I noticed on another thread here that someone was querying why his power flush only took 2 hrs and someone replied that if his system was quite clean, it didn't need one. How does one know whether one needs one, as opposed to a system restorer/descaler and ordinary flush. We have rusty gunk in our expansion tank and the boiler kettles and there is not much heat emanating from the kickspace (with a big drop between flow and return on that though the valve is fully open) but the rads get hot with not much difference between top and bottom apart from one, which might be a pipe size problem. Difficult to know what to do. Any suggestions?
How do you know when you need a power flush?
- Thread starter patagonia
- Start date
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No I can't do diy plumbing and I don't object to paying a few hundred pounds to solve our problems. I just want to inform myself so that we get a proper job done as we paid a few thousand for the new boiler and pump and kickspace, with some alterations to the pipework (combined feed and vent pipe) and we have been left with problems, including ticking rads upstairs whenever the zone or boiler come on which drives me insane. Why do you ask?
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There have been quite a few tips I have picked up here which I can implement myself and have done or will do. In any case, you can take DIYnot two ways.
P.S. It is also obvious from posts here that a lot of jobs are done by plumbers incorrectly or unnecessarily.
WHen did you have the new boiler etc - system should have been cleaned at that time.
Typical proof that you have sludge problems is to see if any rads are cool at the bottom. If so, shut many/all of the others. If it DOES get hot all through the problem is Balancing, if not then you need a flush.
Ultimate proof comes from removing said radiator and getting jiggy with it and a hosepipe in the garden. That's a two person job especially if it's big rad.
now where's that pic of sludge.....
Ah yes
Typical proof that you have sludge problems is to see if any rads are cool at the bottom. If so, shut many/all of the others. If it DOES get hot all through the problem is Balancing, if not then you need a flush.
Ultimate proof comes from removing said radiator and getting jiggy with it and a hosepipe in the garden. That's a two person job especially if it's big rad.
now where's that pic of sludge.....
Ah yes
Thanks again, Chris. Had new boiler about 5 yrs ago. It was supposed to have been cleansed at that time, or to be more accurate it was supposed to have been cleansed when he put the first one in which was useless and I don't think he put any cleanser in when he replaced it some time later, but also we had a lot of air in the towel rail which may have caused corrosion. Most of the rads seem to get hot allthe way down but one is somewhat cooler at the bottom; its l/s valve is almost fully open as it's near the end of the system and there seems to be a big difference betw. flow and return and the kitchen kickspace isn't giving much heat out. I can't turn off a couple of rads at the moment as the old Danfoss tv heads are damaged (have ordered replacements) but with the rest of them off it doesn't seem to make much difference. Too heavy for us oldies to manage ourselves. So does the sludge settle in one or two places then? Do you think flushing out these two and putting more inhibitor in the system would do the trick. However, if we have to drain down to replace the valve, it might be worth doing a proper flush, whether power or mains pressure. The boiler installer said there wasn't much gunge in the system but whether he had enough pressure and had put enough cleanser in for our size system I wouldn't know.
A simple chemical clean and flush is a DIY job and will do some good, though not as thorough (or expensive) as a powerflush.
Apart from the need to clean it, I like the Magnaclean device which can be fitted to a convenient vertical 22 or 28mm pipe on the return. Once fitted, no plumbing skills are needed to unscrew the head and empty it from time to time. It traps circulating black sediment from the water, preventing it from accumulating into blockages. It does not remove existing blockages, for this you need a clean, but it will trap the sediment from these which is released when they are broken down with chemicals or agitation.
If you have sediment, consider having one of these. It will cost about £100 plus fitting.
It is vital to add a corrosion inhibitor on final refill.
Apart from the need to clean it, I like the Magnaclean device which can be fitted to a convenient vertical 22 or 28mm pipe on the return. Once fitted, no plumbing skills are needed to unscrew the head and empty it from time to time. It traps circulating black sediment from the water, preventing it from accumulating into blockages. It does not remove existing blockages, for this you need a clean, but it will trap the sediment from these which is released when they are broken down with chemicals or agitation.
If you have sediment, consider having one of these. It will cost about £100 plus fitting.
It is vital to add a corrosion inhibitor on final refill.
Thanks. Will bear this in mind.
WHen did you have the new boiler etc - system should have been cleaned at that time.
Typical proof that you have sludge problems is to see if any rads are cool at the bottom. If so, shut many/all of the others. If it DOES get hot all through the problem is Balancing, if not then you need a flush.
Ultimate proof comes from removing said radiator and getting jiggy with it and a hosepipe in the garden. That's a two person job especially if it's big rad.
now where's that pic of sludge.....
Ah yes
Blimey Chris thats the last time I give you some of my "home Brew" seeing as you just pour it away willy nilly
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