Halstead finest my A??!!

[H-M3]

Hi guys need some help as I am getting really annoyed with this boiler. Its around five years old I have had it powerflushed 2 times in the last year and half. The heating all work fine but the water side is problem. I have taken the secondary heat exchanger out 5-6 times in the last years as it keeps on clogging up with black iron or something. This is only on the water side and not the CH side, as when I take the secondary heat Exchanger out its just on that side!!! Can anyone advise? Some say I should get the boiler descaled? Also the boiler makes loud sound when you run the DHW. Few people have sugested I just change the Sec heat exchanger but my concern is if there is dirt there is no point as it will just clogg the heat exchanger again? By the way its a combi boiler. Also i was told these boilers have auto vent and so hence do not need bleeding? Please help?? Today I again drained the boiler as the boiler kept going out!! aargh. Cleaned the sec heat exchanger and when I took the pipe connection for the expansion vessel some black iron crap also came out. Maybe that explains why I am losing pressure everytime the heating is on. Due to blockage?

 

[Agile]

You seem to have misinterpreted which side of the plate HE is getting blocked.

Its difficult for me to guess why its so bad if it has been properly power flushed twice. My conclusion is that you have had nupties who dont know what they are doing or perhaps intentionally dont do it properly. Why not name who did the power flushing for you and how much they charged? We charge about £350 !

But be aware there are many who dont do power flushing properly, use the right chemicals or do whats appropriate for dirt in the boiler.

My advice is to get an engineer who knows what he is doing.

Tony

 

[H-M3]

Thanks Agile, Basically it was a co called powerflushuk.com, they did the job. I had them out twice as the boiler was cutting out. after couple of months. I have Homeserve as a breakdown, they came out and said it needs descalling!!! I hit the roof as I said I just had it PF! They said that it still scalled up! So I called the PF co up and the guy came back and he charged me another £250 for labour and Chemical as he said there is no dirt and that homeserve are trying to avoid work. But since then I have had to take the Heat exchanger out 4 times to clean it as it gets clogged up. But as I said the heating works fine??? Oh I paid £350 first time for P/F and that was done with Kamco machine and it included 9 rads and 1 towel warmer.

 

[Rico99]

Hi there,

I think what Agile was trying to tell you, and correct me if i'm wrong Tony,
is that you are talking about to different things.

Having your central heating system flushed, would not affect the DHW heat exchanger, they are 2 different components.

Rico

 

[Agile]

I think that you have already realised that what I suspected is in fact the case that the power flushers did not deal with any dirt in the boiler.

Its a common expectation that anyone power flushing will also deal with dirt in the boiler.

Thats usually not the case. I always explain that we do deal with the boiler within our power flushing quote but the job usually goes to someone cheaper who uses cheap chemicals ( if any ) but does not touch the boiler.

People usually ask for a power flush after a problem with a boiler following a boiler engineer visit. But nobody is providing a single solution to the problem as a competent independent would have to do.

In your case you have used a ( poor quality ) firm to deal with the boiler and a specialist power flushing firm who do just that ( and nothing more ).

I appreciate that may seem the obvious thing to do but the reality is that each do just their own thing. Homeserve exclude dirt in a boiler to keep their costs down so dont expect them to get involved. Power flushers just deal with the rads and not the boiler.

Whilst your boiler may not be the best they work fine and are quite reliable if fitted to a clean system.

Tony

 

[transam]

You would be best advised to fit some type of boiler protection , to your boiler , magnaclean , or one of the new fernox filters ( not boiler buddy).
Even if you power flush the system .

 

[H-M3]

I regret not becoming a plumber as it seems there is so much! So you guys saying I need to descale the boiler now? Can anyone suggest price person etc? thanks

 

[Netdragon]

One thing i advise Get a magno clean in the system this has a nice magnet that collects all the black muck into a plastic box you can take out and clean may help your system fit it on the return and in a few days clean it (you can do this) and you be surprised at the stuff it picks up.

I fitted alot of these as they are bloody good bits of kit to protect boilers

 

[SamBrownExp]

Is this the sort of thing you were thinking of Netdragon?

http://www.tradeplumbing.co.uk/Magnetic-Debris-Removal-Filter_p_13201.html

"The Magnetic Flexi Filter provides protection by removing black iron oxide from the heating circuit, increasing the heating system efficiency."

In simple English - it makes the black stuff stick to a magnet so it doesn't get inside the boiler!

 

[Agile]

But the dirt has already got into the boiler!

Tony

 

[transam]

Yes because they never fitted any boiler protection after they power flushed , flush out the boiler than fit some boiler protection !!

 

[Netdragon]

something like that