Central heating filter

[wobbly2]

Just had to clean return filter on old Bahama 100 boiler, which had blocked in a week after flushing and refill. There is no external sludge or sediment filtration fitted so I'm looking for recommendations of a suitable filter. Locations for the filter are very restricted due to no or very poor access to pipework.

There is one place with good access but this is in the cupboard which houses the boiler where the return pipe exits the boiler and runs across and approx 20mm above a ceiling see Pic1 & Pic2. To fit a filter is this position it would need a truly horizontal fitting and operation; does anyone know of one?

There is one other possible location, see Pic1 & Pic3 but locating it here would mean it being on-show in the bathroom plus I'm not so sure there is sufficient space anyway.

The pipes in pictures Pic2 are from left to right - flow, gas, return and in Pic3 gas, flow, return.

Any help would be much appreciated.


View attachment 96826

 

[copea]

With some easy modification of the pipework, you could mount the filter against the right hand wall of the cupboard, vertically.
Infinitely preferable to any of the options you've proposed.

 

[BigSnoopy01]

just make sure you dont block access needed for maintenance of the boiler and case.

 

[wobbly2]

The space in front of the boiler because it’s fully used for linen storage. If I do mount the filter on the RHS wall then it will have to go at the front of the cupboard otherwise it will hinder removal/refitting of the case because the side gap is only about 55mm. The gap on the LHS is about 110mm so it may be better to fit the filter on that wall; less easy pipe modifications but hey-ho.

When the system was refilled CalChem 3in1 Total System Protection (see: http://www.calmagltd.com/index.php/our-products/chemical-range/calchem/) was added. This treatment is supposed to break down the sludge, sediment etc into minute particles that are safe to circulate and remain in the system and, if there technical blurb is to be believed, increase the efficiency. However in this case it seems to have dislodge bigger particle that are now causing the boilers own filter, which is quite course, to block. I am concerned that this debris will/has entered the heat exchangers because the boiler appears to be cycling on its own temp control (not the room stat) more often than before.

After my original post I came across some filters made by Johnson Magnetic Filters (see: www.johnsonmagneticfilters.co.uk), which are tall/long and thin but don’t appear to deal with non-magnetic debris. Interestingly one of these would fit in the location I originally thought of.

Much of the debris cleaned from the boilers filter appears to be non-magnetic; therefore, I assume a magnetic only external filter, like the Johnson one, will not be good enough. With this in mind can you recommend a suitable unit; preferably something tall and thin rather than short and stubby because it will be less encroaching.

I've added a better picture of the location of the boiler.

 

[Agile]

Why do you want to bother when the boiler already has the gauze filter?

Some filters have a wire wool like part which they hope will catch non mag dirt.

I like to clean a system properly and don't normally see any need for a filter. But when I do want one I often just fit a gauze filter.

Usually use a 28 mm one on a 22 mm pipe as it has a larger catchment space.

I also ignore the flow arrows on the casing when its not appropriate. In future I will grind the arrow off as some plumber once accused me of fitting one wrongly.

Tony