How to remove a radiator to paint the wall behind?
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Answers:
do this in order or you will regret it !
1. turn your heating off and water at the stop ****
2. drain the radiator and water system
3. get a spanner big enough to fit the nut holding the thermostate and pipe either side of radiator and take it off
4. paint your wall. and wait for it to dry
5. put raddiator back on and make sure nuts are very tight.
6. turn water back on
7. wait for system to refil
8. put heating back on
job done!!!
if you dont fill confident call a plumber or heating engineer and ask their advice
You don't need to. no one paints behind the radiator. Just paint as far in as possible and no one will notice.
The best way to paint behind a radiator is to get a very slim "radiator roller" with a long handle. If the rads are old they could be impossible to remove without damaging them.
one of the taps at the bottom is a turn off valve .(the one you need grippers to turn..!)..turn off , undo the rad from the pipes ,,,,,towel and bucket at the ready .water from the rad will come out when undone straight away, so be quick ..
alternative ...get a bit of wood 4x4 ..lay in front of the rad ..loosen conections to the rad .(towel under each end ...) lift rad up , lay on 4x4 timber (still conected) ...tighten conections ....Ie ,,,the rad is now laying down...
Don't remove it , use a "slim jim " or "peanut" roller like this http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/stor...
They are very narrow and you should be able to get behind it.
Turn both valves off there is one at each side of the radiator at the bottom ,put a bowl under the valve loosen the big union nut off a full turn,leaving the valve on the pipe and not on the radiator,loosen the bleed screw ,and water will start to come out of the radiator ,when all the water has drained off screw the union all the way off ,you might have to tap the valve to break the seal ,loosen the other side off and the radiator should lift off the wall brackets .
Turn the water off, drain the system completely from the system drain point, open the air vent on the rads starting upstairs and working your way down, you need 2 correct sized spanners, or 2 adjustable spanners to loosen the nuts, one to hold the valve still so you dont damage the pipe or the connection to the pipe, shut all the air vents, when your done refit the rad turn the water on part way, then vent the rads up starting at the bottom, if you have a cylinder you may need to vent the pipes on the side of the cylinder, if a combi type, a filling loop will be below the boiler to re-pressurise the system, it is probably fair to tell you that it is probably a bad idea for you to attempt this without some knowledge, it is also a good idea to re-introduce some inhibitor to the system while filling up!
go to b and q and buy a rad roller
you're better off not doing it - just paint up to the edges as far as the brush will go, use a small brush to reach further.
To take the radiator off you need to drain it which is a load of hassle and will probably result in pools of water on the floor and dripping through the floor boards
I highly recommend leaving the radiator in place; it could become a huge project if something goes wrong (like if rusty joints break). You would also need to bleed the system to get the air out; big pain in the neck.
Why paint behind the radiator anyway? I would look for something reflective to put back there; that way it will never discolor with heat and it will send more heat away from the wall and into the room. You might even want shiny insulation back there, which I have seen in hardware stores. Easy installation, too.
If you MUST, put Saran wrap on the radiator, tie a rope to a sponge and pull it up to paint the wall. Once it's dry, remove the Saran wrap. A squeegee might work, too.
Hi
First things firt WHY ARE YOU WANTING TO PAINT BEHIND IT.
If it is totally necessary usually u have to just lift it out of its clamps but when u do this have paint ready coz the radiators dont go down all the way just partially.
CHEERS NOSH
i would leave it alone,experience has thought me that if something does not have to be done leave it alone,especially when it comes to water,and you don"t have the experience,i have been doing plumbing for 35 years so i know and i am good at it.
You have two options.Buy a long handle radiator brush with a cranked head and paint behind the radiator.
Or make sure the heating is off,turn the rad valves off both sides,undo the nuts till nearly loose, get youself a container, fully undo the nuts, perhaps depending on the size of the rad you might need help in tipping the rad to one side and lift the rad off the brackets on the wall and tip the water into a container and put to one side.
Ensure the valves are not bypassing water from the system and are turned off fully, Iget a coin and put it into the valve and use the end of a compression head and tighten this over the valve.Once the job is done it is a good idea to paint or spray the rad, depending on how old and condition of rad. Refix rad onto hangers, connect valves either side ensuring you dont crossthread and tighten.Turn valves on and turn heating on, then wait till it gets hot. Turn heating off wait till it gets cold and bleed the system. If you have a combination boiler the bar pressure will have dropped probably to below 1 bar top up to approx 1 and a half bar with the loop connected and monitor pressure for leaks and check rad valves. If you are unsure about this get a corgi reg plumber.
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