Replacing a fill valve without draining the system.

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

With newfound courage with my ProPress tool, I'd like to turn off the feed valve to a baseboard system, cut the half inch pipe after a defective fill valve and (very quickly) ProPress a ball valve in to stop the flow. If successful, I could take my time and replace the fill valve. There's a floor drain in the mechanical room in case I'm not successful.

Why? I hate purging air from a baseboard system with no vents.

Has anyone tried this? It might be good fodder for a YouTube video.

icy78

I've done that on a half inch domestic cold water line in the ceiling in a doctor's office where the copper had worn through and I cut it with a tubing cutter and jammed a shark bite in there on both sides QUICK! I did it over a 5 gallon bucket with a towel draped over it, a big heavy towel, and did the work under the the towel.
Seems like you could take your ProPress fitting , Jamb a hose over the other end of the fitting, cut thr pipe, move quickly😀, put the ProPress fitting on the pipe and just let the flow run down to the drain or in a bucket and then put your tool on there and press away . I would think that would work pretty well there.

STEVEusaPA

I'm not that brave Alan, but make sure you have someone make a video
Alan, weren't you the one who floated the idea of using that pipe freezing tool?
If I were to try it, I'd rather jamb a Jet Swet in there to stop the water, then press on the ball valve.

hot_rod

Drop the pressure first, as long as you do not lose much water you should not have air entering.

Intplm.

I hate to admit but I did one with a four inch valve. Scared the s**t out of me. Put on full rain gear . The only thing that I think saved me was the main, down stream, worn out, and leaking gate valve that would only partially close. Still there was a lot of water. Floor drain near by in a commercial boiler room.
So why not go for it . Try and take all the precautions that you can think of a head of time.
This was when pro-press was relatively new to us.
It took me from a non pro-press believer to a believer

hot_rod

Use cordless tools to prevent getting zapped, or worse.

EBEBRATT-Ed

Close any and all air vents in the system. Drop the pressure as @hot rod_7 mentioned. The system will start going into a vacuum. Hook a hose to your new valve so you can jamb it on their quickly without getting sprayed the water will run through it. Then close the valve and crimp while a helper keeps pressure on it. The uncrimped o ring won't let it leak much