Power Flush vs Chemical Flush
Both a power flush and chemical flush are forms of system cleaning you can use for your central heating system.
Over time, your central heating system can start to run into problems when debris is left to build up. While your first thought might be to get a new boiler, this is not always necessary.
To help you keep your boiler healthy, we are helping you decide between a power flush or a chemical flush in this guide.
What Is A Power Flush?
A power flush is a deep clean of your central heating system that aims to remove sludge, dirt, and debris from the pipes. Over time, corrosion can lead to rust and other debris developing inside your central heating system, which causes issues. Sludge can prevent water from running freely through the heat exchanger, which is why you may be experiencing cold patches or a noisy boiler.
There are various issues that a flush may resolve, and it can prevent the need for you to get a new boiler prematurely. A power flush works by flushing hot water and a combination of chemicals at very high pressure through heating systems, which should flush out any sludge or debris that has built up.
This can help your boiler long term, keeping it running well and preventing issues from appearing too early. You need to do a power flush every 5 to 6 years or when you are getting a new boiler installed.
What Is A Chemical Flush?
While both a power flush and chemical flush are designed to provide a deep cleanse of your central heating system, there are some key differences between the two.
A chemical flush does not rely on high pressure although a power flush does. Instead, chemical flushes use gravity to empty the system of debris and then later refill it with clean water.
As the name suggests, during a chemical flush, a mixture of cleaning chemicals is flushed through the system, which works to remove sludge, dirt, and debris.
Like a power flush, a chemical flush can break down the sludge that clogs pipes within your boiler, making it work better.
The chemical mixture in a chemical flush works by breaking down, dissolving, and then flushing away the sludge from the pipes so water can flow more freely and enhance the effectiveness of your central heating system.
A chemical flush pushes clean water and an inhibitor, which is a form of limescale remover, through systems.
Do I Need A System Flush?
In most cases, a system flush should be performed every 5 to 6 years to keep your boiler clean. This is something that should be performed by a heating engineer, and it can help extend your boiler's lifespan.
A system flush should also always be done on your central heating system before a new boiler is installed.
There are some other signs that it is time for a system flush, and these may include:
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Cold spots around the house or cold patches on radiators
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Radiators need to be bled more often
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Inadequate heat output from radiators, making your home cold
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It takes a long time for radiators to heat up or for the heating to kick in
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A noisy boiler or radiator when the system is running
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Leaks from the radiators
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Dirty water coming from the radiator leaks
If you are experiencing any of these issues within your heating system, pipes and radiators, then it might be time for a chemical or power flush.
A lot of the time, these issues in a radiator or boiler are caused by a build-up of sludge in the pipes, and you will need to hire a gas safe engineer to perform the flushing. Hiring professionals is the best option as not only can they perform a chemical flush properly, but they can also find out if there are any other issues within your boiler.