Rounded radiator bleed valve help

ExRayTed · 9 Nov 2018 at 16:53

Hi all,

As per the title, have a radiator with a rounded bleed valve. I'm trying to find a pair of needle nose angled mole grips to get it bled but am having no luck. Anyone help with a tool that would do the job? The valve faces the wall with maybe 2/3 inches of clearance.

Bearing in mind that my DIY skills are non existent what options do I have other than the above? I'd really rather not take the radiator off the wall (but will andif I need to) and I'd rather do it myself if possible - would certainly earn me some man-points with the wife.

Thanks for any help.

bremen1874 · 9 Nov 2018 at 17:08

Could you take a picture as the bleed valves vary between radiators?

I assume that '2/3 inches' is 50-75mm not 17mm?

Mr.E. · 9 Nov 2018 at 17:42

Could you not, carefully, loosen the whole valve using a spanner ? Or replace the valve completely

Mr.E. · 9 Nov 2018 at 17:48

Copied from the internet...

Shut off both valves either side of the radiator (you'll either have a thermostatic one and a "lockshield" or a pair of "lockshields", the thermostat can be turned off by hand obviously, the lockshild will need you to take a spanner to it and turn it clockwise to shut it off. Your radiator is now isolated.

Get a spanner the size of your bleed point and unscrew it anti-clockwise. Do this with a dish below the radiator or a jug/cloth ensemble to catch the water that comes out, after a few seconds the water will stop. Clean the inside of the radiator to clear and debris to allow a tight fit for the new one. Assuming your new bleed point comes with an o-ring/washer attached just get your trusty spanner and screw it clockwise untill you get a fair bit of resistance. If your bleed valve doesn't come with a seal, wrap some ptfe tape around the thread or a little joining paste. Don't over-tighten.

An easy job to do

Sin_Chase · 9 Nov 2018 at 18:15

A full replacement as above is the correct thing to do.

As a quick workaround you could demel a slot and use a 90 degree bend flat head

Showboat · 9 Nov 2018 at 23:14

Need a picture to properly advise, anytime i've had one facing the wall, i've never been able to get it out.. even after taking it off the wall. Tried dremel drill to make way for a screwdriver, no joy.
Ended up having to replace radiator.. if you've not done that before! Strap in and spend half a day watching you tube vids! Whatever fixings you have for existing rad (on wall) will be unlikely to fit the new rad. I hope you have a bit of give with the pipes and its not a concrete floor!

bremen1874 · 9 Nov 2018 at 23:27

No idea whether they work or not, but you can get these to add an additional bleed screw https://easibleed.co.uk/.

TripleT · 10 Nov 2018 at 08:17

Mr.E. said:
Copied from the internet...

Shut off both valves either side of the radiator (you'll either have a thermostatic one and a "lockshield" or a pair of "lockshields", the thermostat can be turned off by hand obviously, the lockshild will need you to take a spanner to it and turn it clockwise to shut it off. Your radiator is now isolated.

Get a spanner the size of your bleed point and unscrew it anti-clockwise. Do this with a dish below the radiator or a jug/cloth ensemble to catch the water that comes out, after a few seconds the water will stop. Clean the inside of the radiator to clear and debris to allow a tight fit for the new one. Assuming your new bleed point comes with an o-ring/washer attached just get your trusty spanner and screw it clockwise untill you get a fair bit of resistance. If your bleed valve doesn't come with a seal, wrap some ptfe tape around the thread or a little joining paste. Don't over-tighten.

An easy job to do

Do this, you'll lose some water but just top the system back up.

Fourstar · 10 Nov 2018 at 19:44

If following the advice posted by Mr.E. you will need to take account of the radiator balancing and restore it after replacing the bleed valve.

On one side where the pipe meets the radiator will be a thermostatic valve or a cap that allows you to manually turn on/off the radiator. On the other side there should be a dust cap under which you'll find the lockshield valve. This is most likely to be partially open and you need to record the number of turns it takes to close then open it the same number of turns when you are finished.

Each radiator is likely to have this balancing valve open a different amount. This is so every radiator from the one closest to the boiler to the one at the far end of your system heats up at the same rate and provides good output.