Should I fit a Sentinel/Magnaclean?

[Boxerman]

I'm just in the process of replacing my house radiators (1 or 2 at a time as funds allow) and some of the pipework. I've re-filled the system with X100 inhibitor as the water from each old rad is very black in colour.

The boiler is an old Worcester 12/14 oil burner, and whilst it runs happily enough I'm wondering whether fitting a cleaner/filter will be a worthwhile investment or am I unlikely to see any benefit.

 

[JohnD]

Yes you should

a lot of the volume of dirt will be black magnetite which a Magnaclean will remove fast and with ease (helped by a chemical cleaner like Sentinel X400 which loosens it). this is the stuff that usually causes blockages. It will not attract non-magnetic things like drowned spiders, blobs of solder, limescale, plumbers' cigarette-ends, brick dust or brown rust, so you should drain and flush to remove what you can of these.

I am not a plumber but have used both methods. IMO if you have just had a powerflush and the syst is very clean, it is worth putting in a Sentinel or other particle filter, but otherwise, if you have a lot of black in it, the Magnaclean will get it out.

You will be amazed and delighted to see what a lot of black sludge it collects.

Be sure to use an inhibiter when refilling after your flush, to reduce future corrosion.

 

[Boxerman]

Am I going to need to flush the system then, I wondered if I could just fit one and let it do its stuff ?

 

[JohnD]

you could do, but you wil get better results if you flush as well. you can do this after running the cleaning chemical through the rads for a few weeks with the heating pump running.