flow and return in suspension

[REDSAW]

ok, looking for new ways to play with.
can anyone describe to me how you use those bungs so you can change a t.r.v without draining down by putting the system into suspension and are they any good 100% of the time?
thanks.

 

[Mike Jackson]

If you buy the regin set there's an instruction leaflet in the pack.

Piece of cake to use but they don't always work. Two carrot shaped bungs, both hollow. Stuff one down cold feed and other over open vent and tighten jubilee clip. Make sure all auto air vents are shut. Shut one rad valve, open bleed nipple and the flow should stop. If it does then you can change the other valve.

hansy bit of kit but doesn't always work. If the tank conn is the type with lugs inside it won't seal. If there are any microleaks on the system it won't work. You can get over the lug problem by using blu tack or similar but you need to be careful not to push it too far in and let it get into the pipework.

The bungs are also useful if you get a gate valve that won't shut etc.

Mike

 

[sasik]

Why don't you try to freeze the pipe under your valves? So all you need to do then is to drain the one rad only.
They are only £14.00 from the plumbers merchant.

sasik

 

[unguided1]

Hi redsaw34
as Mike jackson has said, I have a regin set but to be honest they have sat in my special tool box for tools that are only used occasanley for about 6 years and I have never used them. (sorry bout the spelling ) I also have found over the years that I have bought gadgets and magical tools but if you look in my everyday tool bag I only use the basic tool kit. so in hindsight I would say save your money buy not buying the kit and then if it takes a bit longer to drain down a system charge for it it also less chance of an insurance claim if it all goes horribly wrong.
Cheers
Mike

 

[buffy27]

i don t go in for freezing pipes ,putting in bungs etc. if i'm working on a heating system i like to make it safe first.now these things are probably great but not for me, read about them and seen them .in my opinion them type of things are for d i y ers.i prefer to do the full open heart surgery , gives u a chance to look in side.one flood can screw your rep.
keep it real man

 

[REDSAW]

appreciate ur views chep's,
i was concidering these if they work for cases where you need to switch a valve as a last resort so you can clear up and bog of home quicker or another job. as its a pain spending an hour and half to do what is effectively a 10 min job switching a trv.
freezing.. got a rofrost super kit handy, but have come accross some pipe work under concrete with only 2 inch riser to tail, and you know there is an elbow underfloor somewhere which could split the pipe?.

 

[mark.brazenor@b]

I swear by the bungs. As stated they don't always work, but you'll know by the volume of water that continues if they haven't and then you can just go for a drain down. when they do work they save loads of time when changing simple things like TRV's, etc.

 

[NickH]

Me too, not always effective but mostly very handy, can save so much time on small jobs, trv/ vlave changes or if your gate valves are letting by.

 

[Bernie2]

In the past Plumbers used a cork wrapped in a silk rag to shut the water off in the cisterns if the stop cocks where not working. I've used freezer kits plenty of times but you can't always tell if they will work. I've had them thaw out whilst in the middle of a job. And no it wasn't heat to near the ice plug, just convection currents in the water behind the ice plug. To freeze you have got to have still water and that can take ages if your working on a system that has been in recent use.