Tube fittings for radiator plug hole

[Ian928]

Bear with me as I am not knowledgeable about pipe threads, but the original cap has a flange and a gasket, whereas many of the elbows linked to here do not. Do the neck of the radiator have tapered threads but with a gasket? Or is it just the male part that have tapered threads so you in fact can choose between gasket or tapered threads?

My stag have a T-piece on the top hose for the vent line. I am thinking about a brass elbow instead. I have the radiator out, so I am able to make modifications if that is better? My stag i Federal, so i am planning to route the bottom hose from the header tank to the radiator through the fitting where the temperature switch for the distributor was situated.

[DJT]

Ian, if you have the radiator out, do it properly and get a spigot fitted to the neck just below the filler cap. Don't know where you are planning to fit the bottom HT hose, but you can see where mine is in the attached picture.

IMG_0263 2.JPG

[Ian928]

Ian, if you have the radiator out, do it properly and get a spigot fitted to the neck just below the filler cap. Don't know where you are planning to fit the bottom HT hose, but you can see where mine is in the attached picture.

IMG_0263 2.JPG

That looks better in my opinion. Where can I get a "spigot"? Is it just a piece of tube soldered in place, or is it threaded?

The bottom hose will be ftted in approximately the same area as you have.

[DJT]

That looks better in my opinion. Where can I get a "spigot"? Is it just a piece of tube soldered in place, or is it threaded?

The bottom hose will be ftted in approximately the same area as you have.

Just a piece of tube soldered in. Size depends on what you are using for the top hose. It was done by my local radiator specialist at the same time as fitting the lower one and giving the core a flush out.

[022Dave]

Just a piece of tube soldered in. Size depends on what you are using for the top hose. It was done by my local radiator specialist at the same time as fitting the lower one and giving the core a flush out.

I had the same done to mine by our local rad shop. They used the redundant siphon tube as the donor for the spur, then blanked off the top of the rad where the siphon tube emerged.

Other Dave

[davidf]

I had the same done to mine by our local rad shop. They used the redundant siphon tube as the donor for the spur, then blanked off the top of the rad where the siphon tube emerged.

Other Dave

Back to the start of this thread, that was exactly how my previous radiator was done, just like the photo from DJT, but with the old tube removed as you described, As I said, that modified radiator has started leaking, and my spare is not modified. hence the use of an adaptor in place of the plug.

We no longer have a local rad shop around Bournemouth/Poole. The one that did my modified rad closed about 10 years ago, and another one has recently closed their local branch - he now only works in Southampton, and only 4 1/2 days per week. Unfortunately, these resources are getting fewer and fewer these days, as modern radiators seem to be replaced rather than repaired.

[davidf]

Bear with me as I am not knowledgeable about pipe threads, but the original cap has a flange and a gasket, whereas many of the elbows linked to here do not. Do the neck of the radiator have tapered threads but with a gasket? Or is it just the male part that have tapered threads so you in fact can choose between gasket or tapered threads?

My stag have a T-piece on the top hose for the vent line. I am thinking about a brass elbow instead. I have the radiator out, so I am able to make modifications if that is better? My stag i Federal, so i am planning to route the bottom hose from the header tank to the radiator through the fitting where the temperature switch for the distributor was situated.

The original plug is BSPP - Parallel, so it has a flange and needs a seal. The elbows we are looking at are BSPT - Tapered. So you wrap varying amounts of PTFE tape around the male tapered thread and screw in till it is tight/facing the right way.

[DJT]

I had the same done to mine by our local rad shop. They used the redundant siphon tube as the donor for the spur, then blanked off the top of the rad where the siphon tube emerged.

Other Dave

I left the siphon tube in place and blocked it off with a length of hose, bolt and 2 Jubilee clips. Not as neat I agree. Next time the radiator needs some attention, I'll get that done.

[022Dave]

Back to the start of this thread, that was exactly how my previous radiator was done, just like the photo from DJT, but with the old tube removed as you described, As I said, that modified radiator has started leaking, and my spare is not modified. hence the use of an adaptor in place of the plug.

We no longer have a local rad shop around Bournemouth/Poole. The one that did my modified rad closed about 10 years ago, and another one has recently closed their local branch - he now only works in Southampton, and only 4 1/2 days per week. Unfortunately, these resources are getting fewer and fewer these days, as modern radiators seem to be replaced rather than repaired.

Spookily, I've just ordered a set of the brass (not nylon) fitments for my spare rad, as that still has the siphon tube fitted. Just belt & braces if I need to swap them over in a hurry, then I'll do as DJT suggested, remove the siphon tube on the spare to tidy things up.

Dave

[trunt]

As I am going the electric pump route I have no need for the bypass hose outlet on the the pump cover and was considering using it for the expansion tank.. what does the team think? Is it high enough?

terry

[davidf]

Terry - just a personal view, but my thoughts were concentrated any getting rid of any air or gas which inadvertently gets into the cooling system, and the only way to do that is to bleed off from the highest point, which is the radiator plug. If you have the resources, the neatest way is to set a tube into the radiator top fitting just below the plug. A simpler way is to use a fitting as discussed above (1/2"BSPT male to 8mm or 5/16" hose tail elbow).