Power flush central heating

[Allan Bennett]

Hi, We recently had a British Gas service visit. The boiler is OK but he mentioned that the system needs a power flush to remove silt. This will cost £600, so the query is will it be more economical to buy new radiators (7) rather than flushing the old ones? Alternatively is this a job which an amateur (me) can do?

Thanks,

Allan and Sandy

[Andy Champ]

Google power flush scam About 46,700 results

I should have a read. They got my mother-in-law to do one because she had a cold radiator. This turned out to be because of an unrelated fault.

Andy

[Mr Pounder]

Ring your local plumber. He will do it for a fraction of the salesman's price.

Mr Pounder

[Chewbacca]

Why do it at all?

If you have the same water with corrosion inhibitor going round and round all the time - ie no leaks, then I can not see what there will be to flush out. Do you have symptoms of blockage or sluggish flow? What benefit has he promised you? Can it be measured? My view on these things is 'if it aint broke don't fix it'.

[Ret.]

There usually is *some* sludge in the bottom of radiators - although the system has to have been seriously neglected for the sludge to be enough to block circulation.

I always remove radiators when I am redecorating a room and use the opportunity to take the rads outside and flush them through with a hose. There is always a quantity of black gunge that comes out - and I always keep my system charged with inhibitor.

[ARWadsworth]

TBH BG usually just sub the power flush job out to the exact same plumber that you mention!

[ARWadsworth]

Now that you have a combi you can easily flush (not a true power flush) the system out yourself.

Next time you remove a radiator turn off all the other radiators then attatch the garden hose to the valve, open the valve and the filling loop and then open and close each radiator in turn to flush them out at mains pressure. (or use a drain off point if you do not want to remove a rad)

Once the water is running clean throughout the system, refill and add inhibitor. On a sealed system like yours there will never be any black sludge again. I took a radiator off at my parents not long ago. It was 11 years old and the water in it came out looking like water from the tap.

[Ret.]

Thanks for the tip!