Do you live in a colder country? Do you find it difficult to survive in the wintertime? well, the cold and freezing temperature outside, especially in the winter can get too much for you to survive, provided you do not have a central heating system. People living in colder countries have already made the central heating system their best friend. Since the central heating system is equipment, it can fail to work at any time. What if the radiators stop working all of a sudden? Or, what if there is some problem with the radiators of the heating system?
Well, when you function with any electrical equipment, you must be aware of the emergencies that might come along. In the case of a central heating system, the primary function of a radiator is to transfer thermal energy from one medium to another. To do this, it first circulates the hot fluid by passing them through the pipes that are exposed. When there is a problem in these pipers or while transferring the fluid, the central heating system fails to work.
When you notice a problem in the central heating system, the best that you can do is to call a radiator maintenance service provider. However, it is not possible to reach out to professional radiator service providers all the time. In that case, you have no other choice but to do it yourself. So, we have come up with a blog on replacing radiators in the central heating system. Therefore, without further delay, let’s get into the details of the blog.
Why should you consider replacing a radiator?
Even if there is no issue in your central heating system, we recommend you replace the radiator for obvious reasons. In most households, replacing the radiator is something that people barely take care of. That is where they make the mistake. Here are some of the valid reasons for replacing your radiators:
- For safety purposes
- For energy efficiency
- For imparting better heating
- For making it match the interior style of your house
When should you replace the radiator?
Certain warning signs tell you about the perfect time to change your radiators. Here are some conditions that you need to consider to replace radiators:
- When you notice that the atmosphere inside the room is not getting warm at all.
- When the radiator has become inefficient to generate any thermal heat.
- When there is a deposition of rust on the radiator.
- When the entire central heating system makes a lot of unwanted noise while running.
With the advancement of technology, these days, radiators have become much more advanced than they were. So, if you have old radiators at home, we recommend you change them soon. This is because, the old ones become inefficient due to rust and corrosion, internal blockages, and leaks or cracks. Having an inefficient radiator does not only mean poor distribution of heat but also higher electricity consumption. So, if you want to save your electricity bills, look for a radiator repair service provider.
Steps to replace a radiator
Now that you have a detailed idea about the conditions under which you need to replace a radiator, it is time to learn the steps that you should follow to replace the radiator. For this, you can call for a professional plumbing service. However, here are the steps you need to follow to replace a radiator if you do not get a professional company to help you.
1. Turn off the water supply
First and foremost, you have to stop the water supply completely. Well, this is not as easy a task as it sounds to be. First, determine where the main water supply is, and then turn off your central heating system. Since the water supply was active for so long, you might experience heat around the radiator. So, let it cool down first.
Now, move on to the valves to switch them off. If required, you can take off the cap from the valve. While removing the caps, make sure to count the number of turns as you will require them while putting the cap back in its original position.
2. Drain the radiator completely
In the next step, you need a bucket and some old towels. Now lay a towel and place the bucket on top of it. This will prevent the floor from becoming soggy with water. Return to the manual control valve and turn it as many times as required to loosen the nut. For better work management, you can use an adjustable spanner.
Followed by this, reach to the top of the radiator to open the air bleed valve with the help of a radiator bleed key. Since, your purpose here is to drain the radiator, make sure to use enough buckets and towels to prevent any accidents.
3. Take off the radiator from the wall
In the third step, you need to do some real hard work. To take the radiator out of the wall, make sure you have properly loosened the screw right at the control end. Now, come to the vertical nut that connects the body of the radiator to the lock shield valve and try to unscrew it slowly.
Ask somebody to hold one end of the radiator while you take charge of the other end. You can open the bottom unit to let the water drain out completely. If required, you can till the radiator a bit and pour the water into a bucket.
4. Install a new radiator
Now is the final task of installing your new radiator in place of the old one. If you want to install new radiator brackets first you need to remove the old brackets and use a screw to fix the new ones on the wall with the help of proper bolts. Since this is a new radiator make sure to choose a proper size that is suitable for the pipe centers.
Conclusion
Therefore replacing radiators even if there is no issue is a must as you do not want to miss out on technological advancements. If you are not confident about replacing the radiators, you can rely on professional plumbing services.