Clearing sludge?

[Santorium]

Hi all,

Thanks for your help so far with the cold radiators

Last night I bled all of the radiators that I could (some are painted shut..) and also bled the pump and checked the impellor for roatation. The water from the radiators is black.

All was looking pretty good and the first rad started to get warm (result!).

Unfortunately it was the only rad getting hot, and even then it was only at the top, it soon stopped getting warm and started to cool down again.

Does this likely mean that the whole system is clogged with sludge? and if so, is it something that a novice can deal with or is it time to extend my overdraft??

 

[supermario]

The quickest way to clear sludge is to have your system powerflushed. You could hire a machine yourself for about £50 and diy but really you need to have had some trainning in how to do it. Expect £250 upwards for a pro to do it. haven't read your previous thread but personally I dont like powerflushing very old systems - sometimes its the sludge that's stopping the things from leaking. next alternaltive is to drain down the system and refill including a system restorer and run for a few days before draining down again ,not usually as effective as a powerflush but a lot cheaper if you can manage that yourself. For bad build ups I personally like to remove individual rads and flush them clear first. if your rad valves are working properly (if) you can remove individual rads without a system draindown and you should be able to tackle that yourself without too much trouble

 

[Santorium]

Thanks!

This has got a "call a heating engineer" feel about it. Any ideas how much I should expect to pay to have the boiler serviced at the same time?

 

[supermario]

always wise to know your own limitations. if going for a pro then get it powerflushed prices for that are all over the place have heard of £450 being charged so shop around. as for the service you'd be looking in the region of £90