Rad bleed valve nut snapped off! now what?

[jat147]

I need to drain my rads to get one off the wall to tile behind
Simple enough, but upon opening the drain valve with my hose
ready to take the water away. The poxy little square nut on the valve
sheared off in the spanner, leaving the valve useless and the system
still full.
I'm at a complete loss as to how i'm going to drain the system now with
no way of taking the pressurised water away. The prospect of using one
of those awful freeze kits is terrifying me.
Any ideas??
thankyou, James

 

[misterdubya]

Do you mean you have broken the drain off? If so, can you not just isolate the radiator you wish to remove. Does is not have operational valves at each end you can turn off?

If it does, turn em off and drain the rad, remove, tile, refit rad, turn on valves and vent. Hey presto.

Maybe Ive misunderstood the post

Mr. W.

 

[jat147]

Thanks Dubya,
No you didn't misunderstand, the rad does have valves either side.
If I turn both valves fully off, will I just end up mopping up the contents of the rad itself when I disconnect it?
I didn't think of that, as have always drained down first, bloody cheap Wickes valves!

 

[FriedFreddy]

As dubya

BUT - put the wife's roasting tin under one valve, then just crack the union open (you 'might' get a tiny dribble of water come out) - then crack open the bleed valve and the 1st joint will start to let the water out in a controlled manner, might also be best to have 2 roasting tins so you can swap them out when one fills up.

 

[TicklyT]

If you can't do the job during the 'Safe Hour' (that's when the wife has gone shoppng, and won't miss the roasting tin for a while) a dustpan stood against the wall, or paint roller trays are useful.

 

[foxhole]

You may not need to remove the rad, you can turn off valve, loosen half turn either end lift rad off brackets and rotate to horizontal position and support then tighten joints again and do you dec/tiling.The reverse to put rad back, [only suitable if there is enough give in pipework and valves are at base of rad.]

 

[Axel]

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Produ..._14418639|Multifunction+cleaners|14418642.htm