Powerflush

loulou41

I have home care 200 with BG. Today I had to have my radiator in bathroom replaced as it was leaking. BG gas engineer told me in future any leaks from radiators will be charged unless I have a powerflush which will cost more than £700. He said all the radiators including the 3 yrs old boiler are full of sludge. I can go with another company but they will insure me. Any advice, please!! Will this be necessary, it is an old house and the radiators are old as well.Thanks

andrew-b

mmm BG would say that! Should cost about half that for a powerflush! BG are always overpriced. If you do genuinely need a powerflush (i have my doubts) then you'd be better off cancelling your home care and going elsewhere for a powerflush at half the cost and the money you save stick aside to cover future repairs (i.e. self-insure) .
Do the radiators heat up ok? Do they feel colder at bottom than the top? What sort of system is it? Is it a gravity-fed system (tanks in loft) or a combi boiler? Did you have a powerflush when the boiler was installed ? They should have at least carried out a chemical flush then. Was inhibitor added?

EliteHeat

Radiators do not need to be changed for no reason at all. It sounds like yours had rusted through. If this is the case, you are likely to have a great deal of sludge circulating around your system.

A power-flush, although effective if done properly, is not the only or cheapest way to clean a system.

loulou41

It was one of those modern tower rail, and it is only about 4 fours years. The BG engineer could not fix the leak and decided to change and then said the whole system needed a power-flush. to answer Andrew-B, it is a combil, 3 yrs old, the radiators seem to be heating ok. He said power-flush because of the sludge he had to remove from the radiator. Thanks

Canucklehead

Good morning: BG did accept a powerflush completed by my OH in 2007 in lieu of their own twice as expensive quote: the OH provided a invoice and the customer continued his Homecare for another year...then he decided to self-insure.;) You could DIY a powerflush if you are competent...other threads on here detailing the procedure.

HTH

Canucklehead

paddypaws101

Hi, I recently had a new boiler installed and had to have a powerflush to qualify the guarantee. I am sure they only charged me £150 and I am in London! The plumber said they used to charge much more but that people will not pay higher prices these days.
Personally I would cancel the service contract and call around a few recommended local plumbers to get the flush and other routine maintenance done.