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Post by lollygagger on Apr 18, 2017 15:23:09 GMT
You may be able to drain via the cold fill pipe. When it is all empty, a tee on the cold supply pipe where it goes imto the tank should be fitted. If you put an appliance tap (washing machine tap) on the end of the tee with a blanking cap so it wont leak you will have an easy way to drain down in future, just remove the cap, screw on a washer hose and turn on the tap. Depends. Surecal calorifier have a NRV on the cold inlet, so it wouldn't work to try to drain it from there. That may explain what I was about to ask. The calorifier has no ID marking. It's twin coil, horizontal, 3 pipes on the top, 3 on the bottom, element in the end off centre. The convenient drain point was in between the accumulator and the calorifier cold inlet. That'll probably be why nothings coming out then. All sink taps open to let air in, I hoped. The cold inlet is underneath, the calorifier is almost on the baseplate down a hole cut in the floor, an arm's width from the side. That side is on a couple of lumps of paving slab with wood wedge​d on top which have wandered. The other is on a sharp corner of a timber bearer put in to support the edge of the floor hole and it's eaten into the insulation. It's being supported more or less by the pipes underneath. Not good! Anyway, it's still full of water and if the non-return valve is part of the cold inlet I'm looking for another idea.
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 18, 2017 15:29:49 GMT
Depends. Surecal calorifier have a NRV on the cold inlet, so it wouldn't work to try to drain it from there. Yep, you would need to have the drain point after the nrv - which is where mine is. Sadly a mute point as I can't access it. I've followed the feed pipe with phone camera, there is nothing but pipe all the way. It has a standard ball isolation valve but that's it.
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 18, 2017 15:32:47 GMT
It's not all bad. I watched it leaking so I'm doing the right job, it loosened with a few gentle taps on the spanner (hoorah!) and once empty I can sort the support properly and dry out.
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 18, 2017 15:46:19 GMT
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 18, 2017 15:49:15 GMT
I'm going to have to pump it out with a flexible pipe in though the hot outlet aren't I?
This is madness!
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Post by tonyqj on Apr 18, 2017 15:51:46 GMT
Those new ones look really good from that diagram
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Post by tonyqj on Apr 18, 2017 15:52:23 GMT
I'm going to have to pump it out with a flexible pipe in though the hot outlet aren't I? This is madness! Chuck it out and fit a shiny new one 😜
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Post by Gone on Apr 18, 2017 15:55:10 GMT
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 18, 2017 15:56:18 GMT
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 18, 2017 16:02:57 GMT
I'm going to have to pump it out with a flexible pipe in though the hot outlet aren't I? This is madness! Chuck it out and fit a shiny new one 😜 I'm tempted, they look good don't they? I'll post a pic of the bilge / leak end / mould later. Floor up and sort it out would be ideal, and do away with the second coil and it's defunct plumbing that draws heat away. Or drain it, fit £1 seal, prop it up better and leave it to dry out.
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 18, 2017 16:06:59 GMT
On the other hand it came undone too easy, that makes me suspicious that the calorifier got cracked last time someone did the job and they knew it so barely tightened it.
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 18, 2017 16:25:33 GMT
This is the hot outlet. I'm no plumber but this looks like trouble to me, and it's tiny, no chance of threading a pipe through it. How does one refit it pointing in the right direction? I guess sisal, heaps of sealant and trial and error?
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 18, 2017 16:26:14 GMT
Forgot ze picture.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 18, 2017 17:10:08 GMT
Finding it could be one of two sizes I called the maker who tells me when I remove the element I'll either find an o'ring groove in the calorifier or a flat face. Groove = fit o-ring, flat = fit fibre seal. Also the code starts with A = 2 1/4 bsp and 27 = 270mm long. It'been in there for 29 years so this is probably all prep for tearing the calorifier trying to get it out and replacing the lot. The PO never winterised for 18 years so there is no easy way to drain it down. They either lived on board or left a small heater running. O ring is fine on a flat face - I welded a stainless socket to my cauliflower that I had faced up in the lathe prior to gluing it on.
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Post by lollygagger on Apr 19, 2017 9:29:47 GMT
I think I may have to let the water out into the bilge as I remove the element and deal with it. It's all going to escape at once though and I don't want to! An element is only £30, maybe I could drill through the old one for a more controlled draining. Worse is that if it still leaks I'd have to do it all again as I can't see any way of introducing a fitting to make it easier.
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