plumbing tools

Ah, to grease or not to grease! I thought it would come down to that question!

Silicone grease EVERY time. Never on washers, always on threads. Remember, the next time it needs undoing, it could be you.

Its such a pain changing a pump when the muppet before you has wellied up the nuts and not bothered to grease the threads.

Which brings me onto ...... When doing a compression or 'washer' joint, it's hand tight and just an extra nip. You can always tighten it a bit more but you can't unstrip a thread.

Pipe bender is a bit ott for for the now and then user. Always always make sure joints are clean and well prepared.

on the subject of pipes, i have a small radiator in the lounge and a large one in the bathroom and i've often thought could these be swapped around?

or would it be cheaper/easier to just buy a larger radiator for the lounge and keep the one in the bathroom as is..???

they could be providing they are the same width,thickness and brand. if not then you may need to do pipework or add extension tailpieces, plus if the brackets are in different places you'll need to rehang the rad.

tis probably easier to just replace the lounge for a double double. before you do that though, try balancing the system and give it a chemical flush.

gavinda":3d5h5jlw said:

try balancing the system and give it a chemical flush.

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What sort of skill is required for that?

gavinda":1ei28gq5 said:

they could be providing they are the same width,thickness and brand. if not then you may need to do pipework or add extension tailpieces, plus if the brackets are in different places you'll need to rehang the rad.

tis probably easier to just replace the lounge for a double double. before you do that though, try balancing the system and give it a chemical flush.

Click to expand...

what do you mean by balancing the system? and how would one go about flushing it?
if i decided to get someone in to do both those jobs, how much would one expect to pay?

very basic balancing. turn all rads fully on at one end and fully closed at the other. then open the lock valve (end you cant normally turn) 1/2 turn open. turn on heating and wait half an hour. see which rads are hot and which aren't. those that aren't hot open one full turn.

usually you will end up with upstairs 1/2 turn downstairs fully open. in a flat the rads closest to the pump will be the most restricted and those furthest away fully open.

chemical flush. drain system , add flushing chemical ie. fernox restorer, refill and run as hot as possible for a couple of days. then drain and refill heat and drain 5 times to remove the chems. on the last fill add some inhibitor.

didnt see the last bit. for my copmpany we would charge £685 inc vat but that is a powerflush, more thorough than a chemical flush and done in one day. but there is the price. we only do powerflush when there are serious underlying issues.

when adjusting rad valves, be prepared to repair very small leaks on the spindle. generally very minor and easy to sort.

also...sucking eggs and all, but have you had the boiler and system checked by a pro lately?


off to work speak later..

gavinda":1a4qjlyf said:

sucking eggs and all, but have you had the boiler and system checked by a pro lately?

Click to expand...

'pro' thats a funny word that.
we've had 2 plumbers out to it before. the first time was with our first tenant when we rented the flat out. the hot water stopped working and the plumber said the boiler needed replacing. turns out the pilot light needed relighting.

second time, a different plumber came out. said the boiler needed replacing. i went in and it turned out the pressure was low, so opened up the filler loop and got the pressure back up to 1.5bar and it's been fine since. pilot light has gone out once since then but was easily sorted.

i'm reluctant to get another plumber out.
if the boiler ever needs replacing, i'll be doing it my bloody self.

it seems in pretty much most aspects of my life at the moment, where i could do with some professional help, the professionals seem to care about nothing other than squeezing me for money. i'm slowly going quite mad :twisted: