Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity feed

[lyndonho]

hi there. Have an old corroding towel rail in our main bathroom which I would like to remove and simply cap off. I was going to simply lift the floor boards and connect the two pipes under the floor after removing the spurs to the towel rail as didnt what to cap each one off individually as unsure whether it would affect any of the other radiatiors.... but..encountered some unexpected issues. The floor round the towel rail where the feed pipes come up is a solid base which is odd as the rest of the bathroom floor is wooden floor boards which would have made it a lot easier! The pipe work is quite old and I am afraid if i try breaking it up it might fracture the pipes and cause a few problems with contents of the heating system pouring out onto the floor. I dont mind capping them off above the ground as I put a cupboard around them or box in easily. Our heating system is an open vented system with a gravity feed tank in the roof. The questions I have are as the bathroom is on the first floor do i need to drain the heating system entirely to remove this heated towel rail whilst I cap the pipes off? Is there a simple way to cap off the pipes without draining down the system? Does capping off the pipes cause any issues with the flow of the heating system? Any assistance would be appreciated on this. Thank you very much.

 

[on31ll]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

You could bung the CWSC in the loft and that way you wouldnt have to drain down ! Also when cutting the pipe use a pipeslice not a hacksaw etc this leave nice finish and saves excess movement on pipework while cutting ! And when you have cut pipework dont join them together just cap off individually ! Any more questions just ask when im back on i will answer if not others will help

 

[lyndonho]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

thanks for the quick reply. Not a technical guru on heating systems so please bear with me. How would I actually bung the cwsc? are there specific nylon bungs available to buy? thanks again

 

[lyndonho]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

think i am getting the idea. So I would need to use a bung on the expansion tank and the water tank in the loft? I assume I have to plug into the bottom outlet of the two tanks and not the feeds in. is that correct?

 

[on31ll]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

You need to bung inside the tank under the water level ! It is kinda hard to explain ! Only other way to do it would be drain down but then you risk airlicks etc ! I think the bungs are made by regin ? But in saying this in the cost of materials would it just not be easier to get a plumber in to do this ? He will already have the tools etc because once you remove this rad when are you going to use them again ?

 

[on31ll]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

Also how many 'tanks' do you have in loft ? One big one or one big and one small ?

 

[lyndonho]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

hi there. yes two tanks. the large one and a smaller one. which i assume are the header tank and the expansion tanks respectively. found the plugs on ebay about £4 a pop so not too much . think i will go and have a look later in the tanks to see how easy it is to access as got a feeling it is not that easy to get at .thanks again

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

Don't forget that there will still be water in the pipework and radiator. You should place a few towels or old rags on the floor under the valves, get a jug ready, and a bucket unless you can reach somewhere to empty the jug while you are in front of the radiator. Crack one of the radiator valves at the joint with the radiator and allow the water to run into the jug. Hold the valve in place and empty the jug as it fills. when you think you have all the water out (Process can be expedited by opening the air vent) make sure that you have closed the vent again, reconnect the valve and lift the radiator off it's brackets, allow it to rotate toward you. Let the top of the radiator rest on the floor so that it is lower than the valves and then disconnect the valves completely. Lift the 'bottom' edge of the radiator so that it is upside down and this will allow you to carry the radiator outside without leaking water/sludge all over the place. If you're really worried about getting stuff on the floor (Mess/slip hazards etc) you can always leave the radiator to one side until you've capped off the pipes and then re-fit the valves to the rad and ensure that they are turned off before moving it outside.
Good luck

 

[on31ll]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

then re-fit the valves to the rad and ensure that they are turned off before moving it outside.

You dont need to refit the valves just turn the radiator upside down !

 

[Ollieg]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

Big tank is the cold water storage and usually feeds your cylinder and cold taps in the bathroom. Small tank is the central heating feed and explanation tank. You need two bungs one for the explanation pipe hooked over the F and E tank and one for the feed ( under the water line ) of the same tank. Once bunged you should only work on one pipe at a time with the valve on the other closed.

 

[lyndonho]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

excellent thank you. will have a look later. thanks again

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

You dont need to refit the valves just turn the radiator upside down !

yep, my mistake. I have also used kids balloons over the ends of the outlets to stop stuff 'accidentally' spilling out

 

[WHPES]

Re: Cap off towel heated towel radiator - open vented heating system with gravity fee

You don't join the pipes together, just cap off.

Plenty of old towels etc underneath when you
do it.

Cut and cap one length at a time as if you have both ends open you lose the vacuum and the water will come out.

Pour the radiator contents down the loo to save risking spilling on the way out.

It's advisable to use a compression stop end as somewhere later down the line during a freezing winter you will decide you want a heated towel rail again.