I've just finished doing some work to (one of) my central heating systems, ripping and replacing some pipework. I'm out of oil in the oil tank which feeds this boiler. Is there any point throwing in some F3 to clean out the system at the moment, or does it need heat to work? The Fernox instructions suggest using it at normal operating temp, which I can't achieve right now.
Piers
Hello,
I was in a situation a couple of years ago where my old boiler broke, so I needed to fit a new boiler. The instructions for the new boiler said the system must be thoroughly cleaned before use. So I needed to use F3 but could not apply heat. I emailed fernox and I'm sure they said F3 would work at room temperature.
I've had a quick read of the fernox web site and it says to run heated F3 for a minimum of one hour but it can be used for up to one week. I'm not sure what is in F3 but any chemical reaction will go faster when hot, so I am sure this is true for F3. Perhaps using F3 at ambient temperature for an hour will do very little but if you circulate it for a week at ambient temperature, I'm sure it work satisfactorily.
I added F3 and set the pump to be on continuously for a week. I remember various plumbers came round to quote. One of them saw the empty bottle of F3 and said it would not do anything cold. I remember crossing him off my list for that remark, knowing that Fernox had told me otherwise.
I don't have my original email from fernox to hand, so please double check with them first that they have not changed their advice. It is technical at fernox com
I guess they recommend heat for two reasons: the heat will speed the reaction and two, because in a normal system you cannot circulate the pump (and thus f3) without also powering the boiler (unless you turned the boiler thermostat down).
Let us know what you pay for your oil. Mine is running low and I wonder what the price is.
I hope that helps. Stephen.
Ta, I'll give the F3 a whirl for a week.
We restocked on oil a week ago - around 59p IIRC. (Long story as to why there's no oil in the tank for this system ?)
Piers
You can probably get your oil at a discount by joining a local Syndicate. Even three pence per litre saved is worth it for 500 litres, even more for 1000, and the service is free (or it should be). Our local Syndicate negotiates three times per year, and orders around
40,000 litres each time. That translates into significant savings for purchasers.--=20 Davey.
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