Can I remove a radiator off the wall if the thermastat is broken

[Christine290]

We have a plasterer coming this week and the radiators need to come off! A DIY friend came round and removed all but 1 radiator as he wasnt sure what to do as the thermastat on one end has been broken??? HELP if we turn the valve off at the other end will this do the job so we can just remove it OR do we have to replace the thermastat on order to then turn it off both ends? Blind leading the blind and running out of money! First pic we think had a thermastat on!

 

[Chuck]

HELP if we turn the valve off at the other end will this do the job so we can just remove it

No.

do we have to replace the thermastat on order to then turn it off both ends?

If it's what it looks like, i.e. a broken TRV, so you can't shut it reliably then yes.

You'll need to drain down the system to be able to remove the radiator and replace the broken valve. There are techniques (freezing, bunging, etc.) that can be used to avoid draining down but they take practice to get right and are best left to professionals.

If you drain the system, make sure you put the correct amount of inhibitor back when you refill it.

 

[DuncanM]

Is it the old type with a screw in it to tighten it on to the valve? Might need a nip up if it is.
[automerge]1574067252[/automerge]
Never mind. Just blew the pic up and it looks snapped. Sorry

 

[SimonG]

Do you have other radiators not coming off the wall with the same head?

If so borrow the head off of one of them and isolate the radiator that way.

 

[oz-plumber]

I hope you're not solely relying on the TRV's for isolation while the system is charged.
It could end up very messy and costly

 

[centralheatking]

No.

If it's what it looks like, i.e. a broken TRV, so you can't shut it reliably then yes.

You'll need to drain down the system to be able to remove the radiator and replace the broken valve. There are techniques (freezing, bunging, etc.) that can be used to avoid draining down but they take practice to get right and are best left to professionals.

If you drain the system, make sure you put the correct amount of inhibitor back when you refill it.

Your trvs came with a manual over ride just for this purpose you should use this. NEVER rely on
just closing the trv as the lowest they go is frost...so when the room gets cold the valve will open
up and flood the room. seen this loads of times. centralheatking

 

[Stigster]

Your trvs came with a manual over ride just for this purpose you should use this. NEVER rely on
just closing the trv as the lowest they go is frost...so when the room gets cold the valve will open
up and flood the room. seen this loads of times. centralheatking

Good advice, however for a good few years now TRVs close right down passed the frost setting all the way to 0 (fully closed, no frost opening possible) but it's still necessary to add appropriate caps to the valves in case of let-by failure.

Not saying you are wrong as there are loads of the older style you mention so better safe than sorry, just thought I'd add that for clarity.

Those manual override caps AKA "Decorator's caps."