What is power flushing?

Let’s start with what is a power flush; a power flush is a cleansing process which aims to remove deposits of sludge, rust and any other debris from your central heating system. If left, these contaminants can seriously affect the efficiency of a heating system and in severe cases, a power flush is the only option available.

So how does a power flush work? Power flush equipment consists of a tank and large pump which connects to your central heating system and forces water mixed with a cleaning chemical through the central heating system cleaning the whole system without having to take off all the radiators. The chemical cleaner helps break down the dirt and sludge which is then removed from the heating system. Radiators and pipework are flushed continually until water samples are clean and pH neutral. Inhibitor fluid is added at the end of the process to help prevent future build-up of sludge it is also good practice to add a magnetic filter to the system that will continually collect the dirt and debris.

Signs that you might need a power flush:

• Slow warming of the heating system
• Cold spots or radiators that don’t fully heat up
• Excessive noise from your boiler or the heating system pump
• Certain radiators not working at all
• Leaking or faulty radiators
• The boiler cuts out regularly requiring a reset
• Sludge in feed and expansion tank
• Discoloured water when you bleed the radiators

It is recommended that the power flush process is carried out if you plan on connecting a new boiler to an old heating system. New boilers don’t like contaminants already present in the heating system as these can rapidly damage the new boiler.

Power flushing is the fastest and most effective way to flush a heating system, the flushed system is achieved with minimal disruption and helps prolong the lifespan of the system. If you don’t want to go to the expense of a power flush you can add a cleaner to the heating system that will break the sludge down although the cleaner does need flushing out of the system and the system refilling as per the instructions of the cleaner, again it is good practice to add inhibitor to the system and a magnetic filter after the cleaning process.

Our choice of powerflush is the 'Calmag Calflush Power Flushing Kit'

You can find a range of heating system chemicals including cleaners, inhibitors and protectors on our website