Have you considered: what does a power flush do for central heating? We look at the advantages of power flushing your system and how it works to improve your heating.
WHAT IS A POWERFLUSH?
A power flush is a high-pressure chemical flush cleaning process for your home’s entire central heating system.
The way this works is by quite literally circulating a powerful current of chemicals through your home’s piping which flushes out all of the blockages and debris that have built up due to dirty water, thus the term ‘power flush.
Think of this like the plumbing equivalent of taking a powerful diuretic that cleanses the system’s veins from any impurities they may contain or alternatively like a uniquely potent vindaloo.
One thing to note is that not every central heating flush is a power flush. You can also have someone perform a less intensive chemical flush that doesn’t need to be forced through the system with a high-pressure pump.
The other kind of flush you may have heard of is a Magna cleanse, which is effectively a power flush on steroids.
While every central heating system will eventually need a power flush, there are several factors to consider, which we will explain to you here so that you can make an informed decision on whether or not your central heating system needs a good blast of cleansing chemicals.
BENEFITS OF A POWERFLUSH
To begin with, let us explore the benefits of a power flush and what it can do for your home.
A power flush is first and foremost a deep cleaning process, and as such, it greatly helps to prolong the lifespan of your heating systems, such as your boiler, radiators, and pipework.
This is because by removing blockages and getting any gunk out of the system, you reduce the risk of something breaking from something like corrosion, sludge, rust, or clogs.
If you have a noisy boiler or heating system, then a power flush will most likely reduce if not outright eliminate the noise.
This noise exists in the first place because air and other kinds of debris get trapped in the pipes, and when water is pumped through them, these pockets cant pass through things like the radiator valves.
This can cause noise like clanging or whistling as these forces crash against the metal piping.
Another benefit of a power flush is that it will eliminate the risk that your radiators suffer from cold spots, which reduce their effectiveness at heating your home.
These cold spots only occur due to the build-up of nasty things like sludge, rust, and limescale, resulting in the hot water having a hard time circulating effectively through the radiator’s pipes.
As if having your central heating system more efficient and reliable wasn’t enough, by doing this you could potentially end up saving money too.
This is because a clean and efficiently running system is far less prone to malfunction, and therefore you will not have to repair it as often. In the long term, it is far more costly to replace broken gas appliances such as a combi boiler than it is to perform proper maintenance to extend their lifespans.
Not only that but with a more efficient and faster delivery of hot water to your radiators and taps, you won’t need to use them for as long, seeing as they don’t take an age and a half to heat up anymore. The difference may not seem like much at first, but it all adds up to some solid savings over time.
Incidentally, by cleaning the system and removing obstructions to the water flow brought in by dirty water, you are improving the system’s overall efficiency.
This is because without all of those obstructions to get in the way; water can flow more freely, meaning that the high pressure needed for the efficient running of the heating system is being delivered properly.
This will result in your radiators getting hotter quicker and your hot water working better overall.
WHEN DOES YOUR CENTRAL HEATING SYSTEM NEED A POWER FLUSH?
Your central heating system can display several signs which may indicate that it needs a power flush.
Even if none of these symptoms are present, it is probably a good idea to have a power flush anyway if you are having a new boiler installed to ensure that the shiny new boiler doesn’t encounter any problems that reduce its life span.
So what are these symptoms exactly?
You can check the quality of the water flowing through your pipework by placing a magnet next to one of the copper pipes that circulate the water around the system.
If the magnet attaches to the pipe, then it is likely you have some sort of sludge within the pipes, which probably contains iron.
This is because copper is not magnetic, so whatever the magnet attaches to is inside it.
In your attic or loft, you are likely to have 2 tanks. One of these is a cold water tank, and the other is a smaller hot water header tank.
The purpose of this header tank is to provide the water your central heating system needs as well as to all of for the expansion of water that occurs during the heating process.
This tank can overflow if there is a problem in the central heating system, and when it does, it is a sure sign that you may need a power flush.
The most obvious indicator that your heating systems pipework needs a power flush is when you turn on the heating only to find that your radiators are cold everywhere except for a strip of heat at the top.
You might also find that when you remove a radiator or heating pump in order to perform maintenance or repairs, there is black sludgy water inside rather than nice clean water as there should be.
If your heating system is old, there is a good chance that its circulation isn’t cutting it. This manifests as the tangible reduction in the system’s overall effectiveness, such as longer start-up times and worse heat transmission.
So long as you keep these symptoms in mind and occasionally check your radiators and pipes, then it should be simple to determine whether one or more of these symptoms is present in your central heating system.
WHO SHOULD PERFORM A POWERFLUSH?
You should only arrange to have a power flush of your heating system performed by a trained, Gas Safe registered professional. Definitely do not try this yourself, even if you have a powerful enough pump somehow.
While technically, it is not mandated by law that this operation needs to be performed by a Gas Safe engineer, there are a couple of reasons why this is a good idea.
Firstly, it is not just water that is being used to deep clean your home’s pipework.
After all, it takes a bit more than some good old H 2O to deal with a serious build-up of limescale, rust, and potentially years of built-up and compacted sludge. So the engineer performing the work will use a blend of chemicals that are typically very toxic to humans.
This means that if the engineer mucks it up somehow, then there is the possibility of a high-velocity jet of toxic chemicals flying out somewhere that it’s not meant to be.
Admittedly that is a worst-case scenario, but when it comes to handling and using any toxic chemicals, it is best to be on the safe side and ensure the person doing the work is properly qualified and experienced.
Secondly, even if there are no accidents with the chemicals, there are still plenty of other ways an unqualified or inexperienced engineer could make a mistake.
That is why it is advisable to hire a Gas Safe engineer because this way, you minimise the risk of something going wrong and make your central heating system even worse than before the power flushing.
Finally, you should consider the warranty on your boiler. in particular if you want to take a crack at power flushing your heating system yourself.
Perhaps you have experience in other areas of plumbing and think, “how hard could it be?” the answer would be quite hard and even harder to clean up even if you don’t mess up.
So while yes, technically, you can perform a power flush yourself without breaking the law, just because you can doesn’t mean that you should.
But the crux of the issue is that if you have work done on your boiler by someone who is not Gas Safe registered, then there is a good chance that you may void your nice and expensive combi boilers warranty.
WHAT A POWERFLUSH DO FOR YOUR CENTRAL HEATING OVERALL
At the end of the day, a power flush is an effective and cost-efficient method of improving the overall efficiency and lifespan of your old and lagging central heating system and boiler. Here at J&S heating, we’re pros at this sort of thing.
As local specialists in heat technology, we have the qualifications and experience necessary for all of the gas servicing, installation, and power washing you need in the areas of Romford, Essex, and the surrounding areas.
If you are looking for more advice on central heating powerflushing in the Romford and Essex areas, follow the links below to find out more.