Power Flushing Techniques

[jtsplumbing]

Bet you snapped their hand off , People wont pay the cost down here + we don't seem to get the same level of contamination Proberly to do with the soft water.

 

[Stigster]

If you are doing oil fired boiler installs (not sure about gas as I only did oil work) then you will get plenty of use with the power flush machine as most/all boiler manufacturers require flushing at least prior to an install.

Do the plumbers on the forums flush as a matter of course on a boiler swap like we do here?

 

[SimonG]

No only a chemical clean. Flush out. Change. Flush out. Inhibitor.

 

[jtsplumbing]

PF is not a requirement , I mainly do a chemical clean, F5 in system about a week B4, Drain & Flush system, change boiler add F3 for another flush, Re fill add F1, will recommend a filter if customer wants to pay the cost, Will PF if asked for, but people always look at extra charge,

 

[SimonG]

Forgot the filter.

 

[finchy01]

Always offer the flush (and most take it) prior to install. Normally do it on day one and cracked on with remedial stuff at the same time. I'm 'down here' and often get 3 or 4 full magnets worth of sludge out of the system so definitely worth doing imo.

 

[jtsplumbing]

Always offer the flush (and most take it) prior to install. Normally do it on day one and cracked on with remedial stuff at the same time. I'm 'down here' and often get 3 or 4 full magnets worth of sludge out of the system so definitely worth doing imo.

Sorry your from Down Where ??

 

[Stigster]

Always offer the flush (and most take it) prior to install. Normally do it on day one and cracked on with remedial stuff at the same time. I'm 'down here' and often get 3 or 4 full magnets worth of sludge out of the system so definitely worth doing imo.

Same here. The last company I worked for had a lot of success selling a powerflush as part of a boiler swap. I'd say 9 out of 10 customers were happy to pay for it to be done at the same time so my employer's Kamco got plenty of use.

The boiler manuals (for Grant at least, we fitted almost exclusively Grant boilers) state that the system must be cleaned thoroughly before installation and again after for warranty purposes, whilst this can mean a chemical "gravity" clean, it was not difficult to sell the benefits of a power flush, especially on older systems.

 

[macackau]

I've done a power flush on every boiler I've installed, the amount of muck I've pulled out of systems is unreal. The Kamco magnet works a treat.

I do the following:

Open vent system
Isolate cold water supply to f and e
Drain out f and e tank and cap the feed pipe and open vent
Set up power flush and connect to pump
Open all rad valves and with the pump set to dump I switch it on and the initial muck gets removed from system.
Set pump to recirculate and let it heat up, add chemical, either FX2 for cast iron heat exchanger or Sentinel X800
Let everything circulate and then close off all rads/hot water coil apart from one.
Flush that one rad until evenly hot all over and use a rubber mallet for persuasion if need be
Move on to each rad like this and then open coil to flush again
Then, start dumping and rinsing with fresh water only on just the pipes
Then go to each rad one by one and flush with clean water until water runs clear
Open whole system for final rinse
Add neutraliser if required and flush accordingly
Add inhibitor
Job done
Depending on size of house can take between 3-6 hours

 

[jaydebruyne]

I've done a power flush on every boiler I've installed, the amount of muck I've pulled out of systems is unreal. The Kamco magnet works a treat.

I do the following:

Open vent system
Isolate cold water supply to f and e
Drain out f and e tank and cap the feed pipe and open vent
Set up power flush and connect to pump
Open all rad valves and with the pump set to dump I switch it on and the initial muck gets removed from system.
Set pump to recirculate and let it heat up, add chemical, either FX2 for cast iron heat exchanger or Sentinel X800
Let everything circulate and then close off all rads/hot water coil apart from one.
Flush that one rad until evenly hot all over and use a rubber mallet for persuasion if need be
Move on to each rad like this and then open coil to flush again
Then, start dumping and rinsing with fresh water only on just the pipes
Then go to each rad one by one and flush with clean water until water runs clear
Open whole system for final rinse
Add neutraliser if required and flush accordingly
Add inhibitor
Job done
Depending on size of house can take between 3-6 hours

So do you just bung the cold feed from inside the f&e or disconnect the pipe and cap it with a stop end?

 

[macackau]

The cold feed I cut just after the tank and cap both ends of it, then rejoin with a compression coupling after

 

[macackau]

Wouldn't risk bunging from inside as power of machine could force bung out

 

[jtsplumbing]

For open vent systems I made up a link between cold feed & expansion pipe with a valve in-between so that I could run PF through vent & feed that way I knew those pipes had been done, if you only cap them how do you know they are clear.

 

[macackau]

Hadn't thought of doing that but never had an issue with it either.

 

[Robert Tyrrell]

I've done a power flush on every boiler I've installed, the amount of muck I've pulled out of systems is unreal. The Kamco magnet works a treat.

I do the following:

Open vent system
Isolate cold water supply to f and e
Drain out f and e tank and cap the feed pipe and open vent
Set up power flush and connect to pump
Open all rad valves and with the pump set to dump I switch it on and the initial muck gets removed from system.
Set pump to recirculate and let it heat up, add chemical, either FX2 for cast iron heat exchanger or Sentinel X800
Let everything circulate and then close off all rads/hot water coil apart from one.
Flush that one rad until evenly hot all over and use a rubber mallet for persuasion if need be
Move on to each rad like this and then open coil to flush again
Then, start dumping and rinsing with fresh water only on just the pipes
Then go to each rad one by one and flush with clean water until water runs clear
Open whole system for final rinse
Add neutraliser if required and flush accordingly
Add inhibitor
Job done
Depending on size of house can take between 3-6 hours

I offer power flushing and I use a very similar technique to yours but the Worcester oil boiler I'm installing tomorrow can't be flushed in the same manner as it had leaked from the heat X and was drained down, and pipes cut (By the builder, not me) before I got to it, to avoid flooding whilst the owner was away on holiday.

I've fitted a MagnaClean 2 (28mm) on the return, right next to the boiler and I'll have to use this after the boiler has been installed.
Where do you get a 'Neutraliser' from? I can't find any, I usually spend ages flushing out with clean water, and then I still feel that the job hasn't been done properly

 

[macackau]

Kamco sell the neautriliser

 

[jaydebruyne]

I've done a power flush on every boiler I've installed, the amount of muck I've pulled out of systems is unreal. The Kamco magnet works a treat.

I do the following:

Open vent system
Isolate cold water supply to f and e
Drain out f and e tank and cap the feed pipe and open vent
Set up power flush and connect to pump
Open all rad valves and with the pump set to dump I switch it on and the initial muck gets removed from system.
Set pump to recirculate and let it heat up, add chemical, either FX2 for cast iron heat exchanger or Sentinel X800
Let everything circulate and then close off all rads/hot water coil apart from one.
Flush that one rad until evenly hot all over and use a rubber mallet for persuasion if need be
Move on to each rad like this and then open coil to flush again
Then, start dumping and rinsing with fresh water only on just the pipes
Then go to each rad one by one and flush with clean water until water runs clear
Open whole system for final rinse
Add neutraliser if required and flush accordingly
Add inhibitor
Job done
Depending on size of house can take between 3-6 hours

Couple of questions: (sorry if they're stupid)

What do you connect to to fill up the system if you've disconnected the f&e?

When you say, set it up to recirculate and let it heat up, are you running the boiler while doing this or do you have one of those heater attachments?

Let's say its a 3 floor property, do you do one floor at a time?

Also, let's say its a 3 floor property and you've connected to via the pump head on the ground floor and you want to flush upper floors, once you've dumped and refill, won't it fill up the flush machine before it reaches the upper level rads??

I'm gonna do the kamco course as soon as I can but these are questions that are bugging me at the mo

 

[SimonG]

Fill through flushing machine.
I use the boiler, all mine are oil boilers.
Depends on the power of the pump on the flushing machine.
Only have a problem if you turn it off. I have my machine in an extra large gorilla tub which catches the overspill.

 

[jaydebruyne]

Do you guys do pH and TDS measurements?

 

[macackau]

I run the boiler to warm system but have an immersion element to warm up if the boiler is dead

I do a rad at a time so floor by floor is sort of followed as i just do the rads one by one

The machine is dumping the water you add so you're not losing water from the system and yes I test PH and TDS

Where do you live, if your local I'll show you how i flush if you like?