Radiators - Replace or Not

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My C Heating & Hot water is provided, at present, by District Heating. They ( the Housing Trust ) have decided to replace this with individual gas boiler systems. Being an owner-occupier have been presented with a bill for this work - £3,750. This is for a new gas boiler, replacement rads & hot water tank. When I asked why I needed new rads ( 20 years old and working fine ) I was told that they would have sludge in them and/or they could be the wrong size ie too small or too large? Sludge - where from?!!. Does this sound like a money making exercise to you or do the rads really need replacing?
 
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They're right. The water inside the system reacts with the metalwork in the rads and can produce a black sludge which builds up until the rads stop working. You can have a system power flushed to remove said sludge which any body would recommend after this period of time.

The addition of inhibitor to the system prevents this build up and should be done as routine maintenance every few years.

In theory, if a system is designed properly the radiators should be sized to provide the required heat per room and the boiler then sized to provide the correct amount of heat into the system. In theory, if your system was designed properly all those years ago then it would be quite acceptable to install the correct size boiler. However, if only a boiler was installed and something didn't work afterwards it would all get a bit messy as far as accountability and responsibility was concerned.

Draw your own conclusions - sorry, that's not a lot of help.
 
It is prudent to replace all due to age of system but the price should be queried and alternative quotes obtained.
If you are an owner occupier then it should be you that chooses your installers and you should shop around accordingly :)
 
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