It turns out that it's not just a question of getting the plumber here to finish his work - there are a ton of things to do before all the different parts of the system can become operational (déjà vu...). Each of those parts requires work that goes beyond the plumber - and so falls to yours truly.
One of the key issues will be to have the new radiators installed on the walls. The not so obvious problem here is that we don't have walls...yet. Well, not the final, finished ones, anyway. To get those up means hanging new plasterboard on the grotty old perimeter walls, plastering and painting - because once those radiators are connected to the plumbing we won't be able to get behind them ever again.
Initially, I had no inkling of how much would have to be done to get the heat working, but here's a quick list:
- Rewire the entire flat with new electrical wiring and a breaker box - needed to power the boiler (and everything else)
- Install the last section of the boiler's flue pipe (that vents to the outside)
- Level the floor where the old kitchen used to be (one of the radiators goes there)
- Order plasterboard, plaster, fasteners, etc. Then carry everything upstairs :-(
- Dry-line portions of the old walls with new plasterboard (a lot more work than it sounds!)
- Spackle the joints of the plasterboard (for now, only behind where the radiators go)
- Paint the plasterboard (also only behind where the radiators will go)
- Finalize the heat calculations and sizing of the radiators - then order the radiators along with the valves and pipes
- Hang the radiators onto the walls
- Connect the radiators to the pipes along with the thermostatic valves
- Fill and balance the system
- Turn the boiler on!
