does my system need a good clean? how do i know?

[chelseaboy2009]

Is there any way to see if my central heating system needs a clean/flush? If i drain a few buckets of water from the draining point on the ground floor and it is black/brown and thickish will this tell me i need to? i think i may do as some radiators take longer to heat up than they did say 3-4 years ago.

are power flushes any good? i have heard they can cause leaks on old systems though and the fernox in the header tank or through a rad vent point are nearly as good?

my mate had a blocked heat exchanger 6 months ago and needed a new boiler and i don't want this to happen to me! apparantly there was no circulation or very poor circulation due to the sludge and scale build up and the boiler kept over heating.

if the water comes out clean does this mean i do not need to clean out my system, and if so what would the problem be with the rads taking longer to heat?

sorry if my question is worded badly!

 

[JohnD]

//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=6026

how old is your system? Is it open vented or sealed? Has it had a a chemical inhibitor in it since new? Is it pumping over? Is it leaking? How often do you need to vent the rads? What colour is the water? Is there mud in the F&E?

Can you do basic DIY plumbing? Can you afford £30? Can you afford an extra £hundred?

 

[chelseaboy2009]

Hi

my system is open vented

It had a fernox inhibitor put in years ago

the water when drained was clear

the f & e tank has a bit of muddish stuff at the bottom but nothing major

no pumping over and no leaking

i vent my rads now and again but not much air, mainly just water coming out

 

[JohnD]

It is usual for open vented systems to accumulate corrosion sediment, especially if the inhibitor is not topped up from time to time.

I suggest you bale out the F&E and sponge it clean (you don't want that mud going down into the rads), then drain a couple of buckets out of the rads so the chemical is drawn in as you refill, then add a litre of Sentinel X400 mild cleaner when refilling (it will cost you £15).

Most likely you will find the circulating water the goes inky black with loosened sediment. Then run the heating as usual for 4 weeks before draining and rinsing, and refilling with an inhibitor such as X100.

This will loosen and wash out quite a lot of sediment, and will often do the trick. If you can do basic DIY plumbing and afford £100, fit a Magnaclean device as well. This will trap circulating black sediment from the water and prevent if forming new accumulations or blockages. I guarantee you will be amazed and delighted to see how much sediment it traps, and it continues working permanently.

I am a householder not a pro.

 

[chelseaboy2009]

Thanks for your help. I'll buy some this weekend and try it. One thing though-after draining some water from my system it already looked clean. How comes ? Is my system already clean or is the sludge like stuck somewhere and needs to be removed with the chemicals?

 

[JohnD]

on an old system it is very likely that you have old sludge, and it has either settled into low points like the bottoms of radiators, or may have hardened.

if the system is very clean then the water will not go dark with loosened sludge, but I bet 5p that it does.

if you find that parts of your rads are cold (esp at the bottom or the middle) then the cleaner may improve them, especially if you bang them with the flat of your hand while circulating the cleaner.

 

[chelseaboy2009]

Thanks john you have been really helpful and i appreciate it.

You seem like a plumber to me !!!!!


I thought it was weird when i drained my system for approx. 5 minutes and it was clear - maybe the sludge is stuck and needs to be loosened? As the water wasn't black and thick like i was suspecting