One for the plumbers… Does anyone know what type of valve this is and where I can buy replacements. It’s clearly been well painted over. But want to get some spare just in case. Can just the inner part be replaced or does the outer also need doing? Also what sort of scale inhibitor should I be using. I thought something like this I think there might be a few rads full of sludge as some rads get hot where others take a very long time to get hot (over an hour) and I don’t think it’s the valve.
I plan to take a few rads off to clean them out to see if sludge or not. It’s not a pressurised system, I believe there is a ‘fill’ tank in the loft
Or take rads off and clean individually. It’s doable if your valves hold otherwise drain down. But then again I’m a spark so what do I know. Boilers probably due a clean too!
Yes it might do. I’ll see what the rad is like when I take it off. Boilers fairly new but being a ex rental I suspect 2 things: 1. Boiler is under powered for the amount of rads 2. System was never flushed when new boiler (a few years old) was installed.
Usually flush system when fitting new boiler… assuming it wasn’t dodgy landlords mate that fitted it!
I have no idea which order the system goes in. But the fact is, a rad in the middle of the room is red hot, the rad at the front (assuming before or after) takes a good hour, or more to get hot. So I’m expecting it to be sludge. If if surprised that it’s not. Then I may go to the effort of finding out which rad order they are in
You would like to think so, however previous owner didn’t like to change a thing. Hence leaky crittal (genuine) windows and lots of other vintage things we need to sort.
It's more simple than that - use the valve at the other end to the thermostatic one to reduce flow through the hot ones and more water will flow through the colder ones. Or just turn off (completely) the hot ones with their thermostatic valves and see if the cold ones warm up faster - that's probably an easier first stab. All easier than taking plumbing apart only to find there's no sludge! Before/after shouldn't make any difference with a balanced flow/return system.
Good thinking. I was thinking just to find the order and then ensure the 1st value is turned mostly off, opening up the last rad in the chain to make. I suspect they are all open. But I also suspect sludge. We shall see. Still need bleed valves.
Ah yes, but I’d like to have some spares at the ready for any issues. Already I know some won’t undue/bleed so with need to use the socket to get off and change.
I hate plumbing and don't know much about threads and whatnot. Baring that in mind I'd want one in my hand at the plumbers merchant so I could say - I want some just like this mate. So I'd turn off the valves at either end of the radiator, take one out and catch to drips. Opposite the bleed valve there will be a blanking plug, you could take that out instead and fit a bleed valve in that hole as an option if you can't shift the bleed valve, but I assume you're where I was recently and wondering how violent you can get on the the middle bit before it snaps and causes an unstoppable leak. lol Not much use standing there with your finger on the hole... you can turn off the valves each end of the radiator first though.
I guess one of these (drop down box, choice of 2) Buy 1 of each https://www.toolstation.com/air-ven...y0ut_UF9BK_hvX4SUHhoCLmYQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
Yes, all good ideas and practically what I may end up doing. No blanking plug on these old rads. Valves off both ends is where I’d certainly start.
Nothing worse than going to a plumbers merchant, asking for radiator bleed valves only to hear "there are 3 common threads for these, which do you want?" Gah!
Yes, you’re right. With the rad off and drained I can be a bit more forceful. Or even as you say, shut both valves and catch the drips.
I'd go for violence first - a short sharp shock on the spanner - those bleed valves are probably only suffering from lack of use.
