Central Heating Valve can I just remove it?

[Steven Campbell]

I have a leaking valve which is on the pipe that goes outside for draining.

It is a strange big valve (to me anyway) and I can't see any purpose for it as it is about 1 metre from the outside drainage tap.

Can I just remove it and put in a straight bit of pipe or does a service valve have to be at that position which incidentally is a nightmare to reach so can't be accessed in a hurry.

Here it's here

thanks.

[Set Square]

You need a drain valve *inside* rather than *outside* - so that the pipe going outside isn't normally fill of water, and subject to freezing. Can't you just replace the leaking valve with a full-bore lever-operated ball valve?

[Steven Campbell]

Thanks. I will replace it with that valve if that is what's needed. Although I'm not sure how it works. I'd have thought water must be in the pipe between the "full-bore lever-operated ball valve" and the outside drainage tap. Plus why the need for "lever operated"? It would take half an hour (in a hurry) just to get to that point ;o)

I've just re read your reply and think it is sinking in now ;o) Should the full-bore lever-operated ball valve be closed after draining and filling the system back up. Then the outside tap opened to let the remaining water out?

We have only been in the house 5 years so I presume someone else has just been using the outside drainage tap to close the system off because the lever operated ball valve is a pig to get to.

Steven.

[adder1969]

yes.

It doesn't really need to be full bore but it'll drain quicker if it is. You can place it in a more convenient location if you want but how often do you plan to have to drain the system?

[Set Square]

You shouldn't have a tap *outside* at all - just an open pipe connecting the

*inside* drain tap to the outside world. My guess is that someone in the past fitted the outside tap - and left the inside one permanently open - because of the difficulty of getting to it.

As someone else has said, it doesn't *need* to be lever operated but - in my experience - this is more likely to be 'maintenance-free' than other types of tap.

[Steven Campbell]

Thanks guys for your input. I'll either just fit a straight bit of pipe and lag the remainder of the pipe or change it for a ball valve and put up with the hassle of trying to get to it ;o)

Steven.

[John Stumbles]

Whoah! That's a gas c*ck if I'm not mistaken. Is it really in a water pipe?

[Geo]

Unless it is a tap to enable a hosepipe to be connected easily - that would certinly save some mess. Or even to enable you to fill a bucket and stop the flow while emptying it...

Geo

[Steven Campbell]

Well it's a tap to me but officially it's called a "Drain c*ck" ;o)

[zymurgy]

pulled quite a lot of that out of my house.

Could be used for isolating the pipe to the outside in winter if the drain c*ck is outside. i.e. close the isolator and open the drain c*ck, to allow for expansion ?

Cheers

Paul.

[Dontcha]

It's probably at least 20 odd years old. All sorted now ;o)