Powerflushing is a solution to removing corrosion and debris from a heating systems. Like many mechanical and electrical problems there can be more than one step to properly fixing the immediate problem, rectifying the cause of the problem and preventing similar things reoccurring.
Servicing your boiler annually will help maintain its optimum performance throughout the winter, saving on gas bills and potentially flagging boiler problems before they become more serious. Get a quote to find out how much a boiler service will cost near you.
Servicing a boiler does not help protect a heating system from corrosion unless the corrosion inhibitor is topped up and unfortunately this is rarely done.
We add corrosion inhibitor after each powerflush, if you think you need topping up please contact us by adding your postcode above.
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Often when boilers cut out it is due to blockages in main heat exchangers or the heating system pipework.
The heating system water is meant to circulate quick enough so that hot water leaves the boiler and takes the heat to the radiators and hot water cylinder.
If circulation is too slow the boiler’s sensors think that the system is fully heated up and they stop the boiler heating further.
This could also be due to the heating system circulator pump not functioning properly (the impeller could be air-locked, damaged and so not turning properly, blocked with debris etc).
Or sometimes diverter valves can stick which prevents either heating or hot water working.
A Powerflush may be necessary to eliminate the root problems of corrosion debris and corrosion gases plus additional work such as replacing heat exchanger, cutting out heavily blocked pipes, replacing damaged circulator pump may be required.
Precautions which might prevent recurrences would be fitting a magnet filter to prevent future iron debris from reaching the boiler and fitting an auto air vent to prevent air locking.
Get a quote... to replace a circulator pump
Get a quote... to fit a magnet filter
If there are multiple problems with your existing boiler the cost of replacing parts such as the heat exchanger, diverter valve, circulator pump or PCB (programmable circuit board) might add up to a lot of money.
The cost of fixing your old boiler could cost as much as buying a new boiler without any security that another part could fail soon after fixing the current problem.
In this case you may consider cutting your losses and installing a new boiler where you will have peace of mind because a new boiler will have a 5-10 year warranty.
Get a quote... to fit a new boiler
Thermostatic radiator valves are helpful for at least 3 reasons.
Sometimes existing TRVs are stuck shut or open, if the radiator goes off homeowners quickly realise and look to replace the valve. Less noticeable is when the radiator is always on at full temperature. This means you are no longer getting the benefits of the TRV and again it should be replaced.
There is a trick of removing the TRV head and tapping the pin which can unstick the insides and temporarily make the TRV work again but it will repeatedly stick so consider changing all the faulty TRVs.
Get a quote... to fit or replace Thermostatic Radiator Values
To control the temperature when heating your home and hot water, you can use different programs for different days using a timer and thermostat or a programmer.
Figuring out how to use these controls is important, so a system with a simple user friendly design is easier to understand. Heating controls are either mains or battery operated so if the batteries die or there is a power cut you lose your settings and end up having to reprogram your preferences.
Personally I prefer the wired in version to avoid battery issues but smart controls offer another solution with smart learning. I understand the concept but I don’t get smart learning controls, I know when I want the heating on, the device doesn’t need to have an opinion (maybe I’m getting too old), but it might be a solution for you. Find out how much it will cost to fit heating controls near you.
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Open systems have a small feed and expansion tank, usually in the loft, which tops up the heating system and allows for water to overflow as the water volume expands with temperature changes.
Unfortunately, as water mixes with air during this expansion process the water collects oxygen which mixes with the circulating water and encourages corrosion with the iron in radiators (and probably other metals too).
As systems become more blocked with corrosion debris heating systems often ‘pump over’ i.e. hot heating water is constantly pouring into the expansion tank and further accelerating oxygen entering the system and more and more corrosion occurring.
Some open systems can be closed to break the corrosion cycle by replacing your tank with a pressurised hot water cylinder with or without a new system boiler.
Get a quote... to fit an unvented cylinder
Modern pressurised (closed systems) have a safety valve in the boiler called a PRV. If the pressure is too high this valve automatically opens, letting some water (usually hot) squirt out of a pipe which usually runs out of the wall behind the boiler.
The pipe is usually turned so any squirting hot water hits the wall and not a human or animal. Sometimes pressurised heating systems have a slow ongoing drop in pressure.
If a heating system has corrosion debris like hard bits of iron entering the PRV while it is either being used manually to drain a system or self opening, then occasionally a tiny scratch inside the valve can occur which is enough to allow drips of water.
It may take hours, days or even weeks but this loss of water leads to the water pressure inside the heating system dropping and the boiler turning off. The PRV will need to be replaced.
When a heating system is filled with fresh water there are dissolved gases in the water and air bubbles which will settle out. Depending on where the boiler, the circulator pump, the hot water cylinder and long runs of horizontal pipes are located, air locks can occur.
Classic examples are boilers in lofts, hot water cylinders in ceiling voids, drop down pipes to radiators (in properties with concrete floors like bungalows). In these cases a powerflush pump or mains pressure can be used to remove the airlock but to prevent more airlocks reoccurring then auto air vents may be needed.
Once a heating system is cleaned and TRVs are set at mid settings most correctly sized piped and designed heating systems will quickly distribute heat to where it is needed. Of course there are many systems where pipework runs in ways that don’t make it easy, for example;
There will be other reasons too but for many of these challenges careful balancing may help get the heating water circulating and reaching all the radiators so they can give out heat to all the rooms.