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[TD]

Just been quoted £450 to power flush a central heating system with 8 radiators 

Seems a tad steep to me......was expecting around £150 

Any plumbers on here that can advise 

[Andy H]

Power flushing is useful to flush the crap out of newly installed pipe systems (oil, swarf, millscale etc) but it can't generate sufficient velocity in the radiators of a domestic heating system to shift the black oxide.

The sales techniques for power-flushing reminds me of those used to sell double glazing, stone cladding and tarmac (got some left over from doing the motorway Mr).

The most effective way to clean out the system would be to take each radiator outside and flush it through with a garden hose. Then flush the pipes in a similar manner (use an adapter to connect the hoses to radiator connections while the radiators are out). Hard work compared to switching on a pump and writing an invoice though......................

Regardless of how much flushing occurs the key is to have an effective corrosion inhibitor in the system at all times.

[Shackeng]

I think HSS Swindon hire them Dave.

[Keith ABS]

Had our system done and it took all day. They temp fit a magnetic device in system that catches all the crud. Since had to have a new boiler and guaretee said a megnetic device had to be fitted into system permanantly. At first anual service, it was checked and had virtually nothing on it. Plumber was very happy as it meant his blokes had done a proper job

Keith ABS

[Marks DTM Calib]

My advice.

1) Fit a magnetic cleaner to the system (reasonably easy to do and not that expensive).
2) Add a decent system cleaner, run for a week or so.
3) Drain and flush system, either each individual radiator or you can modify your system with a few t-pieces and isolating valves so you can blast cold water through it.....just like a power flush and just as effective.

The magnetic cleaners work very very well though and given they are easy to fit and about 60-70 quid, a very worth while addition.

[Kevin Wood]

Yep, seconded. When I inherited the system here it hadn't been touched for 6 years and was full of sludge. Boiler was kettling horribly and header tank was full of sediment.

I put some cleaner in and ran it for a while, then flushed through with mains water, as suggested, until the water ran clear. I also ditched the header tank and converted it to a sealed system.

Since then, it has had a dose of inhibitor annually and every time I remove a radiator for decorating I flush it through with a hose pipe. I get barely a trace of black sludge out of any of them, and this is from a system with a cast iron boiler that's not knocking on 20 years old.

I fail to see what benefit a "powerflush" would have brought over and above what I did, TBH.

[aaronjb]

Interesting as I'd been considering getting my system powerflushed in the new house, because half of the rads (in the 'old' part of the house, naturally) stay stone cold in the lower centre, or where I assume sludge would sit and fester.

That said, we've already done two radiators using a hosepipe (which did come out quite, quite black) and seen an improvement, and I suspect the rest would improve with the same treatment as well as balancing the system properly so that all the rads see some flow (perhaps the boiler is a little undersized for the house, although it's a fairly sizeable Vaillant and the pump is already running at max chat).

Of course the previous owners didn't have a mag cleaner fitted, so one of those needs adding.  I had one in the last house and it was quite amazing how much crud it caught (no powerflush done when the new boiler was fitted)..

[TD]

My advice.

1) Fit a magnetic cleaner to the system (reasonably easy to do and not that expensive).
2) Add a decent system cleaner, run for a week or so.
3) Drain and flush system, either each individual radiator or you can modify your system with a few t-pieces and isolating valves so you can blast cold water through it.....just like a power flush and just as effective.

The magnetic cleaners work very very well though and given they are easy to fit and about 60-70 quid, a very worth while addition.

This isn't my house.....my house, the heating works well, new boiler a few years ago and had to have a 'MAGNA Clean' or similar fitted for the boiler warranty  Very little sludge is cleaned out of it every boiler service, but was power flushed before new boiler was fitted.

Its my mums bungalow......one rad doesn't work at all (doesn't have air in it or a stuck TRV, ive checked) other rads heat up at different temps, plus the boiler imo shuts down too quickly and for too long, so the rads that do work (but don't get anywhere as hot as they should) go cold before the boiler fires back up again. To me indicating a system that is sludged up and the water isn't flowing properly (pump is humming away, so that seems to be working)

Spoke to another plumber today, that lives in the village my mum does.....

He's going to visit on Thursday morning, but he's in the middle of another job at the moment and is booked up until the first week of Feb. But he said he can spare an hour Thurs.

His plan of action on thurs is....

Disconnect each rad to see what comes out
Only run one rad at a time to see what sludge is left can get moving again...

Then first week of Feb....fit a magnetic cleaner to get the rest of the sludge out ...

He might have other ideas like Mark suggested ....ie a cleaner in the system for a week or two....before mag cleaner is fitted.

No mention of a power flush from him.........

These are all jobs I could do......but as my mum isn't a 'poor' pensioner and having had 3 weeks off with a bad cold (back at work this week) she can afford a plumber to sort it for her......just been trying to find one that will do a decent job for a fair price 

Think I may have found one ....we shall see ....

Thanks for the advice 

[Shackeng]

I rented out some houses in Swindon a few years ago, and had a tame plumber to sign off my work for me. I persuaded him to buy a power flush kit and generously allowed him to get the hang of it by practising on my houses . Unfortunately he has since selfishly died, and so this facility is no longer cheaply available to me.

[Sir Tigger KC]

I rented out some houses in Swindon a few years ago, and had a tame plumber to sign off my work for me. I persuaded him to buy a power flush kit and generously allowed him to get the hang of it by practising on my houses . Unfortunately he has since selfishly died, and so this facility is no longer cheaply available to me.

I bet you were a bit miffed that he didn't bequeath the power flush kit to you! 

[Shackeng]

I rented out some houses in Swindon a few years ago, and had a tame plumber to sign off my work for me. I persuaded him to buy a power flush kit and generously allowed him to get the hang of it by practising on my houses . Unfortunately he has since selfishly died, and so this facility is no longer cheaply available to me.

I bet you were a bit miffed that he didn't bequeath the power flush kit to you! 

Yes I did go to the will-reading in hope.

[TD]

Well , met the plumber at my mums house this morning....

There were two radiators not working plus the towel rail in the bathroom at first

After making sure there wasn't any air in the system, which there at first (air released from bleed valves in the loft and from the pump) the towel rail burst into life.....but the other 2 rads didn't.

Then all the rads were turned off except the two that didn't work.....after 5 mins they were working.
Next turned on all the rads again.....the two that started working started to go cold again plus another wouldn't get hot.

He did notice that the rads that wernt getting hot the feed to the rad was hot but the return was cold....so he suspected a very slow water flow.

Turning of the rads in the spare bedrooms....had the effect of making the other rads work.....but the towel rail had gone cold again.

So it was left at that......as he only popped in to look at the problem.....

He decided as I had thought.....sludged up! not really surprising on a system that hasn't been touched for 18 years!

He's now booked to return on the 4th Feb (his earliest slot) to powerflush it....running it for at least 4 hours....forward/reverse flushing it and doing one rad at a time....plus all together...but has warned me if the powerflusher carnt shift it will be radiators off job to flush manually...

I think this is probably the way to go.....as adding cleaning chemicals may just lead to more sludge and limescale and make it worse, plus if there is no flow in parts of the system, how can the chemicals do there job.....if I was there full time, then yes I could force rads to work.....but I'm only over there twice a week.....

[Shackeng]

https://www.hss.com/hire/p/central-heating-flusher  £80 a day.

[TD]

https://www.hss.com/hire/p/central-heating-flusher  £80 a day.

I know...I saw your reply before.....but tbh I wouldn't how to connect it.....it must surely need pipes cutting.....

[redelitev6]

I rented out some houses in Swindon a few years ago, and had a tame plumber to sign off my work for me. I persuaded him to buy a power flush kit and generously allowed him to get the hang of it by practising on my houses . Unfortunately he has since selfishly died, and so this facility is no longer cheaply available to me.

[/highlight] sadly typical of the shoddy worker so often found today , no wonder all these polish tradesmen can come over here etc etc