DIY Radiator Flush?

[voicey]

Hi,

I live in a flat where one radiator is hot at the top and cold(er) at the bottom. I'm guessing that it's sludge and would like to flush it out. Can I remove the rad, drive it to the jetwash, poke the lance in the end and give it a blast? Maybe I should ask: Would this flush out the sludge without any problems?

Thanks in advance for your comments/suggestions.

 

[breezer]

i am not a plumber or heating engineer, although what you say sounds good, a garage jet wash will use detergents etc, i have read on these forums that you can do the same with a hose, i would also suggest you tap the rad to dislodge sludge

 

[oilman]

As breezer says, use a hose. Get an adaptor to fit the hose to the radiator, connect the hose and turn on the tap. rotate the radiator upside down from time to time as this will shift more sludge. The process will take about....... longer than you think anyway, so don't rush it.

 

[voicey]

Thanks for the reply oilman. I live in a top floor flat, as a result I don't have a hose or a garden to use one. I suppose I could put it in the bath and connect the shower to it............?

 

[breezer]

put a towel in the bath first, save scratching the bath

 

[oilman]

if you do it in the bath, try and get a lot of filtering to collect the debris. It is dense stuff and will sink to the bottom of your trap, unless you empty the trap afterwards. (You could use it as an excuse to visit a friend with access to a ground floor )

 

[voicey]

Okay doke. Do you reckon the cold water flow rate from the shower will be enough? It is fed from the tank which is situated in the loft dirctly above the bathroom. I assume I'll have to fashion a connection between the shower hose and rad?

Thanks for the tips, I hadn't thought of those points. I suppose a sieve will trap the debris for disposal elsewhere.

Now to try and maneuver it into the bath (1.75m long)

 

[ChrisR]

1.75m sounds too long for a bath! You don't need a high pressure hose - water would just find A path through the rad and avoid the blocked bits.
You don't need a seal between hose and rad either pressure doesn't come into it.
It's the vertical channels in the rad which need to be cleared. Get some water into the rad so it's about 1/3 - 1/2 full. With a person at each end holding a hand over the hole, invert the rad a number of times. That will hopefully get water flowing up and down through those veritical channels. Then run water through with the rad the right way up (assuming the holes are both at the bottom when it's on the wall) until the water runs clear. Repeat until you get no more ~@#'* coming out.

 

[oilman]

1.75 m is a big radiator to swing around. You can get some plugs to screw in the end so there is no risk of water coming out while you're doing it. Tapping with a rubber mallet makes it easier to dislodge the debris. Adding a small amount ( 1/2 cupful) of system cleaner while you do it will also help.