why don't plumbers fit isolation valves?!

[WaterTight]

wouldn't draining down a system with a vac take a hundred go's?

i tend to just empty a small rad, loosen valve and turn inwards and fit a washing machine hose joined to a normal hose to it.

those self-cutting drain-offs might be worth keeping too. re-pipe after with drain-off.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

not sure about a vax why you removing rads though Claire have you not adapted a simple rad tail to your hose pipe?

 

[Whn1]

i bet u love a good old 'VAX'...but how does a vax help on a drain off?

A. When a drain off decides to leak from every angle possible

B. When the drain off rubber gets stuck and you have to pick it out and then WHOOSH.

C. When I can't be arse to use a hose

 

[WaterTight]

watertight, not for me, i give a price... if im there for 30 mins or 3 hours, its still the same price... thats life. i dont go out to rip people off so i tell em a price, n i either manage to do a job quickly, or its a rubbish job n it takes a long time. i have learnt to look around first to see if there are valves nowadays, as ive always assumed before that plumbers would of fitted them.....ohhhhh how i was wrong!!!!

maybe consider offering a small fixed price range for jobs that are hard to be precise about? that's what i do. people almost see it the same as a fixed price - they just don't want open-ending escalating prices. infact these days i tend to think of the price i want (say £80) and say "it'll be around £70-£90." That way i've room for movement and if things go well they still think they've got a bargain when i charge less than the potential full amount.

 

[MP plumb]

moony- how can u drain a rad without opening a valve and all the sludgy black water all over carpets? u can NEVER save it all as it goes everywhere! plus, some old TRV's, dont sut down completly....so u end up with a constand water flow... unless ur handy enough to have the right temp head for the original TRV so u can shut it complely.

i think.... choose the smallest downstairs rad, put a dust sheet down, close valves, undow both sides at same time,lift with thumb over the end and drain in a suitable position )

 

[Whn1]

Yea I guess it depends on what youre doing, for instance today I had to relocate a ground floor rad from one wall to another on a pressurised system with no drain off,
plethora the pressure out of the boiler, shut rad down open rad valve into vax job done, didn't open any vents or anything. Easy peasy.

 

[MP plumb]

gas man, im always prepared, incase the original valves dont turn off..... i always have my hose with my pipe and nut on the end at the ready .... just incase!

 

[WaterTight]

dust sheet between valve and carpet. small plastic tray. crack nut, fill tray. push valve back on and hold while empty tray into bucket with another dust sheet under it. after about 1/4 empty, open bleed screw. repeat. if the water is literally black yes it is risky but just use more dustsheets. i'd feel much less safe with thumbs over holes flinging a full rad about.

 

[moony]

Claireplumb - baking tray from Tescos to catch water- 15mm cap end to put on trv.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

well if a trv fails to shut down grab a big pair of knipex,remove the head and push the pin in,its hard work if your on your tod but not impossible disconnect the valve from the rad spin it round and connect you pre adapted hose its worked fine for 20 years for me and i must have come across every balls up possible BTW a wet hoover is fine for spills but the suggestion it can be used to drain a full heating system is ridiculous this would never work

 

[moony]

Then use - 3/4 flexi tap connector on lock shield to drain down rest of system.

 

[dancinplumba]

use lots of towels

 

[MP plumb]

i loved the word 'flinging'!!... you could call me a DANCIN PLUMBA if i started flinging it everwhere! i could have a dance off with the rad.


but on a serious note... WATERTIGHT, im not stong enough to fling it about, i may be able to skip out the door with it, just to look ladylike, but prob not fling it. ill be honest, im not a good thrower, let alone a flinger!!

 

[MP plumb]

gasman..... so u push the pin down... then what? u have to hold it down or it will just cme up again and let the water up?

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i keep 1/2 and 3/4 caps if i don't have the correct size decorators cap for trvs.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

gasman..... so u push the pin down... then what? u have to hold it down or it will just cme up again and let the water up?

chuck a paint tray or similar under the trv,close the LS, disconnect the trv from the rad its at this point you now its goosed remove its head clamp the pin in with a large knips or moles keeping it compressed, spin the valve around 180 degrees quick connect your adapted hose and leave it flow with compression off

 

[MP plumb]

gasman, that sounds messy. were talkin about typical black sludge that stains the carpet as soon as it touches it and u want me to do that?? i still dont understand how i can clamp down the TRV... there has to be a force above it to stop it raising up again?

for the others~: i always keep female threaded caps with me... and i put my own rubber washer inside them so im ready. but ill tell ya, it still scares the ...(swear word) out of me if it fails, and the customer has had their heating going and its boilong hot!!!




owww.......burnt fingers!

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

gasman, that sounds messy. were talkin about typical black sludge that stains the carpet as soon as it touches it and u want me to do that?? i still dont understand how i can clamp down the TRV... there has to be a force above it to stop it raising up again?

for the others~: i always keep female threaded caps with me... and i put my own rubber washer inside them so im ready. but ill tell ya, it still scares the ...(swear word) out of me if it fails, and the customer has had their heating going and its boilong hot!!!




owww.......burnt fingers!

dont know how i can make it any clearer Claire with all due respect its easy to do if your quick but daunting i suppose if your worried about the black stuff

 

[MP plumb]

completly random.... but are any of u on 'DRAW SOMETHING' on ipad or iphone?

 

[MP plumb]

gasman... yes , i am a massive worrier, and even more so about the black stuff!... BUT... should u blame me.. or the person who taught me for all those years? he worried all the time, which made me worry. ive seen plumbers do so much RISK that i would be peeing myself about! ahahahahahahhahahaha

 

[moony]

On mental note on iPad?

What's draw something?

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

gasman... yes , i am a massive worrier, and even more so about the black stuff!... BUT... should u blame me.. or the person who taught me for all those years? he worried all the time, which made me worry. ive seen plumbers do so much RISK that i would be peeing myself about! ahahahahahahhahahaha

it is much easier with a extra pair of hands but does work if all else fails try to find a rad without a trv LS normally shut down......sometimes......:teeth_smile:

 

[moony]

The black stuff comes out of carpets - so wouldn't worry too much.

I let rad get half empty thumb over one end and flip it over - in the years I've been plumbing I've had one badish spill - and that cleaned out.

Now the time I had my Hoover on blow Instead of suck on a fire service is a different story

 

[tamz]

You can still get genuine ballofix valves but they come at a price. A bit of a cost difference from a junk 50p iso valve
Water Gate & Ball Valves

I am one of the guilty parties too. Apart from ballcocks and showers i only fit them if it suits me. Occasionally (very) on a basin or sink and never on a bath What difference does it make. None to me. Cheap ones tend to leak when moved anyway so what is the point.
Shut of an iso or turn the full house off is immaterial to me. If it will be off for a while i might fit an iso if i want the kettle filled :lol:

 

[MP plumb]

well tamz, i dont drink tea, or coffee... or any hot drink to that matter, but i would def suggest lever valves. full bore or normal, depending on what they are feeding. i have not had a fail from them yet... maybe others have?