Draining heating system in a 70s Wimpey dormer semi

[ToDumbToPlumb]

Hi,

I recently bought a Wimpey dormer semi built in 1973.
Would anyone know where the valve to drain the central heating system is located?
I see a pipe jutting out into the back garden roughly under the rear window, but there is no valve there.

Would the valve be under the living room floor or maybe under the kitchen?
The house is pretty much original, with the original heating system. In other words it's a 70s timewarp.

I tried to post a link to a picture of the style of house but the forum wouldn't let me.

Any help would be greatly appreciated,
cheers.

 

[Meady]

Do none of the rad valves or pipework have any drain points on them?

 

[lame plumber]

look under the floor inside opposite to where the pipe goes out the wall

 

[ToDumbToPlumb]

Do none of the rad valves or pipework have any drain points on them?

Thanks for the reply,
yes the radiators have drain points on them, not to sure about the rest of the pipework.
I was led to believe though that I could drain the entire system via the pipe that exits the building low down under the rear window.
I don't know where the valve is to send the contents of the system through that pipe though.
I'd rather not drain the system via the radiators as it's a bit of a mare.

I'm picking stuff up as I go along, so sorry if I'm not very clear.
Thanks again.

 

[Howsie]

The rad drain off will be fine.

 

[plumber0808]

They might have drain offs on the rads as their on their own separate drops.
i have worked on many heating systems that have no drain offs WHY!

 

[ToDumbToPlumb]

look under the floor inside opposite to where the pipe goes out the wall

Thanks for that, I'm not at the property just now, but I'll give that a bash when I'm back there later.

 

[Mick10256]

Find a low point in the system and attach a self cutting drain down. Drain down then you can either leave it there or replace it with a standard drain. I’ve spent far too many hours un sticking old drain valves and often when you manage it they leak so need replacing anyway.

 

[tamz]

Floors concrete? One pipe system usually in stainless steel buried in the screed. Back boiler fitted when they were built. There may be a plate on the floor at the side of the fireplace or near the wall where the pipe comes out with a sludge valve under it.
If the system has been redone on drops you will have to drain it from a rad.
If the pipe out the back is 22mm it is the drain from the cylinder.

 

[johnnyplumb]

this the house View attachment 11445 i worked extensively on this type of house during the seventies & eighties, so know these houses well.

back then, central heating was an extra in a wimpey semi, so the drain off position depends on whether the system was wimpy done or done afterwards. if it's a back boiler, check as tamz says, on the floor next to the fireplace, it's usually a metal plate about 2 inch diameter.

if it was done after the house was built, maybe by fep or servowarm, you've probably got a better chance of finding rocking horse sh-yte, than finding any drain off pipe :cry_smile:

btw, those dormers are high maintenance, the other 3 bed semi wimpey done at the time [known as a 112 ] was virtually the same house inside, but did'nt have the flat roof / leadwork etc.