Monday 18 July 2011

How to bleed a radiator

Are your radiators feeling cold at the top and hot at the bottom? Then you have air in your radiator. To solve this simply problem you will need to get yourself a radiator key from your local shop.  Many shops now stock these.
Radiator Key
If you have an open system, i.e. you have a heating water tank in your attic or similar place you will simply need to place the radiator key onto the bleeding vent and open the vent. At the start you will hear air coming out and then eventually water will come. When water comes out of the vent close it firmly.

TIP- It is always a good idea to carry an old cloth or tissue with you when bleeding a radiator as the water can be black and will stain carpets and walls. Use the old cloth or tissue to stop the water going onto the walls or carpet.

TIP-If the radiator key is a loose fit on the bleeding vent do not over force the key to open the vent if it is tight as this will deform the vent making it into a round shape. Instead go to your local plumbing suppliers or hardware shop and try an alternative key.

If you have a closed system, also known as a pressurised heating system you will need to top up the pressure after bleeding your radiator. To do this you will need to locate your pressure vessel. These are usually installed in your attic or beside your boiler. There will be a valve beside the vessel on a pipe the leads into the vessel. Open this valve and watch the pressure increase on the gauge. In most cases there will be a red marker on the gauge indicating the required pressure level. If there is not an indicator set the pressure to one and a half bar.


Pressure Vessel with valve to top up pressure

Friday 17 June 2011

How to keep your pump healthy

During the summer our heating systems get a well earned break, however if your circulating pump is not used is can cease up, meaning you will need to get a new one and due to their awkwardness in many cases will also require you to get a plumber to fit it. To prevent this from happening run you central heating in the summer from time to time.
Circulating pump

How to change a tap washer

Does your kitchen/bathroom tap still run after you turn it off? If so you need to replace your tap washer. Over time the washer within your tap gets worn and does not make a seal tight joint, to fix this you simply need to replace your tap washer. You can do this simply in two ways;

  • Replacing the washer
  • Replacing the Tap body

Turning off the water
Before doing anything you will need to turn off the water. The source of water that you turn off will depend on what tap you are working at and whether it is hot or cold water.

All hot water must be turned off at the cold water storage tank in your attic/roof space. There are usually two valves coming out of the bottom of the tank, one of which is for hot water. To clarify which valve is which try to follow it down through the ceiling, if the pipe leads into the top of you copper cylinder it is providing hot water.

Cold water that is supplied to your bathroom sinks can also be turned off at the cold water storage tank. However the cold water at your kitchen tap is supplied from the main. To isolate the main to your house there is usually a stop cock under your sink (sometimes not under your sink but in the kitchen). This must be turned off to isolate the water.

If you cannot find your stop cock or have found it but cannot get it turning you will need to isolate the mains water supply at the rising main, mainly found at the front of your house on the ground. To turn the water off here you will need a water key as the valve is generally low into the ground. Newly fitted rising mains come with a plastic key that can be used to turn off the water.

·        Always remember that turning a valve clockwise closes it, and turning it anti-clockwise opens it.
·        Always check that the water is off before starting work.

Replacing the tap washer

In order to replace the tap washer you will have to dismantle the tap, there are many different shapes and forms of taps but the principal remains the same for them all. Firstly you will need to remove the tap head to see the inner workings of the part, to do this use a small flat headed screw driver to prise open the top plate on the tap, this will reveal a small screw (usually star headed). Remove this screw and pull off the tap head.
             Modern Tap Structure


If you have older taps they may have a decorative shroud which will also need to be removed, to do this you will need to unscrew it from its thread. However take care not to damage the shroud as it will scrape easily, use a cloth to wrap around it when using grips if it is tight, as this will prevent damage to the shroud.
Tap with decorative shroud

You should now be able to see the inner workings of the tap, you will now need a shifter (Adjustable spanner). Place the shifter around the headgear nut and take a firm hold of the tap body insuring that it does not move (if you do not hold the tap body the joints beneath the tap my get Brocken and cause a leak), then proceed to turn the headgear nut anti-clockwise.  If the headgear nut is extremely tight you may want to use a set of grips to hols against yourself (once again use a cloth so that you will not damage the surface of the tap body). Once you loosen the headgear nut remove the body of the tap.
Tap Body

 You now have two options;

Option one; replace the whole tap body
Nowadays you can buy a tap body replacement kit in your local plumbing suppliers and B&Q; many also come with instructions on how to fit them. If you have decided to go for this option simply make sure you have got the correct size for your taps (sink taps are generally ½ inch and bath taps are ¾ inch) then place the body into the tap and tighten accordingly. Remember to hold the tap tight when tightening.

Option two; replacing the tap washer
Depended on your tap you will need either a ½ inch washer or a ¾ inch washer, when you have the tap body out you will notice that there is a washer at the bottom. This is usually secured on with a small nut; use a shifter to remove the nut and replace the washer (You will notice that the new washer will be larger than the original one that you are removing; this is because the original washer has worn over time). Once you have replaced the tap washer reassemble the tap in the same order that you dissembled it, remembering to hold the tap firmly when tightening the headgear nut.

Once you have reassembled the tap you can turn on the water supply again.