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Draining heating system

  • 09-02-2010 10:31pm
    #1
    irishguy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,300 ✭✭✭


    Could anyone tell me how I would go about draining my central heating system? Its an open vented gas system. I cant seem to see any valve to drain the system. I had a look at the F&E tank, it has 4 pipes going into it (at the bottom) all with valves (that are open). There doesnt appear to be a ballcock to fill it up either. Ideas??


Comments

  • #2
    ART6
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,632 ✭✭✭ART6


    Somewhere in the system, possibly close to the boiler, there should be a drain valve. Normally they are small, with a hose connection sticking out at an angle. The top will have a square headed screw that looks like a radiator bleed screw. If you find it be careful not to take the screw right out or the water will spurt out there and not go down the hose.

    Where the tank is concerned, maybe it is connected to the main water tank, which may be why it has no ballcock. In that case you will need to close off the filling pipe to the heating system or you'll be trying to drain two tanks.


  • #3
    adzar
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14 ✭adzar


    Firstly you have to stop the water in the tank in the attic,get some normal plastic bags and put a bit of insulation in teh bag then jam the bag into the pipe from the inside of the tank this will stop the water filling the system plus it will also stop an airlock happening in the system when you are refilling the system.If there is nowhere that you can see to drain the system,go to the nearest radiator and close it off.disconnect the radiator and drain the system from the flow pipe.


  • #4
    irishguy
    Registered Users Posts: 3,300 ✭✭✭irishguy


    adzar wrote: »
    Firstly you have to stop the water in the tank in the attic,get some normal plastic bags and put a bit of insulation in teh bag then jam the bag into the pipe from the inside of the tank this will stop the water filling the system plus it will also stop an airlock happening in the system when you are refilling the system.If there is nowhere that you can see to drain the system,go to the nearest radiator and close it off.disconnect the radiator and drain the system from the flow pipe.

    I must have a look around the system, but there doesnt appear to be a valve to drain the system. It was put in 10 years ago, so you think they would be required to put in a way of draining the system.


  • #5
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Some plumbers are so confident of their work not leaking they don't fit drain offs, it's rare for me to see a drain point and i think it's lazy plumbing not to fit them. In a ideal world you would have one by the front door or the back or if your really lucky both depending on the type of system, if you don't have one then the easiest way round it would be to use a washing machine connector to cut in to the pipe, then you can drain down and replace it with a compression fitting with a drain off fitted to it, Gary.


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