Central heating system - full system flush required ?
Discussion
I've had Scottish gas service round five times recently:
1. Service
2. Radiator not filling correctly (not noticed on the service 2 weeks before). Radiator drained and full system flush recommended as the water was "dirty".
3. Radiators tuirned off during previous repair and one not turned on again. This jammed and when I gave it a good twist the top if the valve snapped off. Called service again - engineer drained system, repaired valve and recommended full system flush at £1260 or possibly a new boiler as its 11 years old)
4. That night awoke to dripping. The feeder tank overflow valve had jammed shut and water was leaking downstairs through my smoke alarm. Engineer arrived at 04:00, drained feeder tank and shut off feed. Said water was "dirty" and recommended full system flush.
5. Overflow valve replaced. Water noted as "dirty" and full system flush recommended.
So, should I expect the water in my central heating system to be clean - I've never seen clean water come out of a radiator when drained or bled. Should I listen to them and get the flush done ?. They have warned me that the pump may fail due to silt or that there could be corrosion within the pipes inside the boiler which meeans a new boiler at £2300. They have also warned me that I may not be covered if anything they fix is related to silt build up in the system.
Should I cancel my contract and deal with an independant ?
1. Service
2. Radiator not filling correctly (not noticed on the service 2 weeks before). Radiator drained and full system flush recommended as the water was "dirty".
3. Radiators tuirned off during previous repair and one not turned on again. This jammed and when I gave it a good twist the top if the valve snapped off. Called service again - engineer drained system, repaired valve and recommended full system flush at £1260 or possibly a new boiler as its 11 years old)
4. That night awoke to dripping. The feeder tank overflow valve had jammed shut and water was leaking downstairs through my smoke alarm. Engineer arrived at 04:00, drained feeder tank and shut off feed. Said water was "dirty" and recommended full system flush.
5. Overflow valve replaced. Water noted as "dirty" and full system flush recommended.
So, should I expect the water in my central heating system to be clean - I've never seen clean water come out of a radiator when drained or bled. Should I listen to them and get the flush done ?. They have warned me that the pump may fail due to silt or that there could be corrosion within the pipes inside the boiler which meeans a new boiler at £2300. They have also warned me that I may not be covered if anything they fix is related to silt build up in the system.
Should I cancel my contract and deal with an independant ?
douglasr said:
I've had Scottish gas service round five times recently:
1. Service
2. Radiator not filling correctly (not noticed on the service 2 weeks before). Radiator drained and full system flush recommended as the water was "dirty".
3. Radiators tuirned off during previous repair and one not turned on again. This jammed and when I gave it a good twist the top if the valve snapped off. Called service again - engineer drained system, repaired valve and recommended full system flush at £1260 or possibly a new boiler as its 11 years old)
4. That night awoke to dripping. The feeder tank overflow valve had jammed shut and water was leaking downstairs through my smoke alarm. Engineer arrived at 04:00, drained feeder tank and shut off feed. Said water was "dirty" and recommended full system flush.
5. Overflow valve replaced. Water noted as "dirty" and full system flush recommended.
So, should I expect the water in my central heating system to be clean - I've never seen clean water come out of a radiator when drained or bled. Should I listen to them and get the flush done ?. They have warned me that the pump may fail due to silt or that there could be corrosion within the pipes inside the boiler which meeans a new boiler at £2300. They have also warned me that I may not be covered if anything they fix is related to silt build up in the system.
Should I cancel my contract and deal with an independant ?
As a landlord with several properties I always deal with independant gas engineers, and in your case speaking to one or two engineers for their advice and price for the works is not going to cost you anything. when having new boilers fitted I tend to also have the system power flushed, short sighted not to.1. Service
2. Radiator not filling correctly (not noticed on the service 2 weeks before). Radiator drained and full system flush recommended as the water was "dirty".
3. Radiators tuirned off during previous repair and one not turned on again. This jammed and when I gave it a good twist the top if the valve snapped off. Called service again - engineer drained system, repaired valve and recommended full system flush at £1260 or possibly a new boiler as its 11 years old)
4. That night awoke to dripping. The feeder tank overflow valve had jammed shut and water was leaking downstairs through my smoke alarm. Engineer arrived at 04:00, drained feeder tank and shut off feed. Said water was "dirty" and recommended full system flush.
5. Overflow valve replaced. Water noted as "dirty" and full system flush recommended.
So, should I expect the water in my central heating system to be clean - I've never seen clean water come out of a radiator when drained or bled. Should I listen to them and get the flush done ?. They have warned me that the pump may fail due to silt or that there could be corrosion within the pipes inside the boiler which meeans a new boiler at £2300. They have also warned me that I may not be covered if anything they fix is related to silt build up in the system.
Should I cancel my contract and deal with an independant ?
The water should be pretty clean. That price for a flush is insane. I had a new boiler installed last year for £1800. My system went from conventional boiler with feeder tank to, combi with sealed system, and I ended up having to drain and refill the system myself to sort a small leak out. You could save yourself the money by taking your rads off and rinsing them through with a hose.
Alternatively you could get someone to fit a Magnaflow for a few hundred quid.
My mother had one fitted in her house instead of having a flush, and it seemed to do a good job on a >35 year old system. The system hadn't been drained down in 15-20 years so the water looked more like Oxtail soup.
My mother had one fitted in her house instead of having a flush, and it seemed to do a good job on a >35 year old system. The system hadn't been drained down in 15-20 years so the water looked more like Oxtail soup.
Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff