How do I remove an old radiator?

[bexta]

Hi.

I am in the process of decorating and I need to remove an old radiator in one of the bedrooms as the plaster behind it is crumbling.
It is an old radiator so I may as well replace it while its off the wall.

I know roughly how to take it off the wall but do I need to do something to make sure no water comes out?

Also, how do I find out what sort of radiator I need to replace it?

Thanks in advance :-)

[Lil O'lady]

Plan out in advance - don't dive in.
Given that your central heating is switched off and isn't pumping round, and your water is turned off at the mains inlet valve, theoretically all you need do is cut off the pipes to the radiator at either side and lift it away. However, there is bound to be mucky rusty water spillage so be prepared to swab this up with rags and newspapers.
Your replacement rad is likely to be different dimensions to your old one eg metric rather than imperial, so you may need to slightly alter the position of the pipes feeding the rad at one side or the other. It's not best to do this by bending them as it puts the pipes under tension and joints etc may leak. So you may have to go under the floorboards to where the horizontal water pipe is and fix in a new branch / remove the old one.
Then given that that you have correctly installed the wall bracket for the new rad, ensure the joints to the pipework are correctly sealed - will you be using push-fit or using a blowlamp - make these decisions and plan for it in advance. Then you'll need to test the joints by swiching on your water and central heating and bleeding the air ou of the system.
To be honest if it's a nice old rad why not just rub it down, put it back and repaint it? Keep plenty of plumbers tape on hand to pop into any joints for extra sealing but if it's doing it's job OK I'd leave it.

[bexta]

Thanks for the reply.

So if I turn the water off completly, will there still be water in my old radiator that could spill out?
Will anything come up through my pipes if the water is off? Like water that is still in the pipeworks?

This sounds a little more complicated than I thought, maybe I should enlist the help of my Dad!
For the time being I may just take off the radiator so I can sort out the wall behind it, as I was not prepared for pipe work and I don't think I am really good enough at DIY to start using push fit or blowlamp things as I do not even know what they are! lol.

I wish I could leave this old one on but I don't think its a good idea in the long run as its about 30 years old and it is rusting and crumbling away at the corners.

If I leave the radiator off while plaster dry's then I put my heating on, will water then come out of the pipes? Do I need to cap them off somehow?

[The Builder]

There should be a valve at each end of the rad. If you have a thermostatic valve at one end, turn that right down. At the other end, turn the mechanical valve right down tight.
With someone to help you - loosen each backnut that connects the valve to the rad (just enough to let you tilt the rad forward.
Gently lift the rad clear of the wall brackets and rotate it forwards to rest on the floor.
Now do what you need to :o)

[gucciman]

to take off an old radiator you first have to turn off the valve at each end of the radiator by screwing them down clockwise tight as far as they will go. one of the valves will have a smooth conical shield on it, you have to take this shield off to get at the valve, you will need a spanner or pump pliers to close it.
note that if one of the valves is thermostatic then simply turning it to 0 is not enough, you have to remove the head and screw on the blanking cap you would have got when the valve was bought ( not much chance of you having it ) otherwise if you have a very cold night then the valve can open up and flood your house. if you do the job quickly however i.e. old radiator off new one on straight away then you should be ok with just turning the valve to 0.
right, now you have to drain the water that is inside the radiator still. place a small bowl or frying pan under one of the valves (have a bigger bucket nearby ) and open the nut at the side of the valve until the water starts running out, if the water slows down the open the air vent in the rd to force the remaining water out, when you think its all out tilt the rad slightly and the last bit will flow out.
you should already have bought a new rad, try to uy one as near to the length of old one as possible, go very slightly smaller rather than larger is you have to as you can extend the inlet pipes if needed. you are going to have to insert either new or the old inlet connections into the new rad using ptfe tape on the threads and then hang the new rad and re-make the joints.

[gucciman]

then you have to re-open the valves to fill the rad with water, and it will need venting of air.

[john91]

as gucciman says, you probably wont have the blanking cap to replace the thermostat on top of the valve, so leave the thermostat on and buy a 1/2" BSP cap to screw on the end of the valve to prevent any leaks.

[bexta]

Thanks again for the responses. I am going to attempt this task today. I have my shopping list ready and I'm off to Wicks now!

Wish me luck!

[bexta]

I forgot to ask. If I wanted to replace the valve/thermastat too, what do I need to do there to stop the water coming out of the pipes?