removing radiators

[Deleted User]

I have to get a radiator moved so I can work on the wall behind it.
- must I drain ALL my radiators?
- can I drain the radiator from the radiator itself?
- how do I refill the radiator?
- lots of paint at the disconnect. do I use 2 wrenches?
- must I shut the main water supply to the house?

thanks very much

Mike T., Swampeast MO

You have to drain the system below the connection points of the radiator and no, it can't be done from the radiator itself.

Rads almost always connect with unions--almost always brass. The union nut is on the radiator side. While you should generally use two wrenches, such is difficult with rad unions as neither the valve nor the angle fitting offer a good place to put the 2nd wrench. Again, they're almost always brass so they don't corrode and usually come loose easily. Pull "up" on the right side of the radiator and "down" on the left!

Draining and filling a system can be surprisingly complicated or very easy--everything depends on what's there and how it's piped. An entire book could be written on the subject and it still wouldn't cover everything you're likely to see. It's nothing you shouldn't DIY, but if you're not very familiar with hydronic systems I'd really suggest a service call or two to show you how to properly drain and fill your system.

Al Letellier

moving radiators

Then,of course, if you have steam heat (you didn't say), there is no draining to do. Just shut off the boiler and disconnect the radiator.

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[Deleted User]

removing radiators...

I've actually begun the draining process (as of this moment, actually) and I'm stumped. I swear I can't find the water feed into the boiler. I thought I had had it correct b/c I was draining and the outgoing radiator pipes were room temperature, but the incoming (draining) were cold (our thermostat has been off for some time). I opened vents on the ones highest up and furthest away and 3 of the 4 were all air and the radiators seemed drained (after cheking on them). I went outside for 5-10 minutes, came back in and the vents were spouting water (the fourth one, mentioned above, never emptied like the other three). The water pressure gauge on the boiler had shown 18psi, but had gone down to 10. When I came back in and the water was spouting....well, after I cleaned it, I checked on the pressure and instead of going down, it had crept up to 11psi. And, the outgoing pipes were now cold, too.

So, how do I turn off the water? There's a valve from the expansion tank...I had turned that off (honestly, I don't even know what that one is). Then there are two "valves" going to the return pipes. One is right near the water heater . . . I hadn't turned that one off. The other is a "reducing valve." It turns only minimally. I figured I'd turn that one off, too. So, when the problem occurred (with the pipes unexpectedly filling), the expansion tank valve and the reducing valve were off; the other valve -- from the boiler -- was on as normal.

What am I missing????

Any help would be appreciated greatly.

I can supply pics, if necessary.

Mike

Steamhead

Valve isn't holding closed

The line that has the reducing valve is the water feed. Repair or replace the manual valve in that line, and you should be OK.

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[Deleted User]

solution -- and another question

Once I knew which pipe it was -- thanks to the previous reply -- I went to investigate the valve. Seems it was a tad stuck, but not broken. Needed a little encouragement to close. And, close it did.

My other question, though -- it's nice weather now and I'm wondering if I should/should not leave the radiators empty for awhile. I'm doing repair work on the house and I'll need to get behind more than one radiator (not just to paint - to fix some water damage). How long can I keep them without water before it will cause a problem (if it will at all cause any problems)?

THanks for the replies...

Steamhead

Shouldn't be a problem

as long as you cover any open pipes to keep debris from falling into them. And turn off the power to the boiler so it will not fire without water in it!

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