powerflush and innhibitor help

[emphasis303]

Hi

Im in the process of draining down my unvented indirect system and changing some valves and a rad.

I want to cleanse it of the black sludge which I have quite a fair bit of and also use an innhibitor.

I am aware u just fill the rad or pour down the pipes the innhibitor, however Im not sure how I can use the cleanser. Im guessing it will have to be a power flush.

I have a vaillant ecoMax 630e, so if anyone can advise how this can be done with my system.

Im planning to use to clean the system

http://www.screwfix.com/prods/89458.../Sentinel-X400-Central-Heating-Sludge-Remover

and this as the inhibitor
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/79683...nel-X100-Central-Heating-Scale-Inhibitor-1Ltr

I have about 19rads in total so if you could also let me know roughly how much of this stuff i would need.

Thank you once again



Thank you very much

 

[Agile]

How exactly are gou going to do the powerflushing?

As X400 takes about four weeks so will you keep the power flushing pump on hire for four weeks or have you bought your own?

Tony

 

[gas4you]

I personally would use X800, probably 2 bottles with your number of rads.

You don't need a powerflush machine with a system boiler.

Drain a rad and add the x800, fill up and pressurise.

Fire boiler up to around 45-50C temp and run for an hour or 2.

Turn boiler off, find a drain cock that you know is on the flow or return, put hose on it, if it is on the flow, then shut ch flow isolating valve under boiler and leave return open, shut all rad valves bar one, open filling loop and let mains pressure flush system clean, when water runs clean shut rad valve and open next etc, etc.

Keep HW off whilst this is going on and shut any auto bypass valve that may be fitted.

Once all rads done and clean, shut all rads off and turn on HW side till runs clean.

Turn off HW, leave rads off and open ch flow valve to flush the boiler HE.

When clean, shut ch return boiler valve and run clean. When all appears clean, switch ch flow open again and close ch return, open all rad valves and let run again until clear.

When finished add inhibitor to a rad, re-pressurise and run boiler purge program, P0.

If you're still with me and havent fallen asleep, job done

 

[emphasis303]

.hh

 

[Agile]

All I can say is that I would not do it Daves way!

If I was not going to power flush it then I would run the heating only through each rad ON ITS OWN for about five minutes before opening the next.

Tony

 

[emphasis303]

Hi

thanks for the replies

I have a few problems with the method u said gas4u

firstly, my radiators are mainly old, so the only way to fill with x800 would be to disconnect it from the valve and then turn it sidewards, pour the soloution down and then in the process of putting the rad back into the valves spill most of the x800 on the floor.

So im a bit stuck with filling the rads with the soloution as I cant get it in with out removing the rad.

Also, non of my rads have a drain cock, the only way would be to drain from the boiler, shud I just put a draincock valve on another rad???

Would it be ok for me to remove each rad and clean it manually with the hose?? or would this not be as effective?

thank u very much agile and gas4u

 

[JohnD]

X400 is effective but takes time. you can circulate it for 4 weeks if you like. it is very mild so will do no harm even if you leave it in longer.

If you can afford an extra £100 a Magnaclean fitted on a vertical 22mm return pipe will delight you when you see how much black sediment it picks up. it continues doing this indefinitely and by trapping circulating sediment it will prevent new accumulations.

If you can take the rads off and hose then out in the garden that is a good way to clean out their sludge.

There is a method described on the FAQs to flush out using mains pressure. I have never done it that way myself.

I am very much in favour of fitting rad valves with drain-off incorporated on the downstairs radiators near doorways. If any of your rads are connected to pipes coming down from the ceiling you need such a drain on each such radiator.

It is possible to add chemicals to a sealed sytem either with an injector gun through a bleed valve hole, or you can take out the bleed plug and fanny about with a funnel and hose. You have to drain some water out first to make room or the chemical will just run out again.

I am not a plumber.

 

[gas4you]

If you can't put it in a rad then drain system, go to an upstairs rad, disconnect pipe from bottom of a rad valve and pour in chemical, re-fill and pressurise, job done.

No point leaving X400 in more than 4 weeks as it only remains active for 4 weeks, after this it has lost its chemical effect.

Tony, the way I described it is the way I have seen you post in the past saying that it is successful as long as the person doing it is clever enough to know which valves to shut on the boiler

 

[Agile]

Well it is Dave except that I would circulate the boiler flow through each rad on its own in turn just as we do when we use a power flushing pump. the only difference is that we cannot reverse the flow and the boiler pump pressure is rather less than a power flusher. Its still adequate on a fairly clean system.

Tony

 

[emphasis303]

thanks for the replies

to ur suggestion gas4u of going to an upstairs rad and taking off the valve and putting it down the pipe once the system is drained, is this an effective way of using the x800?

I do not have any known areas of blockage due to sludge it is only that the last 2 rads i took off the water was absouloutly filthy and also there was quite a bit of dirt.

If u think this is ok then I will drain the system, put the two bottles of x800 then should i refill the system turn the heating on and then after about an hour should i drain down the system put the inhibitor then fill up and leave??

Thank u once again

 

[emphasis303]

what do u guys think? Am I wasting the soloution by just pouring it down one rad and leaving the system run for a couple of hours?

Also on ur post gas4u, i forgot to mention it is a one pipe system.



Thanks

 

[sooey]

Dave and Tony's advise will have been given on the assumption that your's was a normal two pipe system, and woud not do much on a one pipe. The best you could do is to add the chemical and run it for a few hours and drain out while hot, then fill and flush again. But even that won't get all the muck out of the rads and you will have to take them out in the garden individually and hose them through to do a proper job.

 

[wishiwascorgi]

a power flusher from hss would cost you £55 for the day. I would go with the magnaclean as you can add your cleaner and inhibitor once installed and clean it as often as you like. Wont help for larger blockages like the power flush which would break down build up a lot better

 

[gas4you]

Also on ur post gas4u, i forgot to mention it is a one pipe system

Probably the most important bit of info not given till the end

 

[emphasis303]

sorrrrryyy guys, I dont know why i didnt say it from the start, I guess I thought with inexpereience brain that it wasnt important but I was wrong.