How Hard Can It Be to Replace a Narrowboat Radiator? (Famous Last Words)

Spring has finally arrived at the marina, and with the warmer weather comes a long list of boat maintenance jobs. In this video, I tackle a job I’ve never done before — replacing a leaking radiator on my narrowboat, the Grey Wagtail. What starts as a simple fix quickly turns into a bit of a learning experience… involving unexpected leaks, missing tools, a rushed trip to Wickes, and a few lessons the YouTube tutorials didn’t mention! The faulty radiator had developed a pinhole leak, meaning I couldn’t run the Webasto heating system — no morning warmth and no easy hot water. So this repair wasn’t just cosmetic… it was essential. In this video: How I diagnosed a hidden radiator leak Safely removing a radiator on a narrowboat Draining a Webasto heating system (without flooding the bathroom!) Installing a new radiator step-by-step The tool I didn’t realise I needed Refilling, bleeding, and recommissioning the system Getting hot water and heating back on board 💡 What I learned: Replacing a radiator isn’t quite as simple as it looks in the tutorials — especially when you’re fitting a new one rather than refitting the old! Having the right tools (especially for the valve fittings) makes all the difference. By the end of the job, the heating system was back up and running, the radiators were hot, and the Webasto is once again doing its job — just in time for those chilly spring mornings 👍 If you found this helpful, entertaining, or reassuring (especially if you’re tackling boat DIY yourself), please give the video a like — and don’t forget to try out the new “Hype” button! 👉 To keep up with my adventures on the Grey Wagtail, check out the newsletter - https://nickswanderings.substack.com 🛒Channel Amazon Shop - https://www.amazon.co.uk/shop/nickswa... - things bought from the shop help to support this channel ☕️If you would like to help support my efforts, then please feel free to Buy Me a Coffee - https://buymeacoffee.com/nickswanderings Video Equipment Used (* are affiliate links) iPhone 17 Pro Insta360 X5* - https://amzn.to/4jJnQvP Insta360 Mic Air Transmitter* - https://amzn.to/4fBaHVn Insta360 Folding 2-in-1 Selfie Stick with Remote* - https://amzn.to/4fdCieK Memory cards* - https://amzn.to/4fTCC1k External hard drives* - https://amzn.to/40SbXOe Hollyland Lark M2 Wireless Lavalier Microphone* - https://amzn.to/48OMLdy Edited using Final Cut Pro on an iPad - https://www.apple.com/uk/final-cut-pr... Edited on an iPad Air M3* - https://amzn.to/4mKl1gF Social Media 🦋 - https://bsky.app/profile/nbgreywagtai... Chapters 00:00 - Welcome and the problem with my Narrowboat radiator 02:09 - Finding the radiator pin-hole leak 02:50 - How to isolate and remove a radiator 03:43 - Draining the radiator 07:41 - Disconnecting the Radiator and lifting off the wall 08:26 - The new replacement radiator 10:47 - A quick dash to the DIY store for a missing tool 11:53 - Removing the radiator ‘nuts’ and installing on the new radiator 13:36 - Attaching the radiator to the wall 13:56 - Reattaching the radiator pipes 16:21 - Bleeding and checking the Webasto heating system 17:27 - Closing - comments and what I learnt #narrowboat #narrowboating #canallife #boatlife #boatmaintenance #webasto #dieselheating #radiatorrepair #radiatorreplacement #plumbing #diyprojects #ukcanals #boatinguk #springmaintenance #fixit #diyfail #learningbydoing