There are a number of reasons why you should consider flushing your central heating system before you decide to install a new boiler. Below are some of the signs to look out for that your central heating may need flushing:

Your heating system is slow in starting up

Your boiler starts to make unpleasant noises

Sludge has begun to form

You start to notice that your radiators need regular bleeding

The treatment of your water will largely affect how efficiently your boiler runs. The treatment of your water is so important that it can even affect your heating system and boiler's longevity. Most people are not actually aware of this and an investigation carried out of 90 mains central heating systems showed that less than half were treated correctly and some of them hadn't had any element of chemical flushing at all.

The poor treatment of water has not been helped by reports which suggest that many new boilers that are installed in the UK are often installed within existing heating systems where old radiators and pipework are commonplace. The differences in overall efficiency between flushed systems and non-flushed systems can be demonstrated by some tests that were carried out. Unsurprisingly, the results indicated that the systems that had been flushed showed a 6% improvement in efficiency in the heating system in comparison to an old system.

Most people may not be aware that most central heating systems are exposed to the atmosphere allowing oxygen to enter the water. This causes sludge to build up in the pipework, which can result in a wide range of problems if left untreated.

Most people have the misconception that if they install a new boiler than that should solve all their problems. Whilst it will improve your standard of living, in order to maximise the full use of it, you should keep your water up to standard. This is important otherwise your investment will be wasted.

So what are the benefits of flushing out the central heating system?

Flushing ensures that the whole system is cleaned, including underfloor pipework

The noise coming from your boiler will be fixed

The treatment prevents further corrosion from occurring in the future

The disadvantages of using the flushing system

How successful the power flush is will depend on various factors. In some cases, the level of corrosion in the central heating systems will be quite extensive. In these circumstances the flushing process is unlikely to solve the problem.

Furthermore, if your system has been neglected for a great length of time it is very likely that there will be severe corrosion in the pipework, or the boiler. Therefore, even after some flushing it is possible that the radiators will not work properly.