Radiators top half hot & bottom half cold/warm---to do power flush?

[Jurgenjay]

Hi all,

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 the system. But as the radiators were all new, so there should be blockage in the pipes/heating system?

By the way, I had one engineer checked the boiler filter, it was full of sludge around it, the engineer suggested because it was newly installed probably it was not flushed the system, and I did NOT see the installer power flush the system when installed boiler and radiators at all.

So now, to power flush the system will sort out the radiators top half hot&bottom half warm/cold issue? The house pipes are very old, although radiators are new, I am afraid the leak would happen. Actually, after the boiler/unvented cylinder installed, there were two leaks happened, one is upstairs bathroom basin tap burst out, the other one is kitchen underground pipe burst.

Thanks for all advice!

 

[rcpilot]

you don't need to power flush just get a suitable chemical that will losen up the magnatite then flush with mains power water, when that is done install a Magnaclean filter this will remove all the remaining magnatite that is circulating in the system then periodically clean the filter out no more problems

 

[Jurgenjay]

you don't need to power flush just get a suitable chemical that will losen up the magnatite then flush with mains power water, when that is done install a Magnaclean filter this will remove all the remaining magnatite that is circulating in the system then periodically clean the filter out no more problems

Thanks! This does sound positive! As I am so worried it will burst/leak somewhere again! Last time I had to dig marble floor to find the leaked pipe....
install a Magnaclean filter===this is installed on boiler?
I have one filler comes from manufacture as attached photo, is this one you meant?

For this job I will need to find an engineer to do that, right? Looks simple but I am not able to do that.

 

[rcpilot]

it looks as though (if that is your boiler) you already have one fitted, do you clean it out?

 

[Jurgenjay]

it looks as though (if that is your boiler) you already have one fitted, do you clean it out?

Yes, that is my boiler and that filter comes from manufacture, not installed later.
I had that one cleaned once by an engineer who did the boiler service. That filter was full of magnatite.
chemical that will losen up the magnatite then flush with mains power water---where to add the chemical? Into radiators?
How to flush with mains power water?
Or, this has to be done by an gas engineer?

 

[rcpilot]

First of all you do not need to be a gas safe engineer unless you start to take your boiler to pieces even removing the cover, as on some boilers the cover is part of the sealed unit. You can do anything to pipe work if you are confident enough otherwise get a plumber in.
Is your system a one pipe or two pipe installation, the chemicals can be added through the magnetite filter, do you have the tools that came with the filter, if so turn off the valves on the side of the filter, drain the filter via the screw on the bottom of the filter, unscrew the small red knob on the side of the filter and them squeeze the flange that the red knob is attached to and pull the filter canister off the valves, (this is what you have to do when cleaning out the filter, (on a regular basis) clean it out put it back (reversal of removal) remove the top of the filter and you can then add any chemicals into the filter.
Determine which radiator is the first on the circuit and which is the last, do these radiators have drain cocks on them if not you will have to drain down and put some in these are the points you can use to mains flush the system

 

[Jurgenjay]

First of all you do not need to be a gas safe engineer unless you start to take your boiler to pieces even removing the cover, as on some boilers the cover is part of the sealed unit. You can do anything to pipe work if you are confident enough otherwise get a plumber in.
Is your system a one pipe or two pipe installation, the chemicals can be added through the magnetite filter, do you have the tools that came with the filter, if so turn off the valves on the side of the filter, drain the filter via the screw on the bottom of the filter, unscrew the small red knob on the side of the filter and them squeeze the flange that the red knob is attached to and pull the filter canister off the valves, (this is what you have to do when cleaning out the filter, (on a regular basis) clean it out put it back (reversal of removal) remove the top of the filter and you can then add any chemicals into the filter.
Determine which radiator is the first on the circuit and which is the last, do these radiators have drain cocks on them if not you will have to drain down and put some in these are the points you can use to mains flush the system

Thanks for your detailed reply!
I will have to get a gas engineer to do this! 🙂
As mentioned in original post, the radiators are new, so should not have sludge in them, but as the installer did not flush the system when installed boiler and radiators, so there should be sludge in pipes/system?
So use chemical flush will make the radiators hot evenly, right?

 

[rcpilot]

once the system has been cleaned out the radiators should get hot

 

[Jurgenjay]

once the system has been cleaned out the radiators should get hot

Thanks a lot again! Very helpful of you!