CONNECTING A NEW RADIATOR ONTO EXISTING PIPE WORK..Sometimes it’s tricky. REAL WORLD PLUMBING 

When i started work aged 15 in 1969 at a medium sized industrial heating firm, everything around radiators was hand screwed iron pipe. Schools circuits might start off in 2" and diminish to around 1" at circuit ends, radiator sticks had to be offset by hand, and flow risers kept perfectly in line with radiator edges as the clerk of works would walk around eyeing them up. Boilers were delivered in sections, the biggest i can remember was the Robin Hood Colonel ,and the Beeston Brigadier. We had to prepare bases, somehow get the sections into place, clean all the ports and nipples, lightly oil them and then place them in position, one by one, and pass the stay rods through the hole in the castings before tightening up evenly to pull all together. Cast iron radiators arrived in sections, having to be made together with left and right hand nipples and a nippling tool , thin gaskets being the sealing medium between sections.I well remember an old guy showing me how early cast iron heating systems were jointed , such as in churches etc, it was a repair, and consisted of caulking a joint with the aid of spun yarn, sal amoniac, iron filings and piss, the uric acid causing the rapid setting of the sal ammoniac, and the resulting rust of the iron filings further strengthening the joint. Now retired , I loved those days, eating asbestos, mashing tea, being with the old guard , the discipline, the laughs, and the men who made sure that you knew enough to hold your own, I wouldnt change my memories of those days for anything . Sorry to bore you all, but I have very fond memories of my working life, same firm for 45 years .

Hi mate it's archie I am 9 years old every time I watch a new video I learn millions of things and I will remember when I am older to do somethings like you it's giving me ideas what to do when I am older thanks alot

Another great video Mark, its never easy when your connecting onto existing heating pipes, you just have to do your best with what you've got, the barns looking stunning mate, the customer should be really pleased with the standard of finish

Hi Mark, Another great film, just what I enjoy, rads and pipe work etc. Great to see how you overcame the piping up job, I think it looks great. I always learn something from each film, thank you. The barn is looking fantastic, the owner must be pleased with it all. It was also good to see the bath tap change job too. Have a great week, take care, regards, Chris. 👍👍👍

Great video mark, the barn job looks like it’s come together nicely!

Tricky job on the rad but looks neat enough with what you were up against i agree with you about putting enough solder on the joints better than leaks and having to drain down again

Fair play mate making best of a situation love seeing the bungs coming into play 👍😎👍😎

I was looking forward to seeing how you sweat off a fitting , but you forgot. I assume you simply apply heat, pull off the fitting and wipe clean while it is still hot. That plumbing beneath the vertical radiator reminded me of a London Underground map! The customer must be mad not to have it taken out and increasing the size of the new one to compensate. The pipes could then have been tidied. It would not have been a big job to fill a few holes in the wall and give it a lick of paint, especially since it is such a small area. Some people can't think past the tip of their nose. Nice video, I'm new to your channel., I like the way you explain exactly what you are doing. I'd have hated the tap exchange, but that ratchet tool is remarkable. I'm retired, but have always been a keen DIYer who enjoys plumbing.

Great work mark like always mate have a great Sunday mate

Some great tips with the crimping and tape measure!

Another great videos as always. The barn look amazing. Thought you have that orange car as your new toy car. Haha 😂

We all do some pipe work we're not exactly "proud of" but we can only work with what's there! People complain about speedfit and hep etc, but look how easy it made that tap change in combination with the nerrad kit! But yeah, I know EXACTLY what you mean about the nightmare jobs with the gut feeling, in fairness it's always the opposite for me, if I think it's a doddle, it's a nightmare and if I think it's a nightmare, it turns out to be a doddle. Can't make it up! The barn is looking great! 100% jealous of those stairs, if he doesn't mind telling us, can he give us a rough costing of what he paid for everything? I fully understand if he doesn't want to though Looking forward to seeing your next bigger size project!

Love your vids so informative and interesting keep em up

Nice to see you mate! Great work on the video!

Another great video mark, keep them coming

Another good vid: mind you, you are a lucky boy with both that vacuum & bath tap change. Last ones I did, couldn’t hold vacuum for some reason & bath tap had no iso valves & old broken gate valves on water supplies & the bog 9 cms from the bath panel & boxing too! No wonder most plumbers tend to hang up when people ask bout bath tap change!😁😂😁

Great work as always Mark 👊

An other amazing informative vids again Mark anytime I watch your channel I learn a lot and get more ideas to deal with 👍🏼thank you for your hard work and important thing your honesty at jobs you are one in million mate 👍🏼🙂 ❤️M❤️A❤️R❤️K❤️🙂🙂🙂💐

Hey great video mate. I had to laugh on the Bath tap change , thought they may have splashed out and got some new basin taps that cold had no head on it 😂😂😂😂😂😂 Its funny how people minds work , will probably get you back to do the basin next so double money 👍👍👍😂. Great to watch as usual keep it going Ps the how to is a great one sure will be popular!!

Great content love the videos keep up the good work.

The barns looking great, interested to see how well that ground source works, hope alls well. 🚽👍

Great stuff ,I use a tooth brush for flux but also use roll of solder like you ,

Enjoyed that, thanks mate👍

Great video mark! When you get chance you should do a vid on an air lock etc 👍

Great Video Mark, none of those cars were a patch on the MJ Tiff Van🤘👍👌

my rad' valve kit came with a jubilee clip attached to one of the bungs so I put it over the vent and tighten it up,great vid as usual,p.s. don't get one of those cars they are a nightmare getting over the amount of speed bumps we have in u.k. 😂

Lots of measuring and lots of pipes good stuff.👍👍👍

Great video mark , I bet that was a plumber’s convention you were at 😉😂👍

I love your little pencil marks on the rads, nice little tip.

Another great video mark 👍

nice one sir looks good looks like the titanic boiler room all the pipes in that new hse looks complicated load of work would of been nice for renewable to be a bit more straght forward

That’s neat enough Mark.

Another good example of real world plumbing Mark. Didn't realise soldering was possible when you bung the tank, every days a school day mate. I like to see a bit of solder around the fitting aswel, piece of mind.

Loving the videos, keep up the good work. Its never easy doing a great job with hard pipework. With the bath tap change, did you fit Double check valves after converting it to a mixer shower off camera?

Just catching up with the videos Mark. Another delicious video buds. Were they Scotts cars at the end? 😁 Can’t wait to see the barn completion video 😊

Hey Mctiff i was taught without the use of a flux brush but ffs it makes it easier with one top tip ohhhh

Nice job on the rad 👍

New subscriber & new fellow RU-vidr. What camera you using & how do you overcome some of the more difficult camera angles & positions?

Great video

Hi, might sound a bit random, but if you were installing a new radiator onto existing pipe work would you install away from the valves bit by bit or towards the valves? Is either way easier than the other?

Yes once again great job i was just curious as to why that tall rad was not removed altogether, and a much larger rad installed straight away,I ask because my builder got me to fit them and they are complete rubbish especially the one in the extension,i have regretted ever fitting them, the prob is the floors are down, and wifey says no pipes on the skirtings, she hat the pipes, cheers again.

As a retired plumber I think it looks great in a steam punk kinda way, love the vids but just curious, do you not use a bender, I would have been hung if I used the amount of fittings you tend to use, I also had to use tube expounders instead of straight couplers, but then we did use lead solder back in my day. as I say love the vids. from northern ireland.

Fair play mate you got some balls posting this one

Not surprised that tall rad didn't heat the space, it's in the worst position going. Internal wall directly across from the window or below the window to aid convection otherwise you risk poor air circulation or warm air blanketing shutting the TRV down prematurely. Come across it so often with new builds where they couldn't be bothered to run the pipework to the outside walls so every rad is on a side wall close to the centre of the house. Lovely job on the pipework considering what you had to work with.

Great video. How would you drain off a system where the drain off valve face bit has been chewed?

Pipe work looks good gezza

Great film mate can you do something on sweeting fitting of pipe work.

Good work once more👍

There’ll be so much heat from the copper the radiator will be redundant. I have to say I have thought about bringing my pipework into the house from under the floor to use the heat in place of having to insulate the pipes.

As you say 'it is was it is'. I would've been tempted to cut off that column rad. They're pretty hopeless. See you on Wednesday night 👍

Nerrad jet sweat seal rods may be useful to you

Another great video mate and appreciate the advice and skill that you have with your trade. If I can ask a simple question, I seen that the pipes had been painted, in your opinion what is the best way to take paint off copper pipes to replace a valve and clean up the joins?

Mark , do u ever clean out the header tank ?

I like to screw fittings in the top of the rad to make it easier to lift into position it's something to hold on to

Is it better to take valves off before soldering just incase can melt inside if rubber.

Random question for you... if its a gravity fed system did you have to rebalance the system? My heating works off a back boiler in my coal fire and i cant get any heat in my dining room rad without putting the pump on... all other rads warm apart from that one but it warms lovely with the wee pump on? Any advice?

Change the taps looking at that bathroom suite I’d change the whole bathroom bit dirty

Please what’s the name of the tap wrench you used? Where can I get one?

Great video as always.. idea for your next how to video, how to sweat off a joint 😂

Great video Mark, I learn so much from you. I’m about to replace all the rads in my house: are aluminium rads worth the investment? Or are steel rads just as good? What is your preferred rads and TRVs for a neat job. Thanks

Just a question how did water drain if you caused vaccum as if you have water in i guess you wouldnt be able to solder thanx

Was the tall rad low on BTU for room size ? Looked big enough

So if you didn’t have ya heating on for a while, how long does it take to warm the house up.....days?

Have you got a link for the ir camera please mate

mark good job if u need to come here in minn usa ill hire u mon am

The average joe don’t give a toss or know what nice pipework is. As long as it works and is out the way. They are happy. Don’t think it looked too bad. Seen much much worse.

Looks the business Mark to be honest 👍

Would in this case it not be best to install the rad in series and bump up the flow a bit? this way you would improve return delta T to the boiler increasing efficiency?

Would a double vertical not have been better? 🤔

When you mentioned the anti vac, what did you mean? Never got told this during my plumbing apprenticeship and im intrigued. Cause it can be a nightmare trying to solder with water in pipework

So sweating off old fittings...?..... just rub back the paint, heat it with the blowtorch until it melts the solder and comes apart right?

Hi ..can you offer some quick advice please? .. I'm switching a bathroom radiator for a towel rail and the pipework will need altering to suit. My question is , instead of draining the system would I get away with just shutting the water mains off , rejigging the pipework to suit, fill new radiator,bleed and re pressurise the Combi boiler?

Sorry not sure if you mentioned this in the video, but is the customer planning on boxing in that pipework?

Hiya, I'm contemplating a diy rad install. I genuinely can't stretch to the £300 to £510 I've been quoted, it's not that I think I'm being ripped off, it's just more than I can afford. I've watched several of your videos, on heating, and other similar plumbers. I wonder if I can ask you a question please? I have got access to the pipes in the ceiling Above where I want a rad. I'm going to do push fit in the ceiling and down the wall (as it's just next to the understairs cupboard so won't be seen) then copper pipe just to attach under the rad to valves. My problem is how do I know which pipe brings the hot, and which pipe takes the tepid away when it refills. There are more than 2 central heating pipes in the ceiling void, but I could follow them back to another heater. Is there a right and wrong way? Another plumber said something about TRVs that work on the in or out side of the rad?

can a similar job be done using 10mm speed fit? thanks in advance

So you can tap off existing tails to add another rad without going onto the main heat circuit

Great content as per mate👍🏻 did you leave a paint brush at that tap swap job?😂

What brand rads do you use Tiff or reccomend?

Had some bodge that my landlord got out today come and put in a new rad ! Well long story short the rad he got was miles too big he had to move pipes etc the reason we needed a new one is because the rad was proper old and had rust which caused pin hole leak and I told the landlord 3 months ago about it and the fact it NEEDS a whole system flush with sludge solution! He got this guy out and I told him multiple times that it won't work and he was adomant that if we put the new one on it will work fine ! Well we were told to keep old rads off because they leaked downstairs in neighbours and so we haven't had any heat for 3 months ! Leaving it that long has 100% messed it up even more I am fuming to say the least because the guy said he knew what he was doing! After he fitted rad etc and turned boiler on the hot water comes but not 1 rad heats up !!! He filled water back to just over 1 and wasn't still working so he left it like that and said leave it an hour and if not working ask landlord to send someone else out because he has no clue !!! I said from day 1 its sludge and that's obviously worsened while the rads been off ! Now he's having to pay out double the money because he chose to get a bodge builder to do it !!! I should have refused to let him in but if I did he would say to council that I didnt let the man in to do it but its for this reason all the tools and not 1 idea! Im a woman and even i know full fact its sludge ! The pilot flame comes on for hot water but only for hot water as soon as we turn heat on it everything cold and the flame goes out! Going to cost him ten times more because hes a lazy landlord and didn't get it fixed way way sooner ! Hes that bad I will be surprised that the gas man who usually comes who is professional wont come here anymore after last time he came and landlord didnt pay him ! So hope he can find someone else because he likes to get shit cheap and it gets on my nerves its his property and he has not 1 idea of how to run it as a landlord! We don't even have up to date gas certificate!

Azul good morninng

Didn't know that you were that close to Northampton.

I prefer the tape measure trick, crimping sounds like it might get in the way of the solder. I'm probably wrong

Hi mate, does getting the wet vac on that dripping end to clear the water actually not disturb the vaccum? I'd be well too scared to try 😂 I'd assume it'd just fill my vac or never stop dripping as the system is still full.

At least you’re happy to show that you have made a mistake by not fitting a long enough pipe and not edit the video unlike a lot of people on their videos

I need one done on porch what is the cost roughly

Could this radiator have been turned on its side?

Hi mate, would you say that Nerrad tapex kit is worth it? so far i've been slogging away with tap spanners and such and a lot of swearing, i did look at the Armeg jaw dropper set in screwfix but i'd rather double the price and not buy twice

God they must be well off if they can afford to heat two rads in one room

must have lotts of money that staircase is more then sum houses i work in

hi m8 could you not connect the pipes as they came out of the wall n why not drain the system n get all that crap out of the tank n barn looks stunning

hello I am a heating plumber and boiler technician I am looking for a job in your company it is possible cordially

Reminds me of the game mouse trap

Should've done it in speedfit, that would have got the commenters riled up 😂😂

Any new inhibitor put in ,

I'm not a plumber, and I know the client agreed to keep the old radiator, but if the system was drained down - why didn't you just remove the old radiator - simplify the old pipes and just T-off the feed to the new radiator?

Heat pump 24/7, massively wasteful if you’re out at work all day and only need heat for 3 hours in the evening ... how does that make sense?

U haven’t used a burn Mat lol 😂

Enough solder on one of them joints to do them all 😜

The mail chimp ad is killing me??

Vertical radiators make no sense to me-defeats the object, which is convection.