What is a Powerflush?

A powerflush is a cleansing process which aims to remove deposits of sludge, rust and any other debris from your central heating system. These contaminants, if left, can seriously affect the efficiency of a heating system and in severe cases a powerflush is the only option available.

Signs that you might need a powerflush

There are a number of signs to look for before deciding to go ahead with the powerflush process. These include cold areas on radiators, excessive noise from the boiler or the heating system pump, discoloured water when you bleed the radiators and the slow warming of the heating system. You might also notice the tap water getting cloudy, especially if there is a build up of limescale as well.

It is also recommended that the powerflush process is carried out if you intend to connect a new boiler replacement to an old heating system. This is because most new boilers are condensing boilers and any contaminants already present in the heating system can quickly damage the internal pipe work of the new boiler.

The powerflushing process

The overall aim of a powerflush is to restore the full circulation of water around the central heating system, however, it can also eliminate noise from the boiler and the pump as well. This means that the entire system has to be flushed in order to get the best results.

A heating engineer will connect a powerful high flow/low pressure pumping unit to the central heating system – either to the circulation pump in regular boiler systems or the pump head in combination boilers – and with the help of high strength cleansing chemicals will flush out anything in the system.

The chemicals used during a powerflush include a sludge crust breaker and remover to help get rid of rust and sludge, a descaler to break down limescale and a corrosion inhibitor to stop further rusting from occurring. The crust breaker and remover are acid-based so that they help to combat any rust present and any other debris, such as sand particles, that might have settled in the radiators, pipes and boiler. At the end of the process there is no acid left in the central heating system’s water.

Cost and time needed for a powerflush

Most powerflushing professionals state that a full powerflush will take around 6 hours to complete. This is an estimate though as some badly affected heating systems will require more time whilst others may be finished quicker.

The price of a full system powerflush varies with location and the size of the heating system and can range from £350 up to £1200+. Occasionally the descaler isn’t included in the original quoted price and needs to be paid for on top.

Conclusion

It is important that your central heating system is as efficient as it can be at all times and although a powerflush can be an expensive process, it can also save a lot of money over time with regards to your heating bills but should be used in conjunction with a complete boiler service for best results.

The process is clean and safe when done by a professional and can quickly eliminate cold radiators and noisy boilers and pumps thus restoring your heating system to the condition it was when new.