System Cleaner

[marope2009]

I had a new central heating system installed about a year ago and pretty much from day one there have been problems.

The installer, boiler manufacturer, and an independant plumber have all been out on more than one occasion, probably over 10 times!

The boiler rep replaced the pump, heat exchanger and left hand block in the boiler the last time he visited(may 2010). The conclusion was that due to me living in a hard water area, that was causing the problems(rads not working, constant need to bleed, no hot water,etc,etc)Inhibitor was put in the system.

So recently the whole cycle starts again but this time I sort it myself. I drained the system enough to place cleanser in(wickes brand) and once this is done it says to leave to heating on for 8 hours full whack. The rads were bouncing of the walls!! Great exactly what they should be doing!

I then drained the system and place some inhibitor and here I am 2 weeks later and its all gone to s**t again. All the rads are balanced and bled of air. I get hot water no problem.

My question is....Why do I have to drain the system cleanser? Can I just leave this in the system as I would with inhibitor? Does the system cleanser damage parts over time?

My thinking is that as soon as I drain and recharge the system the fresh water going in is just starting the sludge reaction all over again, even with the inhibitor in.

Any help greatly appreciated!!!

 

[muggles]

If you put sufficient inhibitor in your system then it won't corrode and sludge up. Sometimes this means using more than one bottle. Also, use a proper proven brand like Fernox or Sentinel rather than some unknown stuff from Wickes.

If you are suffering from hard water then there are inline scale inhibitors available, if you put one of these on the cold pipe near your boiler it should reduce/remove any scaling issues within the system when you refill it.

 

[marope2009]

Thanks Muggles!

I used wickes cleanser but the inhibitor was Sentinel.

I have been looking at scale inhibitors....are these just magnets?

Thanks again!

also...Should I just add more inhibitor now or should I cleanse the system and then add more inhibitor?

 

[mointainwalker]

Yes

They are just magnets and totally useless in a domestic system as well as being a phenomenal rip-off for 50p of components.

 

[muggles]

Some are magnetic, some use phosphate such as the Combimate http://www.cistermiser.co.uk/Default.aspx?PageID=13

 

[kevplumb]

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