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DRAINING
DOWN A SYSTEM |
Open vented systems only
Occasionally you
may need to empty the system in order to carry out some work on it
– maybe to repair a leak or fit another radiator. Before doing
so, you must switch off the boiler, disconnect it from the power
supply and turn off the gas supply or, in the case of a solid fuel
boiler, ensure that the fire is out.
Turn off the water
supply to the feed and expansion tank. If you don’t have a valve
for this, or simply can’t find it, tie up the ball cock with a
piece of string round a length of wood across the top of the
cistern.
Connect a hose to the
drain cock which is normally found at the lowest point in the pipe work.
Use a jubilee clip to secure it. Place the other end of the hose
outside to discharge into a gulley.
Open the drain cock using a pair of pliers and allow the water to
begin emptying. Now, go round opening the air bleed valves on the
upstairs radiators to allow air in to replace the water. If you
don’t, it’s a bit like holding a drinking-straw full of water
with your finger over the top end – the water won’t come out.
There may be additional vent points in some systems so check for
these as well.
As the level of water in the system drops below the height of the
downstairs radiators, you can go round doing the same thing for
the lower radiators. If the level hasn’t dropped far enough,
water will be pushed out of the vents rather than air sucked in.
When no more water comes from the hose, the system should be
empty. However, it is always possible that some water has been
airlocked, so take care.
Refilling
Close the drain
cock and all the air bleed valves which were opened to help drain
the system. Turn the water supply to the cistern back on.
Now, open and bleed
the downstairs air bleed valves first, then the upstairs ones.
Once all this has been done, the cistern will stop filling as the
ballcock closes off the water. The level of water should be just
enough to float the ballcock. More than this, and there will not
be enough room for expansion as the system heats up. If necessary,
adjust the ballcock.
Check any work that you have carried out to ensure that there are
no leaks, then reconnect the power supply and turn the gas cock
back on. Re light the pilot light following the boiler maker’s
instructions and fire up the boiler. Remember to turn up the
thermostat if needs be.
You’ll need to go
round bleeding the air bleed valves again as the system heats up,
and may need to do this a few times over the next day or two as
the air from the water is driven out.
Finally, once the
system is up to temperature, inspect for leaks again. This is very
important as a connection which is watertight when cold may expand
and leak when warm.
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