For some reason, Powerflushing seems to be a bit of a contentious issue.
Is it necessary?
Doesn't it cause problems?
What's the point?
At Gas-It Heating, having seen the results of Powerflushing, we're a firm believer in this process.
Over time, debris, rust and sludge build up in the heating system to inhibit the flow of water through the system. The debris, including bits of metal and horrible black stuff called magnetite collects in the pipes and at the bottom of the radiators. This causes cold spots and in the case of the pipes, inhibits the flow of water.
This in turn leads to less efficient heating - the pump has to work harder to move the water sluggishly around your house, heat is not dissipated well and overall the house takes longer to heat up.
As this build-up is gradual, you typically would not notice the deterioration in heating performance, but, its happening, whether you think so or not.
Typically, you would only get a Powerflush done if you are having your boiler changed or find that some of your radiators were cold on the bottom. However, we would suggest a Powerflush around every 5 years. The benefits of doing this are as follows:
1. Cleaning the system, getting rid of any debris, and flushing the magnetite helps preserve the heating system.
2. Adding inhibitor to the newly cleaned system and replacing the dirty old water increases efficiency.
3. Any potential problems are mitigated, because you are not allowing a build-up of debris in the pipes and radiators.
How does the Powerflush work?
At Gas-It Heating, we have three great tools which we use on each Powerflush. We use them in combination for the best and fastest results.
The first bad boy is of course the Powerflush machine. This a simply a big pump which pushes a high volume of water through your heat system. Added to this are cleaning chemicals which descale and clean all the magnetite and debris.
Attached to the Powerflush machine is a thing called a MagnaCleanse. The MagnaCleanse is a big magnetic filter (in fact, two of them). These catch all the metal particles and junk that whips around the system. It speeds up the cleaning process dramatically.
The third tool is a VibraClean - this is a neat little gadget which is attached to an SDS drill. We vibrate the radiators along their length which releases the debris. This then gets caught by the MagnaCleanse and in the body of the Powerflush machine.
Each radiator in turn is cleaned (all the other radiators are closed). Once one is done, we more on to the next one until all radiators are clean.
The system is then flushed with clean water, to get rid of the cleaning chemicals and any remaining debris. To the nice clean water, we add inhibitor, and that it!
You can hopefully see why this process is necessary and useful.
Can a Powerflush cause problems?
If there is a weakness in your central heating pipes, or a weak/rust spot on your radiator, you could find that the Powerflush, which the high volume of water passing through the system, dislodges a scab of rust. This will cause a leak. The advanced stage of corrosion required for such a situation means that the leak would occur imminently even without a power flush. If the problem is revealed by the flushing process, it is better that it occurs whilst we are present to remedy the problem.
How much does this all cost?
The price for a Powerflush averages out at around £30 per radiator. This is a good ballpark to determine the pricing. This includes chemicals and all that is described above.
If you would like to book your quinquennial Powerflush, or discuss the need to do one, please feel free to call or email us.