Powerflush by BG or DIY

[nuno]

Good Morning


Last week I called BG out as the rad in the living room and bedroom were both cold. I would bleed the system and air/gas would come out however the gas would make a return withing a day.

BG informed me that rust was causing this build up of Hydrogen gas in the system and what is best is a power flush. After doing some research I found that the £670 quoted by our friends at BG was on the steep side. This quote does not include a MagnaClean system being fitted, that was another £150.

I am looking for some advice please if the it is worth getting another (cheaper) firm to perform the PF of if I will get the same results by draining the system and adding the Fernox DS-40 to the system.

I guess i need to get a plumber out to fit the MagnaClean.

Any advice would be great.

By the way I have a BAISI M90E Combi boiler (2 years old) with 7 radiators and a heated towel rail.


Thanks


Nuno

 

[Agile]

Most local firms would charge about £350 for power flushing and about £135 to fit a Magnaclean.

We would include cleaning the plate HE in the boiler too if that was blocked.

If its properly flushed then a Magnaclean is not really necessary.

You could always try DS40 but that may cause more problems than you have already.

Or you could try X800 as thats unlikely to do any damage.

If you try anything yourself then whatever you do must be done properly if its to be effective!

Tony

 

[nuno]

Most local firms would charge about £350 for power flushing and about £135 to fit a Magnaclean.

We would include cleaning the plate HE in the boiler too if that was blocked.

If its properly flushed then a Magnaclean is not really necessary.

You could always try DS40 but that may cause more problems than you have already.

Or you could try X800 as thats unlikely to do any damage.

If you try anything yourself then whatever you do must be done properly if its to be effective!

Tony

I am totally happy to pay that kinda money for a job done correctly. However in my local area (SE London) I have been stung a few times by plumbers...

Where are you based Tony?

 

[JohnD]

I'm not a plumber. I have had a powerflush done once, and I have also done my own chemical cleaning and fitted a Magnaclean on my mum's old system.

If money is a concern, I would always say start out by giving it a simple chemical clean with X400, which is very mild and not acidic, and if you have a lot of black sediment, fitting a Magnaclean is a fairly straighforward DIY plumbing job. When you have finished, use a corrosion inhibiter. the chemicals will cost you £15 each, and the Magnaclean about £100 if you do the work yourself.

This is likely to do a lot of good, and not going to do any harm, but if results are not good enough, you can always go down the Powerflush route later if you want.

However, if it does sort the problem out, you are several hundred pounds in pocket.

 

[nuno]

I'm not a plumber. I have had a powerflush done once, and I have also done my own chemical cleaning and fitted a Magnaclean on my mum's old system.

If money is a concern, I would always say start out by giving it a simple chemical clean with X400, which is very mild and not acidic, and if you have a lot of black sediment, fitting a Magnaclean is a fairly straighforward DIY plumbing job. When you have finished, use a corrosion inhibiter. the chemicals will cost you £15 each, and the Magnaclean about £100 if you do the work yourself.

This is likely to do a lot of good, and not going to do any harm, but if results are not good enough, you can always go down the Powerflush route later if you want.

However, if it does sort the problem out, you are several hundred pounds in pocket.

I think i might give this a go... however this wont clean the heat exchanger which i think may be be scaled up. But it is a start.

 

[nuno]

use a corrosion inhibiter.

can you recommend one that is any good?

 

[Chris_J]

X100

 

[nuno]

final question.. is the concentrate (gel) better than the non concentrate?

I imagine this has all to do with how you apply the liquid. Is it a case of once the system has been drained, unscrew a radiator bleed value and insert the liquid?

 

[JohnD]

the liquid is easy to use if you have a Feed&Expansion tank in the loft.

If you have a sealed system, you will either have to inject the concentrate, or devise some cunning way of getting a liquid into the system. It can be done using a funnel and tube if you have drained the syst and either got access to an open pipe, or take out a plug at the top of a rad.

 

[nuno]

I have a combi boiler so i dont have a feed and expansion tank...

 

[JohnD]

 

[nuno]

i will work it out, if i have to get a straw and blow it in i will... ha ha...

thanks for all the comments...

i will report back once the job is done...

 

[aptsys]

If you fit a Magnaclean, you can close the taps, pop the lid off and put inhibitor in there

 

[nuno]

just had the wife on the phone and she says that the boiler keeps locking out (her words = no hot water and red light showing on the boiler).

Could this whole thing be connected, ie system clogged up with nasty stuff?