitting on the end, before you start. Otherwise its hard to hold it still while you do up both the fixing nut and the compression nut.