Quick question - bacterial growth in CH header tank?

[Skyhigh]

Hi guys,

I'd appreciate your comments on this.

TLDR; Is this bacterial growth? Quick clean out and bleach should fix? Maybe a biocide?

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Usually keep the system well maintained. Six months ago drained and bleach cleaned the header tank (was generally OK, only had 2-3mm of sediment. Hadn't been cleaned by previous owner in 10 years).

Last week, put some more Fernox F1 in the header tank as thought it would need topping up.

This week, slight brown scum and faint white-ish residue which has no 'body' to it (i.e. you poke it, there's nothing 'there').


Cheers,

 

[Agile]

Looks pretty nasty to me. Can also hurt some people's skin.

I would be inclined to remove all the water from the F&E tank and clean it well.

Might be better to completely drain the system and put a cleanser in for the correct time.

Don't you have a lid on the tank and insulation around it?

Tony

 

[Skyhigh]

Well fitting lid with insulation around the tank and on the lid itself too.

Tank was perfectly clear last week when I added the F1 to it.

When you say cleanser, so you mean something like Fernox F3, or biocide like Fernox AF10?



Cheers!

 

[Agile]

F3 and F5 are the Fernox cleansers.

But I am not very familiar with them and only use the F3 on an already clean system, when we are required to use a cleanser.

I use the sentinel inhibitor X100 and it never gives me that problem. I also use their X400 and X800 when I have to clean a dirty system.

Tony

 

[DP]

My best advice to you Skyhigh is contact Sentinel to Fernox and seek help from them. Thus you will get best information as they know stuff that posters on forum might not even be aware of

 

[Scarum]

I had similar issue after redoing my ch 4 years ago. I added AF10 biocide to header tank after cleaning it out and no problems since.

 

[Agile]

Thus you will get best information as they know stuff that posters on forum might not even be aware of.

They might well know things we may not be aware of. But they are unlikely to admit anything which would imply their products are not perfect.

I have seen several similar postings on forums with this kind of problem. Mostly seem to be after Fernox inhibitor has been used. That is one reason that I use Sentinel inhibitor as that has never given me any problem. But there are many different senarios in heating water systems which make comparisom impossible.

What I can say though is that no heating engineer wants to be called back ( at no further charge ) to an F&E tank like the one pictured on this thread just one week after it has been treated with an inhibitor.

It is a great pity that Fernox are not available to make their comment!

Tony

 

[Nige F]

Hi guys,


TLDR; ?
----

Last week, put some more Fernox F1 in the header tank as thought it would need topping up.



,

So you have a strong concentration in the header - or did you drain some water @ a low point so the new inhibitor would get into the system and circulate ?

 

[Hot&Cold]

cheap option,keep cleaning out the ing crud and treat.

expensive opiton,get a professional heating man in to alter your system to reduce crud growth.

 

[Skyhigh]

So you have a strong concentration in the header - or did you drain some water @ a low point so the new inhibitor would get into the system and circulate ?

Yes, strong concentration as I didn't drain anything out of the system - was happy to let it slowly leach into the pipework as the volume of the water expanded/contracted over multiple uses.


Fernox say clean out tank, wipe with AF10 neat, then apply full dose of AF10.

 

[Agile]

But then they are selling it !

Sentinel don't even mention any bactericide.

But then their inhibitor in my experience does not cause anything like the picture above.

 

[JohnD]

you have got a lid on it, haven't you?