Plastering/radiator help

[shiveringwiggles]

Are there any plumbers or heating engineers on here?

My plasterer has offered to remove these old radiators as part of a whole house plastering job. They will then be disposed of. The plasterer has said he'll leave them capped off ready for the new ones to be put on a few weeks later.

As far as I know, he's only trained as a plasterer/decorator.

Will it be a simple job? Does this sound ok?

I'm worried that it's the sort of thing we'd need a qualified plumber for but it would be VERY convenient to let him do it...

It should be simple enough- we've removed and then put back most of our radiators now as we've decorated the house.

That's reassuring! Was it messy? Did you need to turn anything off beforehand or did you just remove it as is?

It’s a pretty straightforward job. He should be able to drain the radiators individually then cap the pipes to prevent leaks.

Ask him to talk you through what he’s planning to do, and ask about how he’ll dispose of the old radiators.

Believe it or not I just had this problem only mine were being removed for me to paint behind.
If you have a condensing boiler you will have problems as plumber will have to come in and check the boiler is topped up. The slightest leak and you will have no hot water or heating.

@madcatladyforever yikes! If it were to leak, would it be an easy fix for a plumber?

I would expect your plasterer is used to doing this type of this, so he ought to know what he's doing.

You'll probably want to get a plumber in fit the new replacement radiators and top the system back up with water and inhibitor.

Along the lines of Rupster’s comment, it might help to think of this as two distinctly separate jobs each requiring different skills.

Removing the old radiators and capping the pipes is a job which the plasterer, or any reasonably competent DIYer, could carry out.

Installing the new radiators and ensuring all is well, and no leaks or boiler issues, is a job for a plumber/heating engineer.

I wouldn't worry. Easy enough job. DH does all the time. He will be used to it. The system shouldn't lose pressure as he will switch the valves off so the system will be sealed but they are easy to top up anyway.

If you have thermostatic valves, make sure he caps them properly and not to turn them off. If they got too cold (unlikely) they could open and dump water all over the room.

I'm definitely more reassured!

We're asking a heating guy we know to install new radiators once the plaster is up so I'm glad this seems to be the right way to do it!

@madcatladyforever yikes! If it were to leak, would it be an easy fix for a plumber?

Yes you'll need one to check the boiler is ok. There should be a little clock thing at the front of the boiler which shows you the ater level. Check it's not empty or in the red zone after the radiators have been removed. If it's on empty get a plumber in before using the heating or water or the system will be damaged.

I have zero plumbing skills, but removed a radiator in the living room myself. Trickiest part was getting it outside without the residue of the gunky black stuff that builds up inside making a mess.

If you have thermostats on they need to be properly capped off with a stop end, otherwise the valves can be screwed shut