Cleaning boiler heat exchanger

[DiyNutJob]

My gravity fed gas boiler hasn't had a clean for many years. I am thinking of cleaning it indirectly. Here's my idea:

1. Drain one of the radiators
2. Put 500ml Fernox F3 in the radiator
3. Run this for the winter
4. Do a complete drain and refill for the whole central heating in the spring and add inhibitor

My goal is to clean the boiler and not the radiators. Will this work?

Thanks.

 

[muggles]

No, it won't work. If you put cleaner anywhere in the system, it'll circulate around the whole system when you switch it on.

What makes you think it needs cleaning?

 

[DiyNutJob]

Why do you say it won't work if it gets circulated everywhere including the boiler? I want it to go into the boiler. If it gets into other places too, that's ok.

I have had plenty of kettling in the past. I imagine that would produce scaling. Also, I am in a hard water area.

 

[MrTherm]

Fernox F3 - cleaner to remove sludge, scale and debris.

https://fernox.com/product/cleaner-f3-500ml/

Fernox F2 - boiler noise silencer.

https://fernox.com/product/boiler-noise-silencer-f2-500ml/

Choose as required, my choice F2 for a scaled kettling system.

regards

 

[DiyNutJob]

Thank. Is it ok to run F3 for 3 months - length of the winter?

 

[MrTherm]

Can be left in system permanently - as per instructions.

 

[DiyNutJob]

Good stuff. That will be less hassle than calling out a boiler man.

 

[muggles]

Well in your first post you said quite specifically that you wanted to clean the boiler and not your radiators, so my response was based on that...

 

[DiyNutJob]

Ok, my intention was that the boiler was the main target. The rest would be collateral damage. At £6.5 a shot from ebay doesn't seem too terrible, assuming it does anything at all.