A fully pumped central heating system can be drained to enable work to be carried out. fitting a temperature radiator valve or swapping a faulty radiator are common instances. Usually, this will be done by a professional, however, it is a job that can be completed by a competent DIYer can perform who has some understanding of heating systems. If not, for any DIY enthusiasts that wants to give it a go and save some money, these days there are many guides online, in video and text format that can help complete these types of jobs without too much difficulty.
In most cases a thourough cleaning of the central heating is performed to clean the steel radiators. In advance of doing anything to the actual steel radiator itself you should turn off the central heating boiler and also any gas or electric that feeds the heating boiler. To be sure the system is totally clear you will need to be certain that no water is going into the central heating system.
Ball Valves
Your gas central heating system is filled up with water that comes from the tank. A widely used ball valve is put to use in the expansion cistern resembling the one used in many toilet systems.
How It Works
Once the water reaches it's highest level the ball floats on the top and closes the valve. As the water level drops, from something like cleaning, the ball falls lower in the tank venting the valve and letting more water to go into the gas central heating system.
Precautions
Water should not be permitted to go into the gas heating system if the clearing procedure is to finish fully. To stop any further water going in the the valve needs to be disabled / turned off.
Drain It Out
As soon as you have completed the above set up a pipeline from an outside empty to the outlet that is situated at the lower end of one of your steel radiators. The water from your heating radiator will stream through the pipeline and out of your steel radiator.
No Water
Of course, if you want to empty the complete gas heating system you will need to attach the hose to one of the level metal radiators. You now need to be thorough and make double sure that all the water has been drained out and that practically zero water is getting into the system before any other servicing is taken out on the gas heating system.
If you need to complete this procedure quickly you can also open the bleed valves on the heating radiators on the higher floors of a residence. When the water is drained out you are free to repeat the exercise on the rest of your steel radiators.
