How do I clear a blockage in microbore pipe?? Help!!

[littlemissterious]

Hi All,

I'm having real problems with the rad in my lounge.....I'm pretty hands on for a girl, quite used to draining down rads and flushing them through, but can't seem to shift this one!

The rad is totally cold...large double rad served by microbore 8mm copper pipes (yuk!), valve each end (non-thermostatic type). Have had the feed valve off the rad today, tried to flush through...lots of black sludgy stuff came through, then it totally blocked up. Took valve off..no probs there, clean as a whistle. Upped pressure on system to max via boiler fill valve, nothing came through the (now valveless!) pipe at all. Turned pump on and it started flowing a bit, lots of rubbish came out, but still not flowing properly, very weak flow. Put it all back together, rad incredibly slow to fill. Think there must be a blockage between the manifold (impossible to get to without clearing an entire room of furniture, taking up carpet, as is in the middle of main bedroom - argh...who planned that??!) and the valve, somewhere in the pipe.

Would adding some Fernex cleaner or similar maybe sort the problem out?? Or if it's not flowing well, is it gonna do diddly squat? Thinking only other option is to get somebody to do a power flush, but (a) massively expensive and I'm on benefits due to ill health and (b) I read theyre not great on microbore systems....?

Any advice anybody...pretty please?

 

[nickso]

powerflush wont clear a blockage.

stick something flexible down the pipe as far as you can, i use a roll of earth wire that is just right for the job. if not a car tyre pump will fit on the end of the 8mm pipe, pump it up with low water pressure in the other side then relaease the pressure, sometimes the push/pull effect frees it off.

unless you want a new carpet dont leave full water pressure on the other side, its liable to surprise you and make a mess you wouldnt believe.

 

[muggles]

powerflush wont clear a blockage

Yeah it will, ya just have to know how...

 

[corgiman]

powerflush wont clear a blockage

Yeah it will, ya just have to know how...

I am intrigue how can a powerlsuher clear a blockage which has NO circulation by its very nature.

I wouldnt have thought the pump on the machine was powerful enough to blow it through or that if it were powerful enough it wouldnt blow the pipe.

Would love to know how that worked muggles ?

 

[muggles]

It's only a partial blockage, the OP stated that she got some flow out with the circulator switched on, powerflush pumps are more powerful than a standard CH circulator. OP has also stated that she has upped the pressure on the boiler to max, which has proved the stength of the pipework.

I'd remove the rad and connect the powerflush in it's place. It might need pulsing on and off at first with several changes in flow direction, but it'll clear it.

 

[Corgigrouch]

I'd be inclined to get my Gallo gun out... ( a little gizmo that helps unblock pipes with a blast of CO2 from a little Sparklet bulb) and give it a blast... though if it is REALLY blocked then you can expect a Jackson Pollock where a joint gives way

 

[Agile]

A citric acid based cleanser like DS40 is likely to clear the blockage if there is a little flow

However it might cause leaks at the old rad valves or even rads etc.

If you decide to risk it, then close the valves on the rads with a good flow and circulate the chemical in the system for about 10 minutes cold and then warm it up to about 35° and then after another 10 min to about 50°.

Use about 1/3 of a can of DS40. That will probably be quite enough on a microbore system.

Lastly open the other rads and let it circulate through all the rads before draining and rinsing the system throughly.

Tony

 

[namsag]

Blockages in microbore manifolds are always better to be cut out and physically cleared as it can be caked on and quite hard and even with back filling etc the majority of the blockage is still there.
2 easy ways to try it is rigging up a hose to offending pipe and back flushing with mains pressure or rigging up an injection bottle and pressurising it right up before releasing it , this will usually push blockage out the way.
But you will still have a build up on the manifold which should really be cut out and cleared

 

[Paul Barker]

In case your confused OP I am on the side of the guys offering gentler solutions. Pressure solutions tend to compact it at the manifold and worsten the problem to a complete blockage. As Tony says try a really good chemical to try and dissolve the blockage. Powerflushing doesn't solve these scenarios it worstens them.

As you have no money you can't buy the Bg powerflush service which has the advantage of a lifetime guarantee, but in your case you would definately be making use of the guarantee so it would be worth the money.

 

[corgiman]

It's only a partial blockage, the OP stated that she got some flow out with the circulator switched on, powerflush pumps are more powerful than a standard CH circulator. OP has also stated that she has upped the pressure on the boiler to max, which has proved the strength of the pipework.

I'd remove the rad and connect the powerflush in it's place. It might need pulsing on and off at first with several changes in flow direction, but it'll clear it.

I thought you had hit on a way of clearing blockages after you replied

"Yeah it will, ya just have to know how... "

I know that with the right chemical and time you can sort out a "partial" blockage.

ho hum

 

[phloaw]

Apologies for the necro-threading, but I have a similar problem with my old 8mm microbore rad piping (in a conventional vented CH/HW with loft cistern and FE tanks), so I was wondering if OP had attempted anything and could report.
Basically, my system is not blocked, it works ok. But it is VERY slow to drain and fill. Last time it took one night to refill. Each time I need to refill it to do some maintenance, I get in a cold sweat, worrying it won't refill. To the point I am now wary of touching it.
I am pretty sure I don't have a blocked cold feed before the boiler. However, what I find strange is that HW cylinder coil, fed by a 22mm is also very slow filling up.

 

[ianmcd]

you have just hi-jacked a 12 year old post, agaisnt site rules and you have a different system, start your own post to get the correct replies for your system