I'm tiling my bathroom floor. I originally was going to just lift the small 17x20 hot water radiator and tile around it, but when I went to turn the valve on it (out of curiosity) it broke off from corrosion (dummy).

I'm nervous when the system is running this winter i'll spring a leak, so instead of cutting corners, I thought I would remove it, replace the valve and replace the radiator after my floor is down. This will also give me a chance to properly clean and pain the radiator.

So with that... I have to drain my system, then figure out how to remove the radiator with the least amount of work.

Re: Draining the system. I have 2 valves at the end of my Return line into my Peerless (Series MI/MIH) Gas boiler. One before the Circulator and one after. It would be easier to use the one before since its higher than my basement sink where I'll drain it to. Is that one ok to use.

Also, what is the proper proceedure for doing draining? Cut Power and Gas first I assume?

Re: Removing the radiator. See images below... I didnt have much luck turning the threaded adapters so I'm going to have to cut the 2 copper pipes to replace the valve (unless someone has a tip for turning those suckers). Am I better cutting it at the bottom of the "L" (top of the vertical) or in my basement before it comes into the bathroom. I have pretty good access from the basement.








Any help is appreciated.

Thx.

Fish

 

Ok so I took a step forward on my own. There is not too much documention on this online but here's what I came up with and just finished doing:

- Killed the Power and Gas to the boiler.
- Attached the hose to the return drain (above the circulator) and dropped the other end in the basement sink
- Shut the INPUT water supply valve
- Opened the Return Drain
- Ran upstairs and opened some bleed valves
- All water ran out of the system

Does that sound right to you all? From here, this is what I need to do:

Cut the Copper pipes (in,out), Remove the radiator, replace the valve, replace subfloor, tile floor, replace radiator, couple copper pipes back, refill the system.

And I gotta do all that in 2 weeks

So, I'm leaning towards having a plumber connect the pipes back up and start the system, unless someone can tell me that its not that hard and I can do it myself. I'm nervous to start the system up myself, so if I'm going to get a plumber, I may as well have him recouple those pipes as well.

Any thoughts are appreciated. Thanks,

Fish

 

Cut the copper 2 pipes and removed the radiator today. Barely a drip came out of them so I guess I drained them right.

Would love some feedback on the above. Also, any rush in getting the system up and running. Its summer so Its off anyway. Any issues with taking my time getting it hooked up?

Also, any tips on cleaning/stripping and repainting the radiator?

Thx again.. Would appreciate any feedback

 

Stripping & repainting the rad is something best left to a pro. Often (usually) these old radiators have been painted with lead based paint. You could try some kind of liquid paint stripper but sand blasting or dipping in a hot tank is the best way to get the old paint off.

Soldering copper is easy if you know how. If you've never done it, let the plumber do the re-install.

 

Thanks for the reply Grady. I think I'll take a stab at sanding/painting the radiator. Its not THAT bad so I think I can possibly make it look better.

As for the soldering. I've done it a few times when I was a kid (not sure why but I remember doing it... maybe watching my dad). But I get the concept and think I can do it. I'm more concerned with filling my system and turning it back on. I've read that I need to watch the pressure. It can be too high can cause the bleeds to leak. The process in the manual seems pretty straight forward, but still, maybe I'll just leave it to a pro.

Thx again.

Fish
>

 

If your boiler has an automatic feeder (pressure reducing valve), refilling is a simple matter of opening the feed water valve & once the pressure stabilizes, go to each radiatior & vent the air until a steady stream of water comes out of the bleeder. But if you are going to get the plumber to do the reinstallation, he may as well do the start up too.

 

Thx again grady...
I do have a Pressure Regulator (Watts T1156F) so maybe I can do this myself. I guess my biggest concern is using a torch around my basement ceiling I have some time till I get to that. I'll see if I can muster enough courage to do it myself and post back.

Thx

Fish

 

Soldering near combustables can be tricky even for someone with a lot of practice. There are spray on products for this very purpose. One is called "Cool Gel" made by LA-CO. Another I've seen is called Do (or Du) Flicker.