powerflushing, radiators may still be black!

[mike_s]

Powerflushed a system today for a new combi to go in, coming out was an old open vented pumped central heating system with a multipoint for the hot water - no cylinder.

I've done about 6 powerflushes previously until crystal clear, using an anton powerflush machine connected to the flow and return pipes from removing the kitchen radiator.

Always been treated previously with cleanser, F3 or X400 for up to a week before. usually the pipes flushed on their own then the radiators one by one.

Today we got out a fair amount of dirt but nothing substantial from the pipes and each radiator using the powerflush until the water ran clear and also regulary reversed the flow. It was only when changing a radiator valve afterwards we noticed the water was still thick black, worse than anything that had come out of the powerflush. We took the radiators off and flushed them outside with a hose pipe, tilting them a few times until they ran clear. Completely black like they hadn't been flushed at all, couldn't believe how bad they were.

Now I do think that powerflushing must still be the best practice for flushing the pipes but surely the only way to get it all out is to remove the radiators and manually flush outside? Anybody do this? In future I will be inclined to do it with almost all radiators that need thoroughly cleaning.

Or how about one of those fancy power flush filters? We have now fitted a magnaclean to this system and will be going back in a week to check it out.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

i dont power flush i always manual flush,even with power flushing the rads have to come off

 

[mike_s]

i dont power flush i always manual flush,even with power flushing the rads have to come off

Yes but I'm sure in 99% of powerflushes they don't and I don't believe that any super high power magnetic filter would have got it all out of this system. Not with my machine, maybe the Anton machine is crap.
Anybody want to remove a radiator after powerflushing a really black system that has also been chemically treated and let us know If you are surprised with how much black is still left in???

 

[Blackcatgas]

The advantage of power flushing with a machine, (a good machine) over just flushing it with a hose in the garden is that you can run chemicals through at at a higher flow rate at a hotter temp (50 ish degrees) the higher temp gets the chemicals really working.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

i put sentinel x8oo ferroquest in run the system for 30 hours that sorts it out then i remove the rads clean them,flush pipework,reinstate and add x100 i also fit a magna clean once this is done i have never had issues with corrosion and in many cases i will maintain these systems for years to come

 

[mike_s]

Like I said we have the cleanser, F3 or X400 in the system with it working for up to a week before.
However, not used feroquest or the stronger cleansers for a few years, does a nutraliser have to be used after these chemicals and before the inhibitor is added? As the F3 and X400 are already neutral apparantly.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

not any more with ferro-quest they have altered it because it eats aluminium (had a few performa heat exchanger drums fail) but no probs since then to be fair to baxi they sent me new heat exchangers they take 20 mins to change but ferro-quest really gets the system clean

 

[mike_s]

Yeah think might have had problems with air in systems after using feroquest in the past. I just still think that nothing would have got this system cleaner than taking them outside and flushing them manually after chemical treatment and powerflushing. Something which perhaps more people should consider doing rather than just a powerflush and assume that'll do.

 

[PlumbingSucks]

never used a powerflush machine cus im a bit sceptical of them. I always ad x400 first then go back remove a rad and put a hose on one valve for mains water and a hose on the other to a drain. open rads one by one and flush through then remove rads and hose out. Can;t see the difference between that and a 1000 pound powerflusher!

 

[Toddyplumb]

Have the machine , sometimes use it , sometimes dont , I am very sceptical. Think about it all you are doing is passing water (and chemical) across the bottom of the rad (unless its diagonally connected , not very often) The pipe size is gonna limit flow.
Even after vibrating rads there is still crap in them, less than there was but its still there