Microbore C/H System

[Suttie]

Help, I have had a new C/H Boiler and H/W tank fitted 18 months ago, all rads on 1st floor working well, ground floor only half working with other either not at all or only partially heating to max. Plumber quotes that manifolds outlet returns will be blocked as returns on rads are cold (H/W not flowing through), say's that Powerflush may make it worse by blocking the manifolds even further, poor access to manifolds on ground floor due to wooden floors throughout the house - any suggestions

 

[bookahandyman]

micro bore is a pain in the preverbial, first off i would consider an air lock somewhere,isolate supply and drain down the whole thing pour some sentinel x800 cleaner in the small heating header tank and refill the system slowly starting at the downstairs and work up. its even worse if the pipes drop down from upstairs to each rad downstairs? if they do then when you fill up the downstairs rads it helps to close one side of the rad until water can be heard flowing in the rad , then open it and close the other side. then open both sides to fill it up full. remember the number of turns it takes to close each valve so that you can open it the same number to keep the balance right. fire up the boiler and let it run round for a while. if all warm up then happy days if not then close one side of all rads except one and then see if that one heats up if it does close it down and open another etc etc until all are warming up , then open all up. if this works leave the cleaner in for about a week and then repeat all the above. good luck.

 

[homes]

Can you leave X800 in for a week??

 

[Agile]

Yes you can but there is little point as it does everything that its going to in about four hours!

I would use acid DS40 but that cause more problems with leaking on old valves.

Microbore is a pain, but mostly because its all 20-40 years old and in poor condition.

Tony

 

[libby lou lou]

I'm a fan of yours tony,but must disagree with your microchat, my daughter lives next door, old system, microbore, new boiler, the original lasted donkeys,never been flushed, runs a dream, even with a biasi.not that i know the boiler.

 

[Agile]

The older Biasis are very reliable boilers and were sold at a very reasonable price.

Not all microbore systems are in poor condition. It all depends on mostly how well they were installed.

Very unfortunately the vast majority of microbore systems were intended as a cheap install and the quality was very poor.

Shortly I will be installing a 10mm microbore in a house of mine! I am just waiting for a suitable trainee to help in return for training.

Tony

 

[bookahandyman]

x800 is self neutralizing but it does say on tin not to leave in linger than a week (i think) but usually as said above a couple of hours with the system running is gen enough.