Power Flushing
Overview
Power flushing, is an excellent way to pre-commission and clean new heating systems, to remove excess flux, swarf and other debris, and the grease and oil used to prevent rusting of components before use.
It is prudent to power flush a heating system immediately before fitting a new boiler to an existing system to prevent possible future problems. Many systems are found to contain corrosion and sludge, even if no flow problems have yet shown themselves.
Existing debris is often mobilised by alterations to the system/piping and the increased efficiency of the new boiler, and may then accumulate in the boiler heat exchanger, causing noisy operation, reduced efficiency and, in extreme circumstances, failure of the boiler. The high efficiency and compactness of modern boilers, developed to minimise fuel costs and pollution, means that they are more susceptible to problems caused by debris in the system water.
Symptoms requiring a powerflush
- The boiler or pump is noisy
- Poor water flow from hot taps (assuming that the incoming water pressure is good)
- Reduced hot water temperature
- Boiler overheats or shuts off when hot water is needed
- The radiators and other parts of the system are leaking
- The radiators have cold spots
- It takes a long time for the system to warm up
- Radiators require regular bleeding of accumulated air
- Evidence of sludge and rust in the system
- Pump failures
What Will I Get After a Power Flush or Descale?
- Efficient central heating and hot water
- Optimum working hot radiators and hot water
- Corrosion protected central heating
- Lower fuel bills
- Peace of mind
- Central heating system cleaned as thoroughly as possible
Power Flushing Frequently Asked Questions
Can a powerflush cause leaks?
Only if a fault already exists such as a radiator rusted through. It is far better for an on-site Engineer to deal with a leaky radiator in a controlled way than for a leak to occur randomly maybe while a house is empty during a holiday.
How long does a powerflush take?
Unless otherwise agreed our Engineers arrive and start at 9:00am. Depending on the size of the system being Powerflushed work is usually completed between 2pm and 5pm.
What powerflushing machines do we use?
A Kamco CF 90 with magnetic filter. We ensure that for each job we achieve the best result possible by understanding the problem and using the specialist experience we have. We use the most appropriate chemicals, Magnet Filters, SDS Vibra Clean to ensure that a thorough job is done and we use Infrared Thermometers, TDS and pH meters to ensure we continue each stage of the process until we achieve results meeting industry standards. This approach allows us to identify problem areas and clear them.