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Flushing Radiator of broken fittings

garfungle
garfungle Member Posts: 21
in Radiant Heating

Hi,

While trying to swap my cast iron radiator valve for a newer TRV, I was collapsing the nipple and a part of the brass nipple fell into the radiator. Additionally, I lost a portion of a cheaply made internal pipe wrench into the radiator. After I successfully removed the nipple, I tried to reach around for any of the metal pieces that had fallen in. I don't see any of them on the top feed side of the radiator. How can I retrieve these metal pieces so that they don't bang around in my heating system after I refill?

Comments

  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 9,378
    edited October 13

    Turn it upside down and shake it.   Just like you might do if you drop something into a milk bottle or soda can.  It sounds ridiculous because you would need to be KingKong to pick up a radiator and shake it.   But that is the only thing that comes to mind.  You may need to leave the corner of the radiator on the ground, but if you get it in the correct position and tap it with a rubber or wooden mallet, then you may cause the parts to find their way out.

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,924

    If there is enough velocity in your radiator to move them around you have bigger problems.

  • garfungle
    garfungle Member Posts: 21

    I thought about hooking up a hose to the input side and hooking up a hose down at the boiler drain and seeing if I could flush the radiator, but I thought there might be some things that could go wrong with that approach since the system deals with much lower pressure than domestic water.

  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Member Posts: 5,290

    I doubt there’s enough volume to move them.
    agreed turn it over and see if you can get them out.

  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 9,378

    Pictures?

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 23,379

    A magnet might get the steel piece out. If not they probably will not do any harm in the bottom of the section.

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    mattmia2
  • garfungle
    garfungle Member Posts: 21

    I did try to use my wire fishing tools on to get to it, but the magnet is just hitting everything inside the radiator, so I doubt I'll have much luck. Also tried undoing the bottom fitting to see if it's at the bottom of the rad, but this thing is a beast to move and I don't really want to undo the bottom alignment because it's so heavy. My biggest concert right now is it's effect on flow since it's probably sitting somewhere near the bottom of the rad.

    20241013_165823.jpg
    20241013_165652.jpg
    20241013_165646.jpg

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,924

    This sounds like the urban legend about the guy that dropped the wrench in a tank and went in after it.

  • garfungle
    garfungle Member Posts: 21

    It was really just the knurled portion of one of these tools (internal pipe wrench) and a piece of the collapsed nipple that fell in. It might not be a big deal, I just was worried that there might be enough flow in the system that you might hear the metal creating annoying noises as the water circulates.

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 10,924

    The story is the guy was killed by the fumes in the tank instead of just leaving the wrench in the tank and getting a new wrench.

  • JUGHNE
    JUGHNE Member Posts: 11,274

    I would guess those pieces fell straight down and might be lodged in a vertical tube. In which case one partially plugged tube will not be noticed.

    And if they went to the bottom they would probably not make the trip thru the discharge 90 elbow.

    If the water flow seems slow thru the rad then I would worry about the parts. They would probably be stuck in that elbow if the flow is restricted.

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