MagnaCleans - will it catch solder/rust rattling in the pipes?

mortyone

Hi,

I've recently had my old baxi backboiler ripped out and a modern Valiant condensing boiler installed.

Its been going for a couple weeks and has now developed the first major challenge - it sounds like there are bit of gravel or tiny stones or pellets rattling around in the return pipe that feeds up into the boiler. I only hear it in the pipe leading up from the floor to the boiler.

I was concerned that maybe gravel got into the pipes when they laid the new piping. The installers have said it wont be gravel, it would be either 1) bits of solder that have broken off from the installation; or 2) large bits of rust from the radiators.

They're tried draining the whole system and then flushing it for an hour, but whatever is in there didn't get flushed out.

Now they're recommended a MagnaClean to fix the problem (at my expense), but before I do spend £100+ extra on this, can anyone tell me if the MagnaClean magnet will be strong enough to catch these large pieces of rust or solder?

Many thanks for any help anyone can give.

aliasojo

I had a similar thing....the living room radiator always seemed to make a noise similar to that you described, it was as if there were flakes of rust kicking around in there.

I got a Magnaclean installed and as it was like a new gadget, we used to open it every couple of months just to see what it had collected. The water was always brown and the filter bit was full of sludge.

Now it's been in a while, we have no noises anymore and the water in the system is clear (we had to take a rad off the wall and drain it, clear water poured out).

Great thing, just wish I got it installed earlier.

aboard_epsilon

i dont think solder will stick to a magnet .

so the magnaclean wont get that .

all the best.markj

keystone

If you've got large lumps of solder in the pipework they didn't flush it out properly and they are incompetant at soldering anyway.

If you've got large lumps of rust in the pipework they didn't flush the system properly.

A Magnaclean (or Boiler Buddy or TF1 for that matter) won't sort out large lumps of crud. They deal with the ferrous matter in suspension in the water.

So the first solution is get it flushed out again properly as any large pieces of crud with wreck your nice shiny new heat exchanger in a very short time. Flushing it for an hour is useless. You need to take all day - even with a powerflush machine it should be a minimum of 4 hours. I'd be pressing for them to do that at their expense too.

Having said that any one of those filtering systems is a good idea as it stops the buildup of sludge in a previously clean system. I am suprised one wasn't fitted as part of the initial install.

By the way if its just a "tinkling" sound it might be air in that particular piece of pipe which hasn't formed a large enough bubble to create an airlock thus there is just room for the water to get past it and in doing so makes a tinkling noise.

Cheers

Canucklehead

Good morning: sounds a bodge:eek: The Spirotrap Magnabooster 2 (magnetic/non-magnetic filter) is a standard component in all the OH's quotes and the same price as a Magnaclean (which he has never installed only replaced;))

HTH

Canucklehead

aliasojo

Might be a daft question but is there any reason why you couldn't install both the Magna Clean and the Spirotrap?

diable

aliasojo wrote: »

Might be a daft question but is there any reason why you couldn't install both the Magna Clean and the Spirotrap?

Same thing 2 different companies but one is plastic the other is made from brass.

dan23uk

Magnacleans are prone to leaking, and as Canucklehead points out, will only pick up magnetic 'dirt'. Whereas the Spirotrap is easier to fit (IMO) and will collect both magnetic and non-magnetic particles. Plus they're easier to clean too.

Dan

gas4you

Magnacleans are the best at doing the job, but the worst in build quality. Saying that, I've only had 3 that have proved faulty out of the many that I fit.

aboard_epsilon

Ive read that the early ones had red valves on them ..these are the ones that are suspect ..later ones had black valves these are re-designed and I'm told don't leak.

thats info for 22mm with red valves

i have a 28mm one ready to fit ....got it cheap and its never been used ...i don't know if it will be like the other ones

all the best.markj

diable

This post has reminded me to flush my Spirovent out ;o))