If a heating system in Ireland does not seem to be working efficiently any more, it may need a power flushing. This is a thorough cleansing of the system with a flow of water and chemicals.

What are the symptoms that may indicate that a power flush is needed?

1. The system warms up really slowly

2. Some of the radiators are warm around the edges but cold in the middle.

3. The system is noisy or has blockages.

4. The water in the system is dark or cloudy.

This inefficiency is making it hard to heat up the house, and it is making the heating bills unnecessarily high. The problem is that sludge has built up in the heating system. The sludge comes from dirt and corrosion of the metal from the radiators, which has come loose and clogged up the system.

The reason that some radiators are cold in the middle is that the sludge has built up in the middle, and the hot water is just flowing around the outer edge of the radiators. The interior is completely blocked by dirt and sludge builds up.

Sometimes a repair person may try to flush out one radiator that has turned mostly cold. However, instead of trying to fix individual radiators, pumps, valves, or the boiler, it is better to flush the dirt and corrosion out of the whole system at once. Otherwise, one part can be fixed, only to have another part fail due to the same problem. With a power flush, the whole system, including all of the radiators, is cleaned at the same time.

How does a power flushing work?

First, the circulatory pump for the system is disconnected, and the power flush machine is attached. The machine is also connected to the water supply and to a magnet filter. Chemicals are added as well. The water and chemicals are pumped through the system at a fairly high speed, but with low pressure so that nothing is damaged.

A vibrator is applied to the radiators to dislodge the sludge that is inside, so it can be flushed away. The rusty sludge is collected by the magnet filter, as the water and chemicals flow through. The dirty water is discarded, and clean water is pumped through. Corrosion inhibitors are added to the clean water, to prevent corrosion from creating more sludge in the future.

Water samples are taken to make sure that the pH is balanced, and that there are no more particles of corrosion dissolved in the water. An infrared laser thermometer can be used to make sure the radiators are clear of sludge deposits.

An Ireland heating system that is slow or inefficient will benefit greatly from a complete power flushing. Removing the sludge circulating through the system will prevent it from clogging the pump and valves and causing parts of the system to malfunction. The result will be lower heating bills, more efficient heating, less possibility of damage to the boiler and other parts, and a completely clean system.