Getting behind the rad

[Bonnie and Clyde]

Hi all, we're decorating at the moment and have a bit of a problem with regards painting behind the Radiator.


As you can see from the pic its such a huge colour change and we want to get it right.

So the question is can we get it off just enough for one of us to hold it with the other painting the wall?????
We have never done it before so if anyone has an advice on the easiest way to do it and what to avoid doing.

TIA
Mel

[Simpo Two]

You can buy small rollers with long handles for exactly this purpose

[SS2.]

Easiest is probably to buy a radiator roller -



Alternatively, carefully slacken the valve nuts on both ends of the rad, lift the rad off its brackets & allow it to be tilted away from the wall. The nuts can be temporarily pinched back up whilst you paint the wall. Best have towels in place for this as the valves are bound to leak a little when loosened..

[BliarOut]

Is "painting behind the radiator" a euphemism?

[rix]

pretty simple to take it off completely, just get the baking trays and towels ready lol

[grumbledoak]

SS2. said:

Everything, really.

Best results are the most work, as ever.

Edited by grumbledoak on Wednesday 2nd June 22:46

[Ferg]

SS2. said:

Alternatively, carefully slacken the valve nuts on both ends of the rad, lift the rad off its brackets & allow it to be tilted away from the wall. The nuts can be temporarily pinched back up whilst you paint the wall. Best have towels in place for this as the valves are bound to leak a little when loosened..

This is really a recipe for disaster. It's not really normal for the pipework to have the 15mm required to lift off the brackets and in addition doing this risks damaging the pipe where the olive sits. Have a go, by all means, you might be lucky, but I would NEVER do this.

Edited by Ferg on Thursday 3rd June 16:28

[Simpo Two]

Agreed, plumbing is best left alone unless you have some knowledge of what might go wrong and how to fix it - it's high risk for the uninitiated.

[Fittster]

Ferg said:

SS2. said:

Alternatively, carefully slacken the valve nuts on both ends of the rad, lift the rad off its brackets & allow it to be tilted away from the wall. The nuts can be temporarily pinched back up whilst you paint the wall. Best have towels in place for this as the valves are bound to leak a little when loosened..

This is really a recipe for disaster. It's not really normal for the pipework to have the 15mm required to lift off the brackets and in addition doing this risks damaging the pipe where the olive sits. Have a go, by all means, you might be lucky, but I would NEVER do this.

Edited by Ferg on Thursday 3rd June 16:28

Seems almost as much effort as removing the radiator to me!

[Dogwatch]

SS2. said:

Easiest is probably to buy a radiator roller -

SS2. said:

Alternatively, carefully slacken the valve nuts on both ends of the rad, lift the rad off its brackets & allow it to be tilted away from the wall. The nuts can be temporarily pinched back up whilst you paint the wall. Best have towels in place for this as the valves are bound to leak a little when loosened..

[mgtony]

Or this flexi roller;

http://www.wickes.co.uk/Flexi-Mini-Roller-Kit/invt...

[ShadownINja]

I like that radiator roller. Alternatively, carefully pour paint down the wall near the top of the radiator. It is more efficient in this day and age when time is money.








You wanted white laminate flooring, right?

Edited by ShadownINja on Thursday 3rd June 16:51

[Trevelyan]

I always just take them off completely - all of about five minutes work. Close both valves fully, place a tray under one end of the radiator and slowly undo one of the radiator nuts (not the nut holding the valve to the pipe!) until the water starts to drain out. As the radiator starts to drain and as your confidence improves you can further undo the nut and open the bleed valve at the top to speed up draining. Once it's fully drained undo both nuts and just lift the radiator off the brackets, possibly with the help of someone else to hold the valves clear. Job jobbed.

[Ferg]

Or just put radiator covers over them. Very fashionable at the moment. OK it spoils the convection and turns them off by overheating the thermostatic valve, but who worries about the cold when your rads look so good?

[Jazoli]

Trevelyan said:

I always just take them off completely - all of about five minutes work. Close both valves fully, place a tray under one end of the radiator and slowly undo one of the radiator nuts (not the nut holding the valve to the pipe!) until the water starts to drain out. As the radiator starts to drain and as your confidence improves you can further undo the nut and open the bleed valve at the top to speed up draining. Once it's fully drained undo both nuts and just lift the radiator off the brackets, possibly with the help of someone else to hold the valves clear. Job jobbed.

Don't forget to refil the rad when you re-attach it, and bleed it, and re-pressurise the system

[SS2.]

Dogwatch said:

SS2. said:

Alternatively, carefully slacken the valve nuts on both ends of the rad, lift the rad off its brackets & allow it to be tilted away from the wall. The nuts can be temporarily pinched back up whilst you paint the wall. Best have towels in place for this as the valves are bound to leak a little when loosened..

To be honest, I've never had any problems when I've done that in the past, but I do realise the potential for things to go horribly wrong. More often than not though, I've removed the rad completely - particularly if I've been papering.

Just painting though, it has to be the roller..

[Bonnie and Clyde]

Thanks for all the replies
We bought a long Harris rad roller and did the job no worries Also no water everywhere

Thanks again
Mel

[spikeyhead]

Ferg said:

SS2. said:

Alternatively, carefully slacken the valve nuts on both ends of the rad, lift the rad off its brackets & allow it to be tilted away from the wall. The nuts can be temporarily pinched back up whilst you paint the wall. Best have towels in place for this as the valves are bound to leak a little when loosened..

This is really a recipe for disaster. It's not really normal for the pipework to have the 15mm required to lift off the brackets and in addition doing this risks damaging the pipe where the olive sits. Have a go, by all means, you might be lucky, but I would NEVER do this.

I did it once, then cursed as I hadn't loosened one nut enough and bent the pipe. Fortunately a mate at work had a phone call the following day from a plumber who needed some electronics repairing, so a deal was struck.

[Penny-lope]

You could use one of these....



Longer than a roller, and just purrrrrrrrrrrfect for the job

[Vivafergaldo]

Did you put that under the rad when you drained it, 'cos you've got some sludge on it.