Draining the heating system

[surveyor]

First of all - I know I am a Surveyor - but that does not mean I am practical, and might sometimes prefer to call an expert in. I might be wrong here, but I think that I can avoid this in this instance.

Daughter has radiator in her room that does not work. I beat and bashed the TRV last year and got it working sort of. So far nothing of this order has worked. I replaced the head last year - it looks like it needs the body as well.

The plumbing is all over the place here, and as a rented house I don't want to piss about with it (I know that I could just call the landlord, but I prefer not to do that for this). My cunning plan is to turn the water off at the mains, crack off the pipe on a radiator in the utility room, and use a funnel and hose to decant down the drain outside, until water stops.

Then allowing me to change said valve. It's an old system, so I am expecting a header tank for the boiler - but at the worst case will then need to find the filling loop (I suppose I should check this first! - there is no sign of a Pressure Vessel unless it's inside the casing).

Does all of this sound sensible?

[surveyor]

That's why I was draining it down in the utility room first, where there is a tile floor...

And while it's my daughter room, at 7 I don't think I will expect her to pay the deposit.

[surveyor]

Because I prefer to on this occasion. Part of the deal is minimal hassle. If it breaks down I'll call him, if it's general maintenance I'll do it.

Plus I'll have to remind him for several weeks, then he'll send one if his mates who with all well intentions will sort it - or more likely bodge it.

If I'm really unlucky he'll have a go himself...

[surveyor]

Not that many pipes visible.

There is a pipe within the boiler casing - I need to try and find out if it's what it looks like.

I'll not mess with it otherwise.

Ideal Mexico 2 Floor Standing.

[surveyor]

B17NNS said:

You shouldn't need to touch the boiler.

Drain off should by a downstairs rad or could be on a lockshield.

hmm. nothing obvious where floors are tiled. Not sure I'm keen on even hoses in carpeted areas....

[surveyor]

Rickyy said:

Stick a hose pipe on that drain off valve in the picture (if it works!), place a bowl under it too, water will most likely run down the hose. When the flow from the hose starts to slow down, open the bleeds on the upstairs rads (all of them, not just one) and wait until the water stops flowing through the hose.

Change TRV (put plenty of towels around the rad, no matter how well you drain a system, you'll always get a splash of dirty black water escape!), close drain off and vents and switch water back on (don't forget to add inhibitor to the F+E tank.) and bleed rads and any bleed points in the airing cupboard.

thankyou!

[surveyor]

fking house.

System drained down once I found a drain down valve that was not seized, and valve changed.

System will not refill.

Found the tank in the loft - ball cock hanging down like a limp wrist, but no water.

I'm not comfortable changing that valve, given that it's in our ceiling and mistakes could be expensive.

Plumber time. bks.

[surveyor]

The tank is in a daft location and very hard to get to. To get the bd system drain I'd tapped into a pipe with a self-cutting washing machine tap. I used this, connected to a hose and tap to gently fill from the bottom....