Kudos rad. - bleed nipple

[Jimk]

Are these plugs plastic?

[PeterC]

Just had a new Kudos rad. from SF. It has 4 plugs per panel so the bottom 2 will come out of one panel for supply and return. That leaves 2 plugs at the bottom of the other panel (it's a type 22) and 4 plugs at the top. a). are these plugs OK at rad. temperatures? and b). do the top plugs function as bleed nipples? There are 4 little holes in each plug but I don't know what they do. I wanted a Stelrad but couldn't get one at a reasonable price (Wickes was OK but the limit for free delivery was increased from £50 to £75 just before I was ready to order).

[Tricky Dicky]

A photo might help because your description does not match the last Kudox type 22 radiator I bought which had two valve ports at the bottom and two similar ones at the top for which a blanking plug with ?O? ring to fit in one and a bleed valve similarly to fit in the other. Looking at the picture on the Screwfix website that is still the case for Kudox type 22 radiators. I have at a previous property had a type 22 radiator by another manufacturer that had separate bleed valves for each panel but did not require blanking plugs and typical of most radiators only two valve ports at the bottom.

Richard

[alan_m]

The screwfix site says that they come with a blanking plug and a vent plug (possibly in a separate bag)

[Tricky Dicky]

Just read Jim?s post, are you referring to the plastic stoppers that are fitted to prevent any residual water from pressure testing at the factory from leaking out? These unscrew and are disposed, as someone else has pointed out there should be a bag with the blanking plug and bleed nipple as well as the radiator brackets.

Richard

[alan_m]

This video shows what you should have got with the radiator.

The plugs in the radiator are plastic and may have also been inserted to prevent the paint/powder coating getting on the threads. As above, they unscrew using a 10mm flat blade screwdriver and should be discarded. Another Youtube video shows they may have been "painted in" and it may be difficult to break that bond before they turn.

[alan_m]

Laurel and Hardy showing not how to do it

Kudox: How to remove the inlet thread plugs from a radiator

Just scroll up the page a bit from the bleed instruction

Some screwdrivers have flats on the shaft or handle so that you can use a spanner to turn the blade.

[PeterC]

Thanks - brain fart yesterday, couldn't get even the name correct! Didn't have time to unpack it and also seem to have developed a tendency to leave some things for several days before touching them. Yup, just as you say.

Re. the painted-in plugs: if the reviews on SF are sorted in 'honest' order (lowest first) there's mention of this and in some cases paint coming off around the boss. I'll try a couple of things: see if a craft knife will cut into the paint hard up against the plug then gently tap the plu inwards using a drift and a light hammer. This could break the seal and make it easier to remove. I have a big screwdiver but will try to find something the really fits the slots. Did this at work for some screws on military hardware so the the driver was the perfect size and was ground slighly undercut to avoid damage to the slot. MoD didn't like damage on a $100k+ bit of kit!

Apologies for false alarm and thanks for the info.

[alan_m]

If the plug is proud of the surface placing a flat piece of wood over the top of the plug before hitting with a hammer is likely to be safer.

[PeterC]

Good point.

[RJH]

The 'right way up' guidance looks odd to me - in the diagram, the fins look evenly spaced top-bottom. And why would it not get hot at the top if installed upside down?

All the recent rads I've fitted have a rounded top and a 'sharp' bottom. At least I assumed that's the right way round . . .

[Andy Burns]

Wonder if he uses the same PIN on his bank cards?