Power Flushing

What is Power Flushing?

Power flushing is a method of cleaning heating systems using chemicals, filters, powerful magnets and a machine with a powerful pump.

Confused?

How is it going to save me money? Why do I need it? What is it?

Power flushing your system will save you money on gas bills and boiler/heating breakdowns.

Removing dirt from the system, allows heat to circulate properly, keeping your house warm and uses less gas.

Let us explain the reason why you may need it, then the types of flush and processes involved.

Any of the faults below or a combination

• The system does not get as hot
• Some radiators have cold spots.
• Radiators need to be bled a lot
• The boiler keeps breaking down
• Circulating pumps need to be replaced etc.
• The heating water is found to be dirty (usually dark black or orange). It is usually time for a power flush, to remove sludge and built up dirt and restore circulation and heating efficiency.

When your installer installs your new boiler, it is recommended by all manufacturers that the system (all heating pipes, tanks and radiators) are flushed. The system is refilled, inhibitor is added. Failure to do so, will invalidate the warranty.

System Flush

A flush for a fairly clean/maintained system would usually mean adding chemicals and running the heating for a while. This lets the cleaner work its way round the system. The system is then drained and refilled with fresh water via filling loop for sealed systems/combination boilers or the expansion tank in the case of an open vent system.

In an open vent system, the expansion tank should be cleaned before refilling the system.

The correct amount of inhibitor is added to the system to provide ongoing protection.

The system water should be checked every 2 to 3 years and topped up with more inhibitor as required.

Best practice would expect a system filter with magnet to be installed on the return pipe to the boiler, to trap dirt and provide ongoing protection for your boiler. The filter will need periodic cleaning, usually at the annual boiler service.

Magnacleanse Flush in Operation

As above mentioned the process is the same, except the Magnacleanse filters are connected to the return pipe, as close to the boiler as possible. The heating is run as normal, allowing the chemicals to work their way around the system.

The advantages of using the Magnacleanse filter are:

• Two large magnets collect dirt and so remove dirt from the system.
• They also provide a clear visual clue as to the dirtiness of the system.
• Any radiators, indicated by the homeowner to have cold spots or not get as hot as other radiators in the system. They can be cleaned for longer by turning the other radiators off. A radiator hammer attached to a power drill might help loosen dirt, which would then get trapped in the Magnacleanse filter, as the water returns to the boiler.
• During a Magnacleanse flush, if the water is dirty enough and the amount of dirt being collected by the filters is of a large amount, the homeowner might then be shown that the system really needs a powerflush.

Power Flush

A typical power flush machine has a circulating pump that is on average between 5 to 7 times more powerful than your heating circulator (pump) in your heating system. This extra power and the fact that the flow can be reversed, helps lift dirt and sludge, which is then trapped in a filter on the power flush machine or in a Magnacleanse filter, as the water flows back to the powerflush machine.

The flush process is slightly different. The powerful machine is connected to a convenient point in the system. The water and chemicals can be added to the power flush machine tank. The Magnacleanse filter is fitted between the power flush machine and heating system. All the radiators are isolated and the cylinder coil, if possible. One radiator is opened and cleaned at a time. The next radiator is opened up and the last radiator closed. This process is continued until all the the radiators are cleaned. When the cleaning is complete, the Magnacleanse filter and power flush machine are removed. The system is refilled and inhibitor added.

Some things to note:

• A power flush will never fix stuck radiator valves (notably thermostatic radiator valves where the pin is stuck and the radiator flow is either restricted, always on or off). A new valve will be needed.
• Any thermostatic radiator valve over 8 years old is never going to be as responsive as a new one. On this basis we recommend changing them, which in turn will help the overall efficiency of your heating system, help you control room temperature better and ultimately save you money on GAS.
• A power flush can not clean a severely blocked heating system pipe work, where the blockages have hardened over time, to prevent the passage of water. New pipe work will be required. Luckily, this is a rare and extreme case.
• A power flush can not remove dirt that is impacted in radiators, like the pipe work above, the radiator may need to be replaced. Again, this is a rare and extreme case.
• In an extreme case of corrosion, a power flush may expose underlying metal weakness in the form of pinhole leaks, on pipe work and other metal components. Luckily, this is rare and again an extreme case.