Do we need a Magnaclean?

jd87

We had a man out from British Gas recently to fix our combi boiler. It turns out the heat exchanger had gone on it after only 4 years. I must say it was an excellent service from British Gas - problem solved within a week for £130 total (after we agreed to sign up for their priority response service at £2 a month). One thing I noticed though is that these BG engineers seem to like to try and get you to buy extras. One thing he tried to sell us was a "Magnaclean". He said that the reason our boiler broke so quickly was because our old CH system is full of gunk which caused the heat exchanger to corrode, and getting a magnaclean will sort this out. He offered to fit one for £250.

I've done a bit of research and it looks like you can buy the part for £70 and it's a fairly simple DIY job to do. But do we really need one? When we drain water out of the system from the little tap outside the water comes out clear, it's not black or sludgy at all. The system was flushed when the new boiler was fitted. Any opinions/experiences?