how do drain and flush a system
- Thread starter needshelp
- Start date
B
breezer
I am not a heating engineer or plumber
To flush your system, turn it off first, tie up the ball valve in the header tank and partialy drain the system, add a flushing agent
and then release the ball valve in the header tank, letting the system fill up. when full you can now turn it back on.
Leave it as per recomendations on the bottle, repeat except let clean water flow strait through then add an inhibitor
you can get them from www.screwfix.com (there is a problem with their website at the minute so i can not post a link, but go to plumbing> central heating, you want the 18th &19th items on the list)
other brands of inhibitor and flushing solutions are available.
To flush your system, turn it off first, tie up the ball valve in the header tank and partialy drain the system, add a flushing agent
and then release the ball valve in the header tank, letting the system fill up. when full you can now turn it back on.
Leave it as per recomendations on the bottle, repeat except let clean water flow strait through then add an inhibitor
you can get them from www.screwfix.com (there is a problem with their website at the minute so i can not post a link, but go to plumbing> central heating, you want the 18th &19th items on the list)
other brands of inhibitor and flushing solutions are available.
B
breezer
as above, you will also need to find the systems drain valve which should be at its lowest point
I have the same system as the original post but has never been drained in the 2 yrs since moving in and can guarantee the previous owners never either. It is the original system from the house being built in 96. There is no problem at all with any heaters and from what I can tell from bleeding the water is clear and only one radiator seems to collect little air. I believe in "if it is'nt broken, don't fix it" saying and have read previous postings of problems ariseing once trying to 'improve' the system by flushing. Is it a general rule just to do this if you start to get problems with the system?
B
breezer
i am not a plumber or heating engineer.
central heating sysytems are "supposed" to have corosion inhibitors in them, that is why some say drain system flush it and add corosion inhibitor.
When you bleed a radiator it is unlikely that the water that comes out will be anything other than clear because the "sludge" is heavy and so sits at the bottom of the radiators.
If you have a combi boiler then the system is "sealed" and so there is supposed to be less chance of it getting sludge.
as you said "if it aint broke don't fix it"
that said, prevention is better than cure
central heating sysytems are "supposed" to have corosion inhibitors in them, that is why some say drain system flush it and add corosion inhibitor.
When you bleed a radiator it is unlikely that the water that comes out will be anything other than clear because the "sludge" is heavy and so sits at the bottom of the radiators.
If you have a combi boiler then the system is "sealed" and so there is supposed to be less chance of it getting sludge.
as you said "if it aint broke don't fix it"
that said, prevention is better than cure
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