I’m fitting one of these to a new to me central heating system. The filling loop is under the boiler so I’ve been looking for a drain off valve. Can’t find a conventional gate valve in either the flow or return pipes just these Does anyone know what the white plastic bit on the branch are for?
I’m no plumber but those are most definitely not drain points. It looks like someone anticipated adding a pipework run in the future. Andy
That’s what I was thinking. There are two boilers side by side with these in both sets of flow and returns. They are located in the utility room. Two extra rads in there would be overkill.
You appear to live in the 1950's but have traveled forward in time to buy some pipe fittings - you therefore have a time machine cool (not you, the time machine)
It's just a blanking point , if you can not find a drain off , grab a bucket and a towel , prepare to get wet . Unscrew the grey bit where it goes in as it won't pull out , you'll get a massive spurt with the initial pressure but it'll soon pass , once the pressure is gone drain it into the bucket . Have fun , you're gonna get wet . Unless you find an easier way to drain It .
Thanks, the existing rad near the front door has a drain off, I’ll use that to release the initial pressure then remove the blank and fit a proper drain off through the wall to an outside drain. Both the boilers are at the lowest point in the systems I’ll wear my wellies!
I wouldn't bother altering anything, use the drain off near the front door, that's why it was put there.
I might have to alter pipe work under the floor, the boiler being at the lowest part of the system means if I drain there I completely drain down the whole system, making it much easier when soldering. Thanks for the input guys ( except Exige’s mumblings about time travel) I’ll sus it out.
I use one of these to blow the water away from any previously wet joints... Just squeeze it over the pipe and blow. A plumber saw me doing it and asked WTF I was doing. When I explained he wanted to have my children....
On domestic systems, not closed central heating systems we allway used to chew some bread and push it up the pipe to stop drips while soldering, the pressure of the water when turned back on broke the bread up and flushed it out of the tap. Steve
I would agree in most events but on that stair/rad wood, I would paint the planks on the wall behind the radiator white but leave the stairs themselves in wood. Black and dark wood always clash sweety unless there is something to bring light into the room I'm still puzzled why someone would shove tampons into a pipe fitting
