Combi boilers, powerflushing.

[Tristar]

I have had problems with recently fitted combis due to dirt in heat exchangers and diverter valves. This despite powerflushing being carried out.
Do the experts agree that, in some cases, power flushing can actually cause problems by loosening magnetite from old rads? On small systems it would seem cheaper to replace the rads with the boiler to avoid such problems.
Also, is there any sound reason why all systems are not fitted with a removable glass bowl filter (a la condensate drain on some boilers) in the return line? I would think that this would solve a lot of these dirt problems, which my plumber friends always complain of.

 

[shaneo]

i dont rate power flushing, not at all,
if the system is clean like it should be and well maintained, it will never need it, some combis have small parts that get blocked easy, like dhw heat exchangers, so if someone does powerflush they really want to drain every bit of muck properly!

mind u if u spent out on a powerflushing machine your gona tell everyone its the best thing ever,

its just not

 

[Tristar]

i dont rate power flushing, not at all,
if the system is clean like it should be and well maintained, it will never need it, some combis have small parts that get blocked easy, like dhw heat exchangers, so if someone does powerflush they really want to drain every bit of muck properly!

mind u if u spent out on a powerflushing machine your gona tell everyone its the best thing ever,

its just not

My feelings precisely. On one of my newly fitted Ideal Isar boilers I spent the whole day powerflushing, removing no end of detritus from a small system (7 rads). Then flushed for two weeks with Sentinel, and the DHW diverter still seized up! I eventually removed all 7 rads, replaced the two worst, and hand flushed the remainder. System is now working well. But I am sure further muck will eventually come loose.

I still think a visible filter in the return line would solve this type of problem, and give condenser boilers a better reputation.

 

[bripl]

never rated powerflushing at all,a good flush with mains and remove all rads hose them out both directions and pipework fit new boiler with a strainer on the return never had a problem,costs money but no callbacks,clean strainer at service

 

[ChrisR]

A chemical engineer wouldn't let me flush his old 20+ rad system when I put a Keston C55 in, so I used a 1 1/2" filter on the return. the water was noticeably dirty but not as bad as they can get. After many months, the filter contains......
practically nothing.

 

[Tristar]

From the replies so far, you guys agree that powerflushing is not - necessarily - the best thing since sliced bread. Can anyone recommend a suitable filter/strainer product to fit 15/22 mm return pipes? Thanks very much for the useful comments.

 

[corgiman]

Must say that I find pwerflushing great!!!!!

Turn on the machine, sit back and read the paper luvverly.

Joking aside I find them OK but they have never deliver the outrageuosly exiciting results that were promised on several of the courses I have attend at fernox sentinel etc.

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

I have fitted loads of 24/28 Cdi 's plus a couple of Isars one being my own, I havent powerflushed any of them, only used X400 or X300 and then flushed with cold mains if particularly dirty, never had any diverter problems with any of them or any other dirt realted problems, I think this powerflushing is a con, the systems that would probably benefit from a powerflush never get done because the operaters are frightenend of causing leaks or blowing rads, so they are only flushing systems which only need a plain cold flush anyway, this seems to me to defeat the object of purchasing overpriced powerflushing equipment.
It's the same with flue analysers, if I go to someones house and service their boiler "properly", ventilation correct, gas inlet rate correct, gas burner rate correct, nice blue flames, THEN use the analyser and it's a bit over on the pmm, what am I going to do, get the customer to scrap his boiler, yea right, may as well not bother with the £700.00 plus service cost's of the analyser to start with.

 

[kevplumb]

chill pedantic its the way of things now mate

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

Rip off britain, if I "have" to rip people off it's going in my pocket, not someone elses

 

[kevplumb]

prob is your not ri-pping people off (thats how they see it ) its how it is and is going to be mate we cant do a lot about it
see deefa on argi