Thermal Store water JET BLACK

[bodsmate]

Sorry to ask this basic question - just making a change to a thermal store install, drained a little water out the store to find it is jet back in colour but not thick - very water like!

System is a large thermal store, Wood burning store with back boiler, gas boiler and loads of rads. I flushed this system out 1 year ago with Sentinel X400 and then filled with Sentinel X100.

Does this system need a complete drain down, re flush and re fill with new inhibitor or is this acceptable since it's not thick just jet black in colour?

Thanks for any feedback

 

[diamondgas]

bodsmate, how much inhibitor did you put in last year? reason I ask is that a thermal store tends to need more than the average system because of the increase in system water....

Can you fit a magnatite filter on the heating circuit? That will certainly reduce the amount of suspended material in the water.... IMO

 

[bodsmate]

This is a 600Ltr system and I put 9 litres of X100 inhibitor in it, hence reluctant to change water. There is no magnatite filter at present - Do you recon adding a magnatite filter and get away with keeping the water? or change the water & new inhibitor. Hopefully not both!

 

[diamondgas]

Well it sounds like the magnatite is suspended so I'd think putting a filter on would make a huge difference. It's a first step and if it's possible to fit without having to drain down would save a lot of grief. I'd probably be considering fitting the filter and returning to see how much it had improved the water quality. Give it a couple of weeks or so then maybe even send of a sample of water to sentinel for testing? Your the guy on the job though so it'd be your shout really. I've been really impressed with the filters for sure!
There's a few guys on here that do a shed lot more flushing than I do however. You'll probably get some more in dept advice as and when they check in 😀

 

[Deleted member 2053]

A few points here: Firstly you say that the system was flushed with sentinel x400 - if this was done without good power flushing then you are unlikely to have shifted the crud or all the X400 and it is quite likely that the X400 continued its work softening and shifting after you thought the job was completed. Secondly it is unlikely that you are going to touch the suff on the floor of the thermal store as it will be difficult to disturb even with a powerflush. Thirdly fitting a filter is a great idea both as a short term clean up and a longer protection for the boiler - I have taken to installing the Fernox TF1 instead of Magnaclean - I find they are a better product long term; and finally in the light of the info you supplied I would certainly get the water tested at some point just to make sure that you don't have a high concentration of X400 still in there.

Check your filter frequently after installing as it will need cleaning after a few days if your water is that bad.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

did have some black sludge in ch system , when I smelled it it did smell exactly the same as the few empty bottles of x400 left by the boiler .
the x400 was never drain down at all was left in ! did good power flush water was like mud just with a bit of water in ,did fill sorry for my power flush

 

[Gray0689]

Make sure the system is not pumping over sounds like it if so black over a year

 

[Kev the gas]

did have some black sludge in ch system , when I smelled it it did smell exactly the same as the few empty bottles of x400 left by the boiler .
the x400 was never drain down at all was left in ! did good power flush water was like mud just with a bit of water in ,did fill sorry for my power flush

Sorry fella but you cant Powerflush a Thermal Store.

The correct procedure :-
Is disconnecting the Store from the radiator system and flushing the radiator side.

Disconnecting the flow and return to the boiler and powerflushing on its own.

Then draining and refilling the thermal store itself a few times until the store water runs clear, takes for ever !!

And then reconnect and add inhibitor.

Takes about 2 days to do properly on a 10 rad system.

Kev.

 

[boblydon]

Totally agree with what Kev say's, in my opinion all your have been doing is circulating water in the thermal store disturbing the sediment/oxide.

The only way you could of done any help is if you were using a magnaclean type power flushing filter, i have done several jobs like your's and the only way to do it with out removing the thermal store is to freeze the flow and returns pipes on the store one day and flush the heating circut, do the same the next day on the heating circut to flush the store by itself. As a belt and braces i then drain the store and refill it with fresh water before use........long winded i know, but at least you know it's done properly.

Bob