New radiator - do the lot at once?

poppysocks1

We are going to change the radiator in the spare room to a newer one with a thermostat. If we do the one, would it make it worthwhile to do the others that we want to change to newer ones in other rooms at the same time or does it make no difference? Does the plumber have to drain the whole system or can they do one at a time?
Thanks in advance! I have no idea on this at all. We are getting our house done up a room at a time, easier for us as not all rooms need doing but the radiators need doing in other rooms as well.

Tucker

I would do it in one go myself.

It might be possible to change rads without draining the system if the new rad is the same width as the old one and no alteration to the pipework is required. But it's wise to drain it, flush it all out and replace with fresh inhibitor.

If you are getting someone in to do it, you will spend more to get them back each time than doing it all together.

phill99

If you are changing the valve for a TRV, then the system will need to be drained down. While it is drained down it is sensible and more economical to get the others changed at the same time.

andrew-b

Yep makes more sense to do all at once. Draining down the system and refilling is easy enough but quite time consuming - so if your employing someone to do this for you think £'s. When the system is refilled chemical corrosion inhibitor should be added . Last bottle of this i bought was maybe £15 - clearly you don't want to keep on pouring it down the drain everytime the system is drained. You could run without inhibitor but you risk corrosion to your new rads whilst waiting for the rest to be fitted.
Though then again if your going to fit all new rads now and then take them off one by one to decorate behind (i find this easier than painting around and shoving brushes behind the top inch or two!) you'll still have to keep topping up with inhibitor (too much does no harm..too little does).

poppysocks1

Thanks

Yes the other rooms may need the walls replastering - so should we get the new radiator put then, or the during the first phase when we are getting the office room replastered and a new radiator? This seems to be the problem.

andrew-b

Ugh..it's never straightforward what order to do things in is it lol! We're doing a similar thing of a room at a time though apart from the bathroom we're keeping the existing rads and just tarting them up with a coat or two of paint.

For plastering the rads need to come off and usually you'd also remove the brackets holding them to the wall and reattach after plastering.

An idea for you... (assuming your doing straight swaps of old for new rads)..get TRVs fitted now to all the existing rads you want them on (but not on the rad in room with a room thermostat) and when refilling the whole system add the full amount of inhibitor required. This will reduce your heating bills throughout house straight off..then replace the actual rads themselves as you go. When you get to a room that needs the rad off for plastering then your not undoing work already done. You then don't have to drain down the whole system everytime you move on to the next room to decorate - just the rad in that room. Then you top up the system with some of another bottle of inhibitor everytime you replace a radiator for a new one. Probably two bottles of inhibitor in total including the one after fitting TRVs. If your employing the services of a plumber there is then less work involved at each visit.

With this approach of room by room you would save yourself more money if you did this yourself. I think we paid something like £30 parts and labour for each TRV fitted ..though that was part of the job for our boiler change when the system was drained down anyway - and before i'd taken on diy plumbing! Some will jump to the challenge..others will run a mile so upto you

poppysocks1

Thank you Andrew, that seems good, however I dont totally trust myself to do it and get it correct (I dont even know where to put the inhibitor in!), so may have to leave it that it is done room by room and pay out a bit more. Just dont want to make a mess of it.

new_home_owner_3

There easy enough to do ive just changed a few trv's,as for the inhibitor try toolstation they do bottles for about 5 pound, which will do your whole system.

Ive just had to change all my vent valves and new TRV'S, on old radiators, the only problem i had was new TRV's are 15 or 10mm my rads where that old they had old imperial 1 inch radiaitor valves, so i had to change them aswell, which can be quite fiddly.

heres a link for the inhibitor

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Heating/Central+Heating+Additives/d230/sd3235

and the valves are cheap aswell

http://www.toolstation.com/shop/Heating/Radiator+Valves/Thermostatic+Radiator+Valve+10+15mm/d230/sd2762/p80954

i even looked on youtube and it shows you how to drain the system, here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cqDY9H_XO4&NR=1&feature=fvwp