To powerflush or not?

[obitoo]

Hi All, first post on here but been reading for a while, i'm a keen DIY-er, though boilers are beyond me - hence i'm hoping for some advice from some of the knowledgable posters on here. I'll try to keep it brief:

I've got 3 yr old Worcestor-bosch 28i junior that has recently started to give erratic hot water. All radiators bar one were replaced when it was installed.

So after two visits by different chaps from the same firm, they've decided it needs a powerflush, a strainer (a legal requirement he says), a lime-blocker and a new flow sensor.

He demonstrated the problem by pointing to 5-10mm of sludge in the bottom of the trap/syphon. (Is this normal?) I've read mixed opinions of powerflushes on here - so i'm a little wary of wasting money on it if it might be something cheaper. And surely it would have been flushed when installed?

Is it true about the 'strainer' being a legal requirement? Can't find anything about it on the web.


Will try for a second opinion shortly, but interested in peoples thoughts first.... thanks for your time.

 

[kevplumb]

Is it true about the 'strainer' being a legal requirement? Can't find anything about it on the web.

no absolute male coo poo

magnaclean or spirovent ain't either but are a good idea

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lime blocker
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He demonstrated the problem by pointing to 5-10mm of sludge in the bottom of the trap/syphon.

got nothing to do with the state of the system water

methinks yer being spun a yarn fella

 

[obitoo]

methinks yer being spun a yarn fella

Damn, suspected as much. Might get them to replace the flow sensor thingie then, seeing as i gave them a 60 quid deposit yesterday. sigh. Then try and find someone decent for the strainer. Cheers kevplumb

 

[linkyplumb]

Definitely go with the flow sensor.95% sure that will be your problem.
When you talk about sludge in the syphon trap, is it like white chalky deposits.
Every Junior that I have serviced has had this.When I asked the Worcester rep, he said that beacause the hex is aluminium, it goes through a sand/shotblasting process and this is just the remainder of this left in the syphon.
Same as Kev.... I think you are being spun one!
Graham

 

[obitoo]

When you talk about sludge in the syphon trap, is it like white chalky deposits.

No, its more a mixture of brown colours - pretty much the colour of black pudding i'd say.

 

[transam]

sludge in bottom of condensate trap is probaly ? dissolved alloy from the heat exc' condensate corrosion perhaps ?

 

[Axel]

This guy is a crook. He is either too incompetent, ignorant or unqualified to go near a boiler, or he is fraudulently trying to get you to pay him for work that is either unnecessary or more likely, won't actually be done properly, if at all. Sludge visible in the condensate trap has nothing to do with sludge in the system water, (which you would only see if you drained the system or already had a filter / magnaflow), and if boiler and rads are 3 years old, there is unlikely to be much of a sludge problem. I would question him further about this sludge and see how much other bull he will come up with...

Last week I went to a boiler that wasn't circulating the CH - the guy they had first called out had told them the boiler was old, needed replacing etc.., and no doubt charged them for the privilege of his opinion. I went to the trouble of spending 10 minutes tracing the problem to discover that all the rads were turned off! Saved them a few ££.... Same story last year when only problem was a blocked condensate trap - bloke was giving it the new boiler story. Only reason he hasn't tried that on you is 'cos yours is only 3 years old...

 

[obitoo]

its funny you say "unqualified to go near a boiler", because he spent 30 minutes of the diagnosis on the phone to his office/boss "working out" what the problem was. And i say that in quotes. Didnt fill me with confidence.

Why is it so hard to find an honest plumber in London???? Of all the trades, i've come across so many more bad plumbers than any other trade

 

[kevplumb]

Why is it so hard to find an honest plumber in London????

they emigrated