Radiator bleed valve stuck. Nipple rounded off. Problem solved. Inexpensive and easy fix.
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- Опубликовано: 6 фев 2023
- New radiator pah! I fixed it for pennies! A heating engineer could not undo the bleed valve because the nipple, usually square, was completely round. Obviously someone had failed to loosen the valve which would not have been helped by such a short gap between the radiator and the wall. I bet they did not have a proper key or simply it had seized tight over years of not being bled.
The engineer said I would have to drill out the valve or buy a whole new radiator. The first idea was a non-starter because of the proximity to the side wall and the second sounded too expensive, and not good environmentally.
As I did not have bent pointy-nose pliers I decided to try to force a tiny socket on. Again, the gap was a problem and I had to use the hammer side-on. The 5mm socket from my garage tool kit was slightly too big. It did grip, but not enough to turn the valve. So, out came the cheap socket set I keep in my campervan. It had a super range of tiny sockets so I tried the 4.5mm one. Although it was crooked when I had hammered it on, it actually worked.
You might hear in my voice, I was a bit surprised! And as you can also hear by the hissing, the radiator had masses of air in it.
I will wait till the boiler engineer comes to do a service and other jobs, and I will put a replacement valve in.
I'm sure when I inspect the steel socket that it will not have been damaged by being forced on to a softer brass nipple.
Hope this helps you. Please remember to give Thumbs up and even Subscribe. Thanks for watching. 
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LOL this is absolute genius! Technique worked to help me turn the bleed valve! Unfortunately I got water right away so a bleed wasn't the problem...onto the next problem lol
Excellent. Yes it helps to eliminate the possibility of one problem to go on to tackle the next. Good luck my friend.
Excellent tip. Just save me £150 quote from the plumber - worked a treat on a totally jammed bleed valve. Bathroom nice and warm again! Many thanks
Fantastic I'm so pleased! Thanks for commenting.
Nice! I did something similar but covered the valve with a couple sheets of ptfe tape and tap on the key making it tight, managed to save the radiator key afterwards too. Might be worth a go with a socket too if you didn't have a key to hand
Excellent buddy, thanks for the tip
I have 3 old radiators on my system with these nipples that are stuck, no good with normal key
I may replace them next year but in the mean time I'm going to try this trick
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍
Good luck. Thanks for commenting. Merry Christmas
This looks like a great idea & should (hopefully) save me the additional cost of having to replace my radiator after having a boiler replacement & 22mm gas pipe upgrade. I have a pair of self locking needle nosed pliers, so going to try this first on the grub screw. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try your idea as I have plenty of small socket sets. 😀
Thanks David. Yes you've had enough outlay to contend with. Maybe I might try a tap with a hammer and punch to break the seal before using the pliers? Good luck.
Thank you soo much lots of air came out it worked fab ❤
Superb! I'm so glad.
Respect! Sorted.
Aww that's fab!
Good thinking Batman
Thanks Dean.
@@leelovesnature Will be trying it out soon Lee !
Good luck Dean!
easi bleed 10mm bit simple easy job done used it a few times now on old systems
Thanks David. Is that a tool available to buy? Can you send a link for viewers? I'll then include it in the description. Ta.
Hi mate lovely video very useful.
Just one question a customer of mine has put too much pressure in the boiler and the easiest way to take the water out is through a bleed valve on a rad. What other methods are there?
Thanks for your compliment. I'm not a plumber or heating engineer so refer you to the link below. Has the customer accidentally left the filling loop open? My boiler has a filter right next to it so it's easy to open the valve there. Also the radiator in the down stairs hall has a relief cock that our engineer attached a long hose to and emptied the system out into the street. Good luck.
idealheating.com/tips-and-advice/boiler-pressure-too-high-heres-how-to-fix-it
drain valve in the boiler, or PRV in the system or open a fitting and use wet vac, find the highest point in the system
Unfortunately mine is at the back of the radiator. I’ve gone through many keys and they’re useless.
Oh that's a shame. Yes keys are often hopeless. It seems a bad design overall tbh.
Same here. Have you come across any good hacks ?
If you can't even access the bleed nipple then your chance of loosening it is surely zilch? Seems like you need to remove the radiator. Best of luck.
@@leelovesnature yep I’m afraid that’s the case.