Rad bleeding

[Ben Short]

My inlaws have just moved into a new dormer and I cannot seem to bleed one rad for them. It is behind the rad on the far left and I have broken two keys trying to undo it. I am turning it the right way clockwise facing it, but it will not budge. It is cold and so are a few others. I have bled the bathroom one and it is still cold so need to do this kitchen one so it lets the heeat through but I cannot undo it. Can anyone suggest anything I can do to undo the rad to bleed it please?

[The Medway Handyman]

Spray it with WD40 & leave for a while, use a steel (not brass) bleed key - you might need to hold it with something like mole grips for extra leverage. Steady pressure is best.

[Tim W]

Ben Short wibbled on Wednesday 25 November 2009 00:43

Anticlockwise shurley?

I've not known them stick like that. I'm also impressed that you've broken 2 keys without destroying the valve.

If the thread is seized due to corrosion, I might try:

a) using a metal rod, place one end on the bit of the valve that is supposed to turn and tap the other end sharply but not excessively with a pin hammer (as opposed to a club hammer). That might break the seal. You want sharp light shocks, not dull heavy ones, the latter of course may snap something off causing you to become wet and highly unpopular!

z) Heat the valve pin (as far as it is possible to do so) with a blowtorch and hope the expansion cracks the seal, noting that this will knacker the paint and possibly the hemp/bosswhite or whatever is sealing the air bleed valve into the rad.

There are probably many other ideas between a and z. z really is a plan of last resort if a-y fail.

[Ben Short]

The valve is on the rear of the rad, left hand side. If I look at it from the front it needs turning to the right, clockwise to undo it, which if I was behind the rad looking at the valve would be anticlockwise.

Is this right.

[DIY]

Yes.

[mogga]

Still manually bleeding those radiators?

these the other week on an eco-site...

I imagine if they go wrong it's a bit messy though.

[TheScullster]

"Ben Short" wrote

Try tightening it VERY SLIGHTLY then slackening. Sometimes threads bind up so that a small movement in the opposite direction is needed to free them before unscrewing.

Phil

[RobertL]

Someone suggested a blow torch, but a soldering iron can also give localised heating that might free it.

Another thought: what about puttin ga new bleed screwin the other end? perhaps you can remove the plug there more easily thatn getting the original screw to work.

RObert

[TheScullster]

"RobertL" wrote

Another thought: what about puttin ga new bleed screwin the other end? perhaps you can remove the plug there more easily thatn getting the original screw to work.

The type of rad the OP is describing has the bleed nipple on the back face not in a screwed connection to each end. If it's like the ones we have at work there are proper *pipe tappings* at the bottom of the rad at each end only.

Phil

[gazz]

"RobertL" wrote

Another thought: what about puttin ga new bleed screwin the other end? perhaps you can remove the plug there more easily thatn getting the original screw to work.

RObert

------------------------

From the OP's description it sounds like he has a rad similar to one of the ones in my living room (this place has a right mixture or rads, no 2 are the same, most are on 15mm but 2 are on that shitty 8mm microbore crap)

anyhoo, if it's the same rad then there's only one bleeder location as there are no end caps at the top of the rad, the bleed screw goes into a boss brazed to the top tank of the rad,

mine was tight as hell when i first went to bleed it, mine is exposed so i was able to use a spanner on it, and wiggeling it left and right till it freed off is what got it loose,

as for the direction to undoo, lefty loosey, righty tighty, but of course as the bleed screw is on the back of the rad pointing to the wall, you have to think as if you were behind the wall, so in this instance righty is loosey, but it's really lefty as your beck to fornt and... oh i'm confusing my self now :)

[Roger Mills]

Yes, that's right. But your original reference to "clockwise when facing it" was misleading - because you *ain't* facing the valve when you're in front of the radiator!

[Tim W]

mogga wibbled on Wednesday 25 November 2009 08:37

Last time I looked into something like those, they had a very finite stated life before maintainance was required...

I'd like them more if they were like the pipe fitted auto bleeders, that you had to activate by unscrewing a valve. Mostly automatic, but after a week or two when tyhe system is fully purged of dissolved air, you can at least lock them off for peace of mind.

As all my pipe drops are from the ceiling down and the feed pipe will go into the top of the rad, I might be able to arrange auto bleeders in the pipework rather than the rads. I'll still have a manual bleed valve on the rad though.

[Tim W]

RobertL wibbled on Wednesday 25 November 2009 09:00

Yes - that's sounds like an excellent idea. Usually the screw in bit of a bleed valve is very light - if you could dump a bit of heat into that alone quickly, it might do the trick.

At least it will almost certainly not damage anything. Definately a plan (a/b)

[Dave Plowman (News)]

There's your problem. Facing it, you turn anti-clockwise to unscrew.

[slider]

Read the other posts. He is not facing it. The bleed screw is on the back of the radiator.

[Baz]

Righty Tighty. Lefty Loosey.

Baz