How to Fit Radiator Valves & How NOT to Fit a Radiator Valve. Fixing Leaking Radiator Valves.

[@spertisainz]

Really useful for us diyers, cheers!!

[@paulfoster2299]

Excellent advice, bought the PTFE sealing cord as recommended and works brilliantly. The jointing compound also a great tip and purchased a tub of that as well. New rads all 100% leak free. Much appreciated Mark

[@TONYHYNES-p9e]

viewed one of your vids where you showed how to install rad tails properly , followed your demo and instant success , thanks for sharing all the tips to us diy ers esp , saved me €250 on calling out a plumber to sort out the problem , now all I have to do is balance the system

[@joechamberlain7441]

I have a leaking rad problem from some rads I installed recently, exactly as described in the video. I followed the installation instructions exactly. I am quite surprised to learn that the problem is that the tails supplied with the valves are basically incorrect. A lot of people believed (including I presume the original plumber involved in the rads in the video) that rad threads and tails are standard and any tail should fit any rad. That appears not to be true and the rad suppliers don't make this clear. At least I know now so I can correct it. Very useful video - many thanks.

[@stevewoodward7850]

This lad really knows what he's doing!............Top plumber!!

[@edmundeverett2938]

Great video, Mark. I found it was very helpful. Many thanks for making and sharing it. I'm very pleased to say that I've become a new subscriber to your channel 😊👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@daveg6948]

Thanks Mark, Brilliant video as usual, really helpful. All the best mate..

[@deemdoubleu]

On the valve, I thought it was the olive and compression nuts on both sides of the valve which provided the watertight seal. Why would you need any extra sealing compound on the compression nut as you showed being applied? This seems wrong to me.

[@drcl7429]

Take apart a compression joint and reassemble piece of pipe then closely look at how everything goes together and think about where water goes through the pipe, and think about where the first place the water will escape from its intended path. It is on the surface where the olive meets the compression fitting. If that surface isn't water tight then you will get a leak. I used to think the same as you but Mark is correct. It's good to understand fully what is really happening.

[@alangriffiths8401]

That original plumber who fitted these did not have his Weetabix - extremely poor workmanship - Thanks for the tips on how to fit these fittings correctly.

[@DaveDickens]

Really helpful thank you. Cheers Dave

[@ajmlelse75]

Thanks Mark, first class tutorial and took a lot of fear out of the job😂

[@chrispitt362]

Should have watched you first Mark. Great video!

[@steveprint616]

Thank you for such a great video but may I ask why don't you use jointing compound on the valve tails rather than ptfe tape or can you use either.

[@coldnebraskablue]

Just curious about the Loctite 55 used on the tail threads - why does it unravel like that as you tighten the tail - surely that shouldn't happen?

[@chrishard7616]

Nice video… with some sloppy mating threads like that hemp and boss white would have been a better choice. The hemp expands with moisture and would most likely provide a better seal. I’m talking generally about tapered thread fittings. What you did here looks good though. The trouble with PTFE tapes etc is it doesn’t expand with moisture. In theory you shouldn’t really need jointing compound with olives but I get it’s a belt and braces approach and would do similar. I’m just a DIY guy though. I really like the way you explain the detail and pitfalls etc. Thanks for making all these videos. 👍😁

[@itwillbenicewhenitsfinished]

Didn't you have to turn all other radiators on floor off to allow taking pressure off?

[@davehunter6920]

55 plus jet blue never fails

[@2ndinningsbats99]

Hi Mark. Really like your videos, you're very clear in how and why you do things. I've a question regarding the tails. I've got a new rad and fitting new valves but the tail keeps spinning. Is this a case of the tail not being tapered sufficiently? Or a poorly cut thread on the rad? The inlet seems nice and tight.

[@tonyadams380]

All common sense to a properly trained engineer but good advice for DIYer. Personally, I would advise you only apply joining compound to the compression ring (olive) and 3 or 4mm of pipe either side. If you apply it as shown you risk pushing it into the valve when you insert the tails. You also risk the chance that there is insufficient jointing compound left to provide an effective seal between the olive and seating.

[@Volcanicbrown1878]

I have bought a radiator with both the valves fitted, the problem I have is that all the pipework to the radiator is 1/2 inch copper. How do you connect to the valves which seem to be 15mm?

[@ya00007]

I think that new longer tail union is far better. Where can you buy them from?

[@paul_my_plumbs_uk]

👍🏿👍🏿 Mark. Nice one

[@jackfield5375]

Alright mate good video, what size spanner do you use for the rad tails, looks a lot easier than using adjustables

[@hosseynihadi1740]

I have been watching your videos which are quite informative , and interesting . is it easy to find a plumbing job in England , I have got 5 year experience ?

[@TonyMontana-os8ri]

I have done over about 30 turns with tape and still can’t tighten properly

[@slockey]

Shame they didn’t decorate behind the rad first 😮

[@eddiewild7215]

Hi Mark, I have an aluminium double column radiator which is supposed to give an output of 5737 BTUs but I’m not really getting anything like this. All other radiators in the house are impossible to keep your hand on for any length of time when running but with this radiator I could keep my hand there all day long. Do you have any suggestions, also what method can I use to determine the actual heat output. Many thanks.

[@chrishard7616]

You need to balance your system

[@eddiewild7215]

It’s not that. I found that the installer has connected the flow and return pipes the wrong way round on the radiator. I contacted the radiator manufacturer who said this was important as there was some kind of flow regulator within the radiator.

[@chiranagheorghitaeugeniuth98]

Learn how to use ptfe cord mate.

[@JeffersS13]

Jeez, do you often get called out to jobs in squats? What a mess that place is!

[@daviddredge1178]

I don't understand why such an important fitting needs rubber tape to maintain a seal. Bad engineering?

[@chrishard7616]

It’s not rubber tape it’s PTFE. To provide seals on fittings typically you either have a tapered thread and use a tape or sealant system or if the thread is parallel you seal on the two mating faces using a fibre of copper washer. The threads need to meet the standard dimension tolerances but in the case of some they can be incorrectly manufactured and then will not seal correctly. There are also various other types of seals used in the pneumatic industry that sometimes cross over into the plumbing arena.

[@daviddredge1178]

​@chrishard7616 It should be a flat surface to flat surface with a suitable washer (copper or rubber). To create a seal on the current system takes loads of ptfe tape not just a couple of turns. I know it won't change but, as an Engineer, I beleive I am right.

[@chrishard7616]

I agree that would be good but in the pipe fitting industry there are various ways of achieving seals and tapered threads are sometimes used. For rads though a parallel threaded fitting with mating flat faces and a copper or fibre washer would be a better option. Rubber washers are no good as they just squash and spread out from the joint. An alternative could be to use a fitting that has a rubber type O ring in a groove (a bit like a washer) that gets partially compressed into the groove and held in place.