Customers usually come to know about "Powerflush" when it's recommended to them.
Heating systems become full of contaminants over time and if left, can seriously affect the efficiency of a heating system and, in severe cases, a power flush could be the only option available. Over time the water in your pipes, boilers and radiators deposits unwanted byproducts like rust. This rust plus other dirt and debris becomes an unpleasant, mud-like substance – ‘sludge’.
Sludge in your heating system can cause blockages and corrosion which will lead to both inefficiency and / or breakdown. In extreme cases it can be so damaging that a complete boiler replacement is needed.
The old central heating system is more likely to have sludge in radiators, which often required Powerflush to clean. Powerflush is a three-stage prolonged process of combining the use of chemicals, heat and agitation to dislodge, move and extract out the sludge and dirty water that is in your heating system.
Powerflush is recommended by your heating engineer when experiencing one of the following common symptoms:
- Cold spots in radiators
- Excessive noise from the boiler
- Boiler cutting out
- Slow heat up of radiators
- Little or no hot water from your combi boiler
- Gas usage rising in winter
- Dirty brown or black water present when bleeding radiators
- Radiators cool to the touch
- Rooms not reaching their set temperature
Following British Standard BS 7593:2019 of domestic heating and cooling water systems plays key roles in powerflush results.
An older system will usually benefit from having powerflush done.
Central Heating Sludge Build-up?
Roughly 80% of Homes And Commercial boilers will break due to well-known killer, central heating sludge. This is what it will do to your radiators
- Sludge build-up contributes to a whole host of heating and boiler problems that could have been easily avoided.
- It can block pipes and radiators to a point where the heat is patchy on radiators, radiators don’t work properly or they don’t heat up at all.
- It can physically block important components such as the boilers heat exchanger which are incredibly expensive to fix.
- The heating pump doesn’t recognise the change (increase) in pressure. It will continue to pump, and the back pressure can sometimes blow the pumps seal.
Powerflush - What is it and why is it needed?
Powerflush helps deal with heating problems that you can't always see such as:
- Sludge, rust and limescale cause leaks and blocked pipes. Dirty water in your pipes causes heating problems and reduces efficiency.
- Sludge build-up causes cold spots in your radiators. This means they have to work harder to heat a room and you waste more energy.
- A clogged boiler and pump cause breakdowns. 87% of boiler breakdowns are due to dirty water in your heating system. The high amount of water flow in Powerflush will process and removes this kind of blockage.
- Understanding, removing, De-scaling and preventing central heating sludge using Powerflush could mean that a boiler lasts for years.
Powerflush Benefit
- Powerflush can enhance energy-efficiency
- Powerflush can improve system reliability
- Powerflush can reduced likeliness of boiler breakdown
- Powerflush will increase system lifespan
- Powerflush helps radiators warm up quicker
- Powerflush provides better quality of heating and hot water
- Powerflush will help reduce noise from boiler and radiators
Powerflush reduces boiler breakdown and maintenance.
New Boiler Installation/Replacement
Boiler manufacturers insist that heating system be thoroughly power flushed before installing a new boiler and if not performed manufacturer warranty will usually be cancelled.
Only by powerflushing can you be sure that a system is clean to the standards demanded regulations.
My boiler cover provider has told me to have a powerflush.