Radiator valve identification please

[harrycatcat1]

This radiator at my daughters has been on for 25 + years and has been covered up with a radiator cover for a long time. It has not got warm for I don't know how long. She's on holiday so I decided to take the radiator cover off and bleed it. I turned the heating on and the pipes leading to the radiator get hot but not the radiator.  The valve is turned on so I'm assuming that the valve is full of muck. In my wisdom I tapped it to see if I could loosen anything but it started leaking so put a bowl underneath and ceased work.  It's now stopped dripping.  The plumber is coming next week but I thought if I could identify the valve and get one it would save him time chasing about.

 

Edited August 27, 2022 by harrycatcat1

[Stonepark]

[old'un]

I am not a plumber but I have never seen a valve with two inlets/outlets on one valve, are there any pipes on the left of the rad? the pipe looks like 10mm microbore?

 

 

[Yellow Bear]

Twin entry radiator valve  -  fairly common on microbore

[oldypigeonpopper]

Hello, I would look at a new rad and valves , the pipe looks 15mm to me ? Unless olduns right on micro bore, if the latters the case I'm sure you can still get same valves and rad, micro bore heating systems were popular then, 

Edited August 27, 2022 by oldypigeonpopper

[B725]

Twin entry valve the return inside the valve has a length of pipe two thirds into the radiator, they stopped making them year's ago, rubbish when new never mind now. Only solution is to fit two new valves they usually are 8mm but a few were 10mm.

Microbore heating was a quick and cheaper way of installing heating but very really done correctly. 

[harrycatcat1]

Thanks very much for the advice,  I think I will leave it up to to plumber to sort out 👍👍👍

It is micro bore but don't know if 8mm or 10mm I would only get the wrong one anyway. I'm sure he will sort it. 

ps I thought about changing the radiator too, I will ask him.

[B725]

Change the radiator but fit 15mm radiator valves then reduce down to the pipe size it makes it a bit easier if you have to change the valve in the future, it also gives a slightly better flow rate through the valves as there is slightly less restriction. 

[Jaymo]

Without inspection then I would say the rad doesn’t look to be in the best condition. 
Replace with a type 21 to maintain slim profile behind the rad cover, unless space not a prob and can fit a type 22. 
 

[harrycatcat1]

2 hours ago, B725 said:

Change the radiator but fit 15mm radiator valves then reduce down to the pipe size it makes it a bit easier if you have to change the valve in the future, it also gives a slightly better flow rate through the valves as there is slightly less restriction. 

Thank you 👍

2 hours ago, Jaymo said:

Without inspection then I would say the rad doesn’t look to be in the best condition. 
Replace with a type 21 to maintain slim profile behind the rad cover, unless space not a prob and can fit a type 22. 
 

Thank you 👍

[amateur]

The chances are that the microbore is blocked as well.

We, unfortunately, have it in our, now 30 year old, new-build. I replace it wherever I can. Awful stuff.

[harrycatcat1]

1 hour ago, amateur said:

The chances are that the microbore is blocked as well.

We, unfortunately, have it in our, now 30 year old, new-build. I replace it wherever I can. Awful stuff.

Well, when I put the heating on the two pipes going into the valve were very hot but the heat didn't go into the radiator. Whether rightly or wrongly I assumed that the valve was blocked.

[ph5172]

Can you not convert it to a standard setup and just buy a new rad and standard valves. 
 

I have seen pushfit used a lot recently. 

[Yellow Bear]

6 minutes ago, ph5172 said:

have seen pushfit used a lot recently.

Can cause a sealing problem on painted  pipes.

[old'un]

2 hours ago, amateur said:

The chances are that the microbore is blocked as well.

We, unfortunately, have it in our, now 30 year old, new-build. I replace it wherever I can. Awful stuff.

Our house built in the 1930s had central heating fitted in 1980 and all the pipe work to the rads is 10mm microbore, never had a days problem with it, mind you I do drain it down every couple of years and add new scale inhibitor.

[B725]

If you look at the picture you can see the pipe coming from the centre of the valve and the pipe should be around 3/4 of the length of the radiator to disperse the heat across the radiator, as both pipes got hot it's just circulating through the valve, the pipe is either missing or dropped out of the centre of the valve. 

[harrycatcat1]

1 hour ago, B725 said:

If you look at the picture you can see the pipe coming from the centre of the valve and the pipe should be around 3/4 of the length of the radiator to disperse the heat across the radiator, as both pipes got hot it's just circulating through the valve, the pipe is either missing or dropped out of the centre of the valve. 

That makes sense 👍👍

[TIGHTCHOKE]

And a reminder to leave things alone!    

[harrycatcat1]

45 minutes ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

And a reminder to leave things alone!    

Your not flippin jesting 🤣

It needs sorting though but I never expected all this. It's in a downstairs toilet and it's freezing in winter.

[Blackpowder]

On 27/08/2022 at 11:43, old'un said:

I am not a plumber but I have never seen a valve with two inlets/outlets on one valve, are there any pipes on the left of the rad? the pipe looks like 10mm microbore?

 

 

One pope from the valve reaches along the radiator base to create a circulation.

 

Blackpowder

 

[TIGHTCHOKE]

On 27/08/2022 at 20:26, harrycatcat1 said:

Your not flippin jesting 🤣

It needs sorting though but I never expected all this. It's in a downstairs toilet and it's freezing in winter.

Walk upstairs then!  

[harrycatcat1]

11 hours ago, TIGHTCHOKE said:

Walk upstairs then!  

😉👍

[harrycatcat1]

Job sorted 👌 

 

[JKD]

Now just the small task of redecorating 🤭🤣

[harrycatcat1]

45 minutes ago, JKD said:

Now just the small task of redecorating 🤭🤣

Yes and the radiator cover doesn't fit 😳😳