The great news is that changing a radiator may be less complicated than you first thought and with this step-by-step guide, you can simply do it yourself without the need of hiring a plumber or heating engineer.
What you need:
To remove a radiator from your wall, you may need the following:
Step 1 – turning off the water
At the ends of a radiator there are close off valves, these enable the unit to be isolated from the hot water system.
Turning these radiator valves off enable you to empty the radiator water without the danger of emptying the whole system. First, make sure the heating is off and the radiator has cooled down.
Turn the heat control valve at one end of the radiator by rotating clockwise. If there is a thermostatic valve fitted, make sure it is at off position.
On the other side of the radiator there is the valve that controls the water flow, frequently known as the lockshield valve. This may normally have a plastic protecting cap which must be removed before taking an adjustable spanner and turning the square valve all of the way clockwise.
Step 2 – draining the radiator
Lay the towel below the radiator and put the bucket or bowl below the valve. Secure one spanner onto the valve and keep still while you operate the opposite spanner to loosen the nut that connects the control valve to the actual radiator. The bowl need to capture any drips of water while this nut is being undone. When the nut is loose, take the bleeding key to open the bleed valve.
This may break the vacuum within the radiator and cause the water held inside to pour out into the bowl through the control valve. As soon as all of the water has drained out, loosen the nut through the lockshield valve in the same way as before. The radiator is now ready to be moved away from the wall.
Step 3 - removing the radiator
Lightly modify the heating pipes to free them from the valve connectors and lift the radiator upwards. This will release the radiator from the wall brackets allowing you to gently remove and carry the radiator away.
There can be some water left at the bottom of the radiator so tilt one end and empty this into the bucket.
Step 4 - changing the radiator
Now is the time to repair the wall if you had or hadn’t planned this already. When you are ready to refit the radiator, take the PTFE tape and wrap it across the threads at the exposed joints on the end of the heating pipes.
Take the brand new radiator and hold again onto the wall brackets, being cautious not to knock or bend the pipes. Reconnect the valves on each side of the radiator and tighten up the nuts as far as they may turn however without forcing them. The PTFE tape will help to hold these connections watertight.
As soon as connected, open the control valve completely and use the bleed key to open the bleed valve. The radiator will now begin to refill with water. After you hear the gurgling stop, close the bleed valve and open up the lockshield valve.
Now double check the connections to make sure they are dry without leaks. Turn on the heating and keep an eye on the new radiator till you are sure there are no leaks.
These steps are a good guidance in effortlessly changing your very own radiators.
At the same time as you have the key to hand, it would probably be well worth bleeding any other radiators in the house to make sure everything is in good working order.
Crucial: If you do not feel confident replacing a raditor and/or do not have the right equipment, we suggest referring to a certified professional.
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