Sludge and leaks in central heating

[russellpeters]

Hello Forum folks,

I am a new homeowner and need advice regarding the removal of sludge and fixing of leaks in my central heating system.

The system runs on a combi boiler (Ideal Independent C30) and has 10 radiators around the house.

The system has:
1. Sludge - I could see dirty, brown water coming out when there were minor leaks in the radiators.
2. Leaks - The boiler loses pressure very quickly and needs to be topped-up every 3 days.

Also the water in my area is quite hard and this probably exacerbates the issues (I am looking at water softeners but that is a separate discussion altogether)

I have looked into a number of professional and DIY options and was looking for expert advice on my list of actions to fix these issues as well as recommendations on specific products.

I plan to do the following:
1. Descaler and Sludge remover - Add a descaler and sludge remover and run the system as normal for 2-3 weeks.
2. Flush radiators - Drain the system, remove individual radiators and run water through them to clear out the dirt.
3. Leak sealer - Put the radiators back, fill the system with fresh water meanwhile also adding a leak sealer. Wait for 2-3 weeks.
4. Corrosion inhibitor - Hopefully the leaks would have stopped and then I plan to add a corrosion inhibitor to slow down the creation of new sludge.

Are these steps in the correct order? For e.g. I am confused whether I should add the leak sealer early before I do anything or towards the end?

Also while I am at it do you recommend adding any more steps?

Regarding products I have heard and read good things about Fernox descalers, sealers and inhibitors. What do you think about Fernox products?

Due to budget constraints I cannot afford a power flush right now. I am looking into whether I can hire the equipment from Brandon Hire or HSS Hire and do it myself but I fear that it might be too complicated for me. I would like to hear your suggestions and experiences related to powerflushing DIY.

 

[kbdiy]

As a non-pro my advice would be not to use leak sealer but do it properly and repair the leaks. This may mean fitting new valves etc but will be far better than trying to bodge with leak sealer. This would also give you the opportunity to flush the rads.

I think it would be best to tackle the leaks first as any sort of cleansing operation will probably only make them worse. As for cleansing, Sentinel products seem well favoured and their X400 may clear the sludge from any parts which you cannot flush manually. Others may say you should powerflush.

It is also well worth considering fitting a magnetic filter to trap and remove particles and magnetite (the black sludge). I have just fitted a Spirotech MB3 which seems to be doing a good job in that respect..

After all the cleaning out and leak fixing you can then refill using an inhibitor such as Sentinel X100.

 

[russellpeters]

=== UPDATE ===

I used Fernox F4 Superconcentrate Central Heating Leak Sealer and it seemed to work quite well for about 3 weeks.

However we then discovered that there was significant leak in the central heating pipes and we had to get a plumber in to fix it.

On the whole this seems to have fixed the pressure loss issue but will wait for a few weeks before forming a final conclusion.

I think the Fernox leak sealer is a very useful solution and relatively easy to administer, just that in our case the real cause was something that it could not have solved.

Hope this helps.