Power Flush advice

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trevorbayliss

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I am going to hire the fernox power flush machine from my local plumbers merchant. I have used it before, but a few years ago.

I took off a rad and attached the hoses to the two valves from this rad to connect into the system.

I can do the same again, but wondered if I can attach somewhere onto my UFH manifold in the photo. I am not sure where to attach to. Does anyone know? Also could I run the power flush through this manifold for all the rads as well or would I need to do the UFH first and then detach and attach the hoses onto the rad valves.
 

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Take rads off and wash out.
Wash fins off.
Refit and run cleaner through.
Drain and fill with inhibitor.

Is that not an option?
 
I would rather connect through the rad in the living room where I have the washing machine connection to fill up plus dumping water is easy. Boiler is top of house.

Does no one know how I connect onto my UFH manifold?
 
Spoke to my engineer and he said to open the zone valves so the UFH system just becomes part of the heating system. So I will just treat the UFH as if it's a rad and zone off all the rads when I come to clean out the UFH part. Sounds easier.
 
Unfortunately - with the blending valve in between the manifold and flow/return on the CH system then that will cause a restriction to the powerflush. Even then, to do a powerflush properly, the machine should be connected to each radiator individually and the flow run forward and reverse while the rad is agitated by a rubber impacter. That loosens any crap sitting in the bottom of the rad and is then caught by the machine.

Just running the powerflush machine on the main system pipework won't be very effective, if the rads are bad.

If they aren't that bad then a powerflush isn't needed IMO. All that is needed is cleaner introduced into the system, run it fully up to temp every day for a week or two and then do a full drain and mains flush on both flow and return until it all run clear, that should do the job just as well.
 
Thanks Madrab. I have added x400 today and will run it for a few weeks.

Draining down is obv easy to do, but I have not flushed my system before. How do I do this ? And how do you do it on the flow and then return?

Do I leave the hose drain off on the last rad and then run the cold feed in the boiler to flush and open or close the flow or turn on the boiler ?
 
Are there 2 system drains, hopefully there is. One for the flow and one for the return. Or if filling loop is on the return and the drain is on the flow or vice versa then fine. Shut off flow and return on the boiler - Shut down all the rads leaving one open, then open the drain and run the loop, the flow will run through the first rad and out to the drain, then open the next rad and shut down the first and do that all the way down the line until they all run clean

If the filling loop is on the return and the drain is on the return or flow and flow then that makes an actual mains flush impossible and the only option then is to fill and flush(drain) and repeat till clear but that removes the flow through each rad and it's only gravity that can draw any crud out, or cut in a new drain.
 
I have a drain off point on the flow side only (left)

It’s a MAIN combi
 

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Ah - no , not the boiler drain point. I'm taking about a full system drain(s), external drain valve(s) run off of the central heating, usually set below floor level on an outside wall, where the whole system can be drained down. Some systems have radiator valves with drain points.

Alternatively, a radiator can be used that's close to an outside door and a couple of hoses.
 
I understand about the system drain offs. I have 3 rad drain off points. So all sorted there. Not sure if they are on the flow or return though.

Just to clarify, when I force water through the system from the boiler water feed I shut off all rads and open one and clean them out one at a time. Do I also close off the boiler isolator valves for flow and return? This is the point I’m unsure on
 
trevorbayliss said:
Do I also close off the boiler isolator valves for flow and return?
Click to expand...
Yes - normally I wouldn't suggest using the boiler isolation valves, as some don't like being used if they are old and then leak afterwards but you want to force the water through the rads and any crud flushed out to be ejected out of the drain offs, you don't want any of that running through the boiler.
 

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