Magnetic CH cleaners

[ARW]

Well it sort of worked

And for anyone who cannot see it's a magnetic cleaner so full of the crud that it has collected that it has split open.

[GB]

I'm somewhat perplexed by that. The only one I have ever opened up has a magnetic stick enclosed in plastic, and the central heating water swirls round the outside of the magnet. Just like that one in the photo, except that the plastic protecting the magnet on mine had not split open.

[Andy Burns]

Pin-prick hole in the plastic, letting water into the magnet which has rusted and expanded, splitting the rest of the plastic open?

[Chris Hogg]

Also perplexed. It suggests that whatever was attracted to the magnet has subsequently swelled. I can only think that initially it collected a lot of iron swarf, filings or whatever, that subsequently oxidised, with the resulting increase in volume.

[ARW]

TBH I have not had a lot to do with them.

I was actually at the job sorting out the outside lights that were tripping and found this

in the garage and the plumber forwarded me the other photo.

I just thought it would make a change from Brexit posts.

[Brian Gaff]

Which was my point. They are not really very good, and of course they rely on the crud being able to be electrostatically charged or magnetised to work. Stuff which has neigher quality will just go straight on. Brian

[Brian Gaff]

No the ones that work best use electromagnets and high voltages. But as has been said before this is only part of the story. Brian

[RJH]

The argument might run that magnetic and the like is the most damaging material?

Can't see the harm > Which was my point. They are not really very good, and of course they rely

[Bob Minchin]

+1 I think nail, head, has been hit Andy

[Tim Streater]

Well I've got one of those. Its purpose is to collect any bits of iron or rust floating around the CH system (i.e., nothing to do with softening the water).

[ARW]

It still managed to collect a fair bit of s**te:-)

[alan_m]

All systems will become old and start shedding rust particles which could block the heat exchange, especially on a modern system.

[alan_m]

They can catch a surprising amount of (magnetic) material which could otherwise start blocking narrow channels.

The advantage is that they can be easily serviced to remove the crud.

mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

[dennis]

They don't just collect magnetic crud, they are also vortex separators and will collect other crud if its heavy enough and the flow is slow enough.

[Chris Green]

Surely only those which have iron in them.

[alan_m]

And what are your radiators made from?

[DerbyBorn]

alan_m wrote in news:fglsfsFb7iaU1 @mid.individual.net:

+1

[Chris Green]

Depends, we had skirting board radiators that were just copper pipe and aluminium fins in one house I lived in.

[charles]

I fitted those in an extension I built in 1972.

[harry]

The crud is iron oxide from radiators. It is magnetic. If you have an aluminium alloy boiler heat exchanger, it's vital to keep it out.