Okay to add inhibitor through Magnaclean?

[taz777]

I need to add inhibitor to my CH system as there's been a leak in it for over three months. Is it okay to add inhibitor by unscrewing the Magnaclean, taking out the excess water and filling it with inhibitor? This approach would be far easier and less messy than adding it through a rad.

Also, which inhibitor should I go for and how much would I need? It's a sealed combi-boiler system with 8 rads.

 

[holty]

the simple answer is yes. but you wont get a full 1l tub of inhibitor in though.

 

[Charnwood]

but you wont get a full 1l tub of inhibitor in though.

Use a concentrate.
Fernox and Sentinel do concentrated versions of many of their additives.

 

[bengasman]

Any of the main brand inhibitors will do, but not merchant's own brands or stuff from diy sheds, other than main brand. Fine to use the filter for it.

 

[gasservice85]

if you by the fernox rapid dose you can spray it in though air release valve on top of magna clean

 

[Charnwood]

if you by the fernox rapid dose

Pedant being my middle name, Sentinel is Rapid Dose, Fernox is Express.

Both roughly the same price, but you have to buy seperate adaptors for the Sentinel.

 

[taz777]

All sorted now.

I bought a tube of Fernox F1 superconcentrate from Screwfix. It cost £29. Here is how I saved £150 by doing the dosing myself through the Magnaclean.

1. I loaded it into a mastic gun and cut off the sealed end and then screwed on of the adapters onto the end of the tube. I then pushed the yellow rubber tubing onto it and then fixed a thin nozzle onto the other end of the tube (you don't have to attach the yellow tube or the thin nozzle as I later found out).

2. I turned both valves on the Magnaclean to the 'Off' position and tried to get the bleed screw out. A lot of water came out - there's supposed to be a one-way valve in there which is supposed to stop water coming out. Eventually the water stopped coming out and I pushed the thin nozzle into the hole where the bleed pin goes but nothing would inject, so I gave up on this method.

3. I unscrewed the Magnaclean lid and drained out the water using a small towel - it took a few attempts to get most of the water out and in the end I had collected around 2 cupfuls in a bowl.

4. I injected the Fernox F1 superconcentrate straight into the open Magnaclean (this is why you don't need to attach the yellow tubing to the Fernox tube). It's a thickish gel and not watery like I was expecting it to be!

5. Replaced the lid on the Magnaclean (and remembered to put the bleed screw back and tighten it!).

6. Start up boiler - reset boiler - set thermostat high for an hour or so to circulate the inhibitor through tthe CH system.

7. Bleed Magnalclean using the bleed screw on the top of the lid. Job done.

Took 15 minutes to do from start to finish and zero mess other than a little water from the Magnaclean bleed screw (which was not supposed to come out according to the Magnaclean site and which I didn't need to unscrew in the end anyway, as I could have just squirted the F1 straight into the Magnaclean canister.

A couple of local heating engineers quouted £90 per hour and estimated the work to take approximately two hours. LOL.