Replacing radiator valve: job for plumbing newbie?

[bruce_phipps]

My kitchen radiator (its the one nearest the boiler) doesn't warm up as much as the other rads in the house.

I suspect the radiator valve may be faulty as the thread seems knackered -- the valve feels loose and turning it has no effect on the radiator temp.

Say I planned to remove the existing thermostatic valve and replace with a basic replacement such as:

Part No: 5013866047183 at

Would this job be within the scope of a plumbing newbie such as myself, who has no specialised plumbing tools.

Thanks Bruce

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Have you checked there's no air in it? And also measured the temperature of the pipes going in and coming out?

If you mean a TRV, remove the top and see if the pin moves down against spring pressure, and returns to the up position. It's this that is likely to be stuck. Tapping it with a hammer might just free it. Give it a squirt of WD40 or similar before.

It depends. Obviously, you'd need to drain the system. And make sure the replacement is identical. Not all the threads, etc, always are between makes, and unless you can remove the olive on the pipe, you'll need to use this and the nut from the 'old' one.

[zymurgy]

myself,

It is a relatively simple job if you drain the system down first. There are ways and means to change the valve without draining down, but the potential to flood your house with black staining water is very great if you're a beginner at it.

Tools required are very basic, couple of wrenches and a hacksaw will do it. The old olive can be tricky to get off if it's been on a while.

Cheers,

Paul.

[bruce_phipps]

Thanks. I'll check for a stuck TRV first before I start removing radiators.

Bruce

[Dave Philips]

When you refill the central heating system, you'll need to add inhibitor to the water supply tank, to de-oxygenate the water, otherwise your rads will begin to rust from the inside...