Can it tell if system flush done or not?

[Jurgenjay]

Hi,

I had my new boiler and 13 radiators installed in July last year, but since installed all the radiators always top half hot and bottom half cold or warm. I know that if radiators top half hot bottom half cold/warm, it indicates there's sludge in there. But as the radiators were all new, so I didn't think it was sludge but just not sure why the radiators top half hot & bottom half warm/cold.

Today, I had a gas engineer checked the boiler filter which fully covered by magnetite! (see attached photos) He said that shouldn't be that much magnetite considering it was new boiler and radiators installed only 8-9 months.

So he suspected there was not power flush or chemical flush done when installed the boiler. I kind of agreed with that because I did some research that if radiators are top half hot & bottom half cold that is 99% there's sludge in the system.

So even though my radiators were newly installed, but if the installer did not flush the system when installed the boiler, then that should be the reason the radiators are only top half hot & bottom half cold/warm?

By saying flush system, it can be power flush or chemical flush, right? I checked the Estimate which says"will chemically flush the system". If the installer did the chemical flush, it could be not as effective as power flush? Or he did not even chemical flush the system as the magnetite fully covered
the filter! Please let me know this magnetite covered filter can prove no flush system done?


Thanks in advance!

 

[SimonG]

Proves nothing in reality apart from the fact that the filter is doing its job.

Was it new pipework with rads and boiler?
If it wasnt are they plastic or copper?
If its plastic is it grey non barrier hep?
What size pipework to rads?
Was system balanced?
Is it a combi boiler or system or heat only?
Checked pump speed?
Have the rads always been the same from day one?

Sounds like a circulation issue.

Is there a system bypass valve?
Was it set correctly?

Could there be a link between flow and return underfloor that's short circulating and starving radiators.

Lot of info required before fingers point to installer. Although I would be disappointed if it's been that way since day one.

 

[Jurgenjay]

Proves nothing in reality apart from the fact that the filter is doing its job.

Was it new pipework with rads and boiler?
If it wasnt are they plastic or copper?
If its plastic is it grey non barrier hep?
What size pipework to rads?
Was system balanced?
Is it a combi boiler or system or heat only?
Checked pump speed?
Have the rads always been the same from day one?

Sounds like a circulation issue.

Is there a system bypass valve?
Was it set correctly?

Could there be a link between flow and return underfloor that's short circulating and starving radiators.

Lot of info required before fingers point to installer. Although I would be disappointed if it's been that way since day one.

Sorry missed your reply! I try to answer your below questions:

Was it new pipework with rads and boiler?===no, pipes are old.
If it wasnt are they plastic or copper?===pipes are copper.
If its plastic is it grey non barrier hep?
What size pipework to rads?===not sure about this.
Was system balanced?===He said he did but doubted it.
Is it a combi boiler or system or heat only?===heat only (with cylinder)
Checked pump speed?===on level 3 now. what should it be normally?
Have the rads always been the same from day one?===Yes!

Sounds like a circulation issue.===What to do then?

Is there a system bypass valve?-===Yes, I think so
Was it set correctly?===not sure. But how to check?

Could there be a link between flow and return underfloor that's short circulating and starving radiators.===what kind of link?

This installer did things really make me doubt him.

He quoted 5-7 days job but actually finished it 2.5 days max. I learned chemical flush or power flush will take a day or so? But I did NOT see they flush the system if flushing system take that long.

The Joule cylinder comes with Honeywell zone valve but it was taken by the installer, instead he used the house previous owner's old zone valve Drayton which broken down not long after we moved in.

So, for the new boiler, new cylinder, new radiators but the all radiators are top half hot & bottom half warm or cold, it can be sludge in the pipes but not flushed?

Or any reason?