fitting rad back on with new trvs

[pritsuk2002]

hi all about a year and a half ago we had the all radiators removed, so we could redo the whole house decor wise. we had 4 rads upstairs and 3 rads downstairs. With the bathroom being upstairs we thought we shall change the bathroom rad to a towel warmer. so now have 3 rad and 1 towel warmer upstairs and 3 rads downstairs. the boiler is also located upstairs its a britony combi 100. now with the cold weather coming up i would like to reconnect some of my radiators back up with new trvs. i have a few questions if anyone can help me with as ive not really done much plumbing and dont want to run into any problems.

1. can the ch be ran with only few rads connected or do all the rads have to be connected.

2. am i right in saying the system needs to be drained down?

3. would turning the knob on the right hand side of boiler do this i think its called pressur release valve? or do i need to use the drain points on the radiators downstrairs?

4 whats the difference between the drain points and prv

5 i have looked around the rads and have noticed the drain points are only downstairs and i have 2. is there any reason they are all downstairs? what about draining upstairs or is that done by draining the downstairs.

6 which drain off point shold i use? or should i do both?

7 when fitting new trv if the old nut on the copper pipe fits the new valve should i be ok using the old nut and olive? or should i renew with new olive and nut that comes with new valve?

8 same as above but the radiator end use the old adapter if it fits or use new one that comes with the valve?

9should i refit rad back on the wall then fit trv then connect or trv then rad on wall then connect

10 if rad to be left on wall then fit trv is it best to fit trv on copper pipe first then rad end or vice versa

11 will the new valve line up with the rads hung on the wall or is there a chance it may sit lower, higher, too in or too out if so are the any extenstions or adjustment that can be made other than calling out a plumber to modify pipe work

12 if i do need to remove old olive im thinking of buying olive removal tool as i dont want to damage the freshly painted rads, pipes,walls or skirts ( phew lucky i aint laid floor yet hey ) what type is best cutter or puller and do they really work

sorry for all the questions and thanks for any help in advance .just that with winter coming and 2 young kids i dont want them to sever, plus we dont have money for a plumber to do it. my mate removed them for us and fitted the bathroom towel rail for a good price. however i dont know where hes gone to know thanks again

 

[linkyplumb]

1.Yes
2.Yes
3. Do not touch that knob.Yes it will drain the boiler but not the whole system,but you risk it not seating down again afterwards.
4.Drain points are to drain the system.A prv is there as a safety feature should the pressure in the boiler rise too much.
5.Lowest part of the system
6.Use both, it will drain quicker.Remember to open bleed valves upstairs
7.If it is ok, then reuse it.Smear a bit of paste on the olive to be doubly sure.
8.Use it if it is the same.
9.Rad on wall, then connect up
10. On to pipe first.May take a bit of jiggery, pokery to get it on.
11.Depends if it is the same size rad. ie depth and length.
12.You can use a puller, but if the olive that is already on there has been done up so tightly, then you will still need to cut the pipe most probably.If you have any play in the pipe, then cut the pipe just below the nut.Or you could cut across the olive.

Hope this helps

Graham

 

[pritsuk2002]

thanks for that sorry just a bit unsure on the number 1 question did you mean ch ok to run with a few rads on or do they all have to be connected up thans again

 

[linkyplumb]

Sorry about that. Yes the ch will be ok to run with only a few rads connected.

Graham

 

[pritsuk2002]

smashing thanks for that hopefully all goes well again thank you

 

[pritsuk2002]

which side shud i fit the trv on i herd they ca be fitted on any if bi directional.

1lets say i want to fit on the flow how can i tell which is flow other than following pipe work? would the drain point tell me which is flow and which is return?

2 if i cant locate flow and have to stick on either side which side should i choose or is it best to go side closet to doors or the side away from the doors

Thanks in advance

 

[pritsuk2002]

should i clip the rad pipes to the wall before or after connecting rad up to the valves?

 

[bster]

turn heating on and feel the 2 rad pipes to determine which is flow (which ever gets hotter first is the flow).


keep trvs away from curtains, sources of heat and draughts if poss, keep away from the door if u can i install them horiziontal opposed to vertical to keep sensor head away from rad (though surface mounted pipes underneath trv will effect the sensor more when horizontal).