Communal central heating London £££

[swifters]

I have a customer in W1 London who has a flat with two cast iron radiators which are connected to a communal system that serves 60-70 flats. To top it off, the same pipes supply the towel rail in the bathroom and all the hot pipes for the hot water! Must have money to burn up there!

The problem is the current tenants are complaining it’s too warm. I have previously tried spraying wd40 and used my largest wrench to see if I can free up the radiator valves but they are ceased solid. Didn’t want to provide too much force in case they snapped/malfunctioned and then had no means of isolation but pretty sure they won’t budge.

Anyway, the feed and return are in iron/steel and approximately 1”-1 ¼” diameter. I don’t know anywhere you can get radiator valves that fits these even if they still make them. I was thinking of firstly having a drain down (£500 the management agent charges) and then fitting 1”-1 ¼” boss valves to the incoming feed and return and then possibly replacing the radiators all together with standard 15mm ones. + making a few quid on the old iron radiators!

I’ve done some threaded plumbing before but my liability insurance won’t cover me on communal systems, plus I’m not all that confident working with threaded plumbing and I don’t have a threading machine. Anyone interested in going 50/50 (but would have to be in your company name)? What labour rates would people suggest? I was thinking £1500 - £3000 + materials + drain down + parking and congestion charges?

 

[GQuigley67]

quick search on google and i have found these

1" Radiator Valves for Cast Iron Radiators

 

[Barry98]

i love pipe threasding if you were closer id of helped ya

 

[Irish]

Would it not be easier to just adapt down to 15 or 22 mm using a copper to iron from the 1st fitting in the flat and run it in copper to the rads, rather than buying a threading machine or do you have to leave the lcs

 

[swifters]

Could do but still need to fit isolation valves at the point of entry to flat which will need a threading machine.

Sorry missed read that. The exisitng pipes are all buried under new laminate floor and customer wouldn't want copper run everywhere as it feeds hot water to kichen and bathroom too.

Do you think a 28mm to 22mm reducer would fit into the female thread of the iron coupling? With lots of hemp and boss white for good measure?

 

[Irish]

I'd take the lcs coupling off then put a copper to iron reducer on then you don't need threading machine and how are you going to get threading machine onto the pipe if it's already installed in the floor? have you got clearance round it for the machine

 

[swifters]

Take the coupler off? I'd need a massive reducer to get that down to 22mm copper? Surely it would be best to leave coupler in place and use a male coupling to try and thread it into the female coupling of the iron?

 

[Irish]

Possibly yeah use a bush to reducer not a coupling, it'd be the wrong thread then use a male copper to iron and away you go,no threading

 

[swifters]

Anyone interested in the job though?

 

[SimonJohns]

To reduce down you could use a concentric female to female reducer

 

[stevetheplumber]

i could do it but my public liability is restricted to under 30ft

 

[swifters]

What does one of them look like? Is it a threaded fitting? I have just discovered I took measurments of the diameter of the pipes and they were 1" or 25mm approx.

 

[swifters]

i could do it but my public liability is restricted to under 30ft

It's a first floor flat.

 

[swifters]

Anyone interested?

 

[TerryWaite]

You can get 1" radiator valves, doubt bss or anyone would do them off the shelf you would have to get them from a specialist online. Im good on steel, if I didnt have alot on over the next few weeks, id help you, do the feeds for the rads come straight up out of the floor or are there any visible joints on it?

Are you going to have to take any floors up? If you can get new valves with similar dimensions to the old ones that will make your job so much easier. Also, who is doing the drain down and fill up? do you have to go in every other property to vent? Or do the estates have someome who does this?

 

[swifters]

They come straight up out of the floor. They've had new laminate floor down so no chance of taking it up. Dont think the drain down will be allowed till summer 2012. The management agent is responsible for drain down and venting. Haven't a clue how they vent it all.