BoilerMate 2000 Cleansing Update (Pics)

[ScottishGasMan]

So after repairing the 4 leaks a dodgey plumberleft on fitting a new radiator when the extension of my sisters house was done I noticed the system water wasn't in the best of conditions.

Added Cleanser to run for a while (quite a while ) And back drainning down just now. Trying a slightly alternate way of flushing it so see if it will be a little more thourhgor than a drain down and inhibit.

Ive connectet the Boiler pump+Heating Pump to a constant 240v supply, and opened the system drain at a rate the headertank can refill at, all rads open so Im hoping this might help drain more of the crud out the rads and pipework and boilermate.

The waters definetly getting cleaner (it will take some time to do the lot I know) Once prettly clear Im going to isolate all the rads bar one at a time (like a powerflush) and let the pumps run while drainning to get again as much out the system as possible.


My concern is the colour of the water, ive a magnaclean that I cant fit onto the boilermate, so from curiositry ive sat it in the drained water, and its not picking up much, so that and the fact the waters brown and not black would say that the problem is with air entering the system.


This is clearly a fault with the boilermate/headertank design, as when running you can always hear the open vent gurgling away as it draws air in. would there be any harm in capping the cold feed and just combining the cold feed and vent into a 22mm connection on the headertank?
that way when the boilermate trys to draw in, its only taking in a little more freshly inhibited water?

Pics

 

[ScottishGasMan]

PS the system is part of a newbuild house less than 4 years old, anyone who doesnt know about boilermates and has one in a new house, get inhibitor in it, lots and lots of it

 

[Agile]

I find a combined feed and vent a very useful way to deal with installation issues.

However, the glaring faults are so obvious!

The base of the F&E should always be at a VERY minimum of 1m above the highest part of the system.

The vent should be at least 450 mm above the level in the tank.

Just sorting out those two problems will probably be all thats required but when doing that I would probably combine as well.

Tony

 

[ScottishGasMan]

Thanks tony never even thought of that.

I'll need to look at making a shelf higher up in the cupboard or actually I could maybe just run the pipes straight into the loft. depends what sister will allow lol.

Off for a couple of days just now and want to get this sorted out, hate seeing a system in this condition when its a few basic things that could make it last 5 or 10 years longer than the rest in the estate.

 

[Agile]

have they all been done this way?

If so then you have a nice little earner sorting them all out.

I expect that we would charge about £134 to put the F&E on a pair of brackets with a precut plywoood base and extend the pipework with copper pipe and pushfit joints if we were doing quite a few of them.

Tony

 

[gavinda]

why not speak to gledhill as the header position is th epreferred fit acording to them, hence the premade pipe

 

[gavinda]

why not speak to gledhill as the header position is th epreferred fit acording to them, hence the premade pipe

actually now i look at it again im not sure thats even been done properly. get some installers intructions and have alook at them, im sure the premade pipe is fitted wrong.

 

[Agile]

You have an interesting point there Gasvinda!

As you say it seems to be a manufacturers intended way of placing the F&E tank.

However it defies all normal rules of positioning F&E tanks and vent pipes!

Tony

 

[gavinda]

we replaced one only a month ago.(sp version) but the we fitted the f&e like this, but it did say it could be done remote. i cant remember how out premade pipe looked but this one looks designed to pull air in.

 

[ScottishGasMan]

The water level in the F & E cistern should be
at least 250mm above the highest point on
the system including the radiators and must
be high enough to provide the minimum
head required by the boiler being used.

Taken from the manual, def a horrible design tho.

Put some X800 in a couple of hours ago and just re-flushing it the same way I did earlyer. And my god thats good ****!! The water flushing now is black so at least its moving plenty of crud out the system.

Going to leave the pumps circulating/system draining and headertank refilling for a couple of hours., def seems to be helping to pick stagnant debris up from the rads/pipes compared to a static drain down and refill, like I done before and had clean water drainng after an hour, when the system really is still choked full.

Reason for this also is last time it took best part of 2 hours to get crappy dropfed system circulating again and Id want to drain/fil 3-4 times to get as much out as possible.


Due to space restrictions and my sister not being keen on having a tank in the loft, im going to keep the F+E where it is and combine the cold feed and vent for time being, would have to draw 10ltrs for water in before it could get air even at that so should make a difference anyway. if not ill move it later.



Putting 2 bottles of salamander inhibitor in the sys, and thinking one in the F+E, is there any dangers with over inhibiting?

 

[gavinda]

you should be ok with 3 bottles of the stuff in there.

 

[ScottishGasMan]

Cheers bud, out of curiosity, can you overdoese system with inhibitor?

have they all been done this way?

If so then you have a nice little earner sorting them all out.

My thoughts exactly lol, yup, miller homes, everyone in the estate is a boilermate 2000, all dropfed 8mm plastic in the walls aswell, if i dont make some money out this, the plasterers will in a few years when all the choked pipes need cut out.

 

[GPlumb]

Is there an Ideal Boiler? Just out of curiosity.

Last boiler mate i seen was in 3-4 year old 4 bedroom/double garage detached up here in Glasgow.

The f&e tank was exactly the same arrangement.

 

[Softus]

the glaring faults are so obvious!

This should be good.

The base of the F&E should always be at a VERY minimum of 1m above the highest part of the system.

This is a heat store, you complete numpty.

The vent should be at least 450 mm above the level in the tank.

Are you getting this from the MIs?

Just sorting out those two problems will probably be all thats required but when doing that I would probably combine as well.

You should stick to measuring pump spindle speeds.

 

[ScottishGasMan]

Is there an Ideal Boiler? Just out of curiosity

Nah, On a suprima, they really enjoy fiting PCBs down here with suprimas/boilermates lol,

Workin gin glasgow before xmass and seen a few boilermates on ideals now u mention it.

Thing is they work really well, great hot water/heating and gas bills seem pretty economical considering its a boiler with an old cast iron HE and its on all day.