New boiler install Chemical flush vs magnacleanse

stockbroke

Hey, We are in the process of getting a combi installed by BOXT.  Should we opt for a magnacleanse flush for an extra £199? or is the chemical flush sufficient?.  We are on a budget as we are selling the property but don't want to cut corners for the potential buyers.  Cheers

david29dpo

Was it a heavy sell?
Most will flush with water a few times, should be fine, mine was, never had a problem in 13 years.

rob7475

Try draining a bit of water from the system. If it comes out clear, there's a good chance you had sufficient rust inhibitor in the system and you shouldn't need a power flush. If it's brown, that's a sign of corrosion in the system and you may benefit from a power flush. 

In most cases though, a chemical flush is enough and to maintain your warranty, the installer will have to fit a magnetic filter to the new system which will catch anything going forward.

WIAWSNB

stockbroke said:

Hey, We are in the process of getting a combi installed by BOXT.  Should we opt for a magnacleanse flush for an extra £199? or is the chemical flush sufficient?.  We are on a budget as we are selling the property but don't want to cut corners for the potential buyers.  Cheers

What type of system was replaced - was it 'vented'? (Small F&E tank in the loft)

Was there any suggestion that you had significant sludge in the old system? Did you see any black stuff being emptied out from a rad or a drain down hose, for example?

A Magnacleanse 'power'-flush usually involves a separate pump forcing more concentrated chemicals around your system, and the large Magna magnets capture the loosened sludge. Ideally, each rad is agitated in turn to loosen any compacted sludge settled at the bottom. Done properly, it is a far more thorough job than a 'chemical clean'.

If you intended to remain in the house, I'd suggest it would be a no-brainer at only £199 more.

However, if the old system was also 'sealed'/unvented, and there was no suggestion of excessive sludge in there, then I'd be content to let it pass this time, and the new owner should have the security of the fulfilled warranty; you may wish to recommend they continue with annual servicing in order to maintain this.

jefaz07

WIAWSNB said:

stockbroke said:

Hey, We are in the process of getting a combi installed by BOXT.  Should we opt for a magnacleanse flush for an extra £199? or is the chemical flush sufficient?.  We are on a budget as we are selling the property but don't want to cut corners for the potential buyers.  Cheers

What type of system was replaced - was it 'vented'? (Small F&E tank in the loft)

Was there any suggestion that you had significant sludge in the old system? Did you see any black stuff being emptied out from a rad or a drain down hose, for example?

A Magnacleanse 'power'-flush usually involves a separate pump forcing more concentrated chemicals around your system, and the large Magna magnets capture the loosened sludge. Ideally, each rad is agitated in turn to loosen any compacted sludge settled at the bottom. Done properly, it is a far more thorough job than a 'chemical clean'.

If you intended to remain in the house, I'd suggest it would be a no-brainer at only £199 more.

However, if the old system was also 'sealed'/unvented, and there was no suggestion of excessive sludge in there, then I'd be content to let it pass this time, and the new owner should have the security of the fulfilled warranty; you may wish to recommend they continue with annual servicing in order to maintain this.

A magnacleanse uses the boiler pump to pump around the system. With the use of a rubber agitator on the radiators to free debris. 

A power flush uses a separate pump with the ability to reverse the flow, they can also be used together. But for £199 I’d suggest it’s only the magnacleanse that will be used. 

FreeBear

david29dpo said: Most will flush with water a few times, should be fine, mine was, never had a problem in 13 years.

My system just had a chemical flush when the new boiler was installed a couple of years ago. But I had replaced most of the radiators and pipework prior to the install, so unlikely that there was much sludge in there.

@stockbroke - Make sure the warranty can be transferred to your buyer, especially if it is a 10 year one. And it is well worth fitting larger radiators all round to enable the system to run at lower flow temperatures (will boost efficiency).