Radiator replacement needed?

[Kevine]

Hello all,
I have a radiator in the house that is hot at the top and cold at bottom. Seems most likely cause is sludge or dirt in the radiator so i've taken the radiator off and hosed it through which a lot of dirt came out.
I've put it back on but still i have the same issue, is it likely the radiator is at fault and a replacement is needed or is there anything else i can try?

Thanks in advance
Kevin

 

[KenGMac]

What can occur is that the entire system is sludged up, and the rad you removed and cleared has again attracted a load of sludge??

Has the system ever been cleaned?

What age is the system?

Have you considered installing a cleaning agent, flushing and then installing an Inhibitor?

Ken

 

[Kevine]

Thanks, i guess that could be the case. The system has not been cleaned, i've moved into the property 8 months ago. The boiler is 3 years old but the radiators older (not sure how much older)

Looks like next step then is to install a cleaning agent and flush. Is that a fairly straight forward task?

Thanks
Kevin

 

[TicTac]

Just putting a hose through the rad doesn't always clear it. The sludge is often solid, and the hose just takes off the top layer of it. You need to bang the rad hard, and turn up upside down and shake it about a bit; definitely a 2 person job.

In the same manner, after the cleaner has been in a couple of weeks, you'll then need to put the hose on the pipe work as well as the rads, and you flush from one room into the next, and keep moving on doing both the flow and return as you go.