Today was radiator removal day. I had been warned by Paul not to do it myself.... I think mainly because, like most regular people, things like plumbing and electrical are somewhat a mystery to us. I guess that's why plumbers and electricians can get away with charging a fortune for their services.
Luckily (ha ha) for me, I have Google. If some 16yr old in Ukraine can find out how to build a bomb or hack into NASA via Google, I'm pretty confident I can handle simple plumbing. Can't be that hard, can it?
I did a little research beforehand. Watched a radiator removal on YouTube and even sought instruction from a heating/air con guy I know. (even spent two days with a radiator key in my pocket.... becoming one with the radiator.... ;o)
Things you need to remove a radiator. Old rags or towels, wrench, radiator key, bucket and a small bowl.
Step 1: turn off the thermostat valve (lefty loosey, righty tighty - thanks Catherine Willows from CSI!) Or for people like me... it's the valve on the same side as the bleed valve on the top of the rad.
Step 2: loosen the large nut attached to the radiator and slide the bowl under the connection to catch the water.
Step 3: open the bleed valve
Step 4: let the rad drain as much as possible.
Step 5: undo the other side in order to lift the rad off the wall. And this is where it gets hairy...
Filled with confidence after getting this far, I took the wrench to the other nut and gave it a tug. No movement. Applied a little more force... nothing. Although I did notice the pipe going into the other side was bending. OH SH*T. Then the paint flaked off.... D@MN IT! Then the water started to drip.... @(*%_%£(&@!!&(!?
So I've bent the pipe and now it's leaking. I am She-Ra!! I can bend pipe dude!
Here's a general representation of the text I sent to my heating/air con friend.
"HELP!!!!! Can you come over and help me please?"
Paul's gonna kill me. Although he says he's not going to beat me first.
;-) Pictures to follow.
Mother's Day in the UK tomorrow. Am I the only one in the world who's looking forward to an entire day of uninterrupted DIY? ... After the champagne breakfast in bed.
Night all!
Luckily (ha ha) for me, I have Google. If some 16yr old in Ukraine can find out how to build a bomb or hack into NASA via Google, I'm pretty confident I can handle simple plumbing. Can't be that hard, can it?
I did a little research beforehand. Watched a radiator removal on YouTube and even sought instruction from a heating/air con guy I know. (even spent two days with a radiator key in my pocket.... becoming one with the radiator.... ;o)
Things you need to remove a radiator. Old rags or towels, wrench, radiator key, bucket and a small bowl.
Step 1: turn off the thermostat valve (lefty loosey, righty tighty - thanks Catherine Willows from CSI!) Or for people like me... it's the valve on the same side as the bleed valve on the top of the rad.
Step 2: loosen the large nut attached to the radiator and slide the bowl under the connection to catch the water.
Step 3: open the bleed valve
Step 4: let the rad drain as much as possible.
Step 5: undo the other side in order to lift the rad off the wall. And this is where it gets hairy...
Filled with confidence after getting this far, I took the wrench to the other nut and gave it a tug. No movement. Applied a little more force... nothing. Although I did notice the pipe going into the other side was bending. OH SH*T. Then the paint flaked off.... D@MN IT! Then the water started to drip.... @(*%_%£(&@!!&(!?
So I've bent the pipe and now it's leaking. I am She-Ra!! I can bend pipe dude!
Here's a general representation of the text I sent to my heating/air con friend.
"HELP!!!!! Can you come over and help me please?"
Paul's gonna kill me. Although he says he's not going to beat me first.
;-) Pictures to follow.
Mother's Day in the UK tomorrow. Am I the only one in the world who's looking forward to an entire day of uninterrupted DIY? ... After the champagne breakfast in bed.
Night all!
You get mother's day, I get my birthday. Knowing both our men, I think you'll get the better day.
ReplyDelete