Is the new Spirotech MB3 the answer?

[mickyg]

yeh i agree the magnacleans leak, thats why i fit the TF1, best of both worlds. There is a noticable difference in what comes out of spirotechs compared to magnacleans and TF1s when Im servicing. Your experience is limited to one install

Thanks mickyg. It's the plastic of the TF1s that bothers me.

Can they really remain trouble-free throughout the life of the boilers they are protecting?

Yeh why not?? Its solid enough, 70% of boilers on the market are full of similar types of plastic.

Really? In contact with the circulating water?

yep

 

[petit_pablo]

What alot of people seem to forget about or dont know is that the magnacleans usually leaked from the lid. This lid is sealed with a large O'ring.

Guess what seals the body of the spirotech......an o'ring!

Ok there were other factors involved as well in the magna leaking but still, just a simple O'ring keeping the water at bay.

 

[simond]

The Magnaclean was a nice idea very poorly executed. Avoid at any cost.

The TF1 is a good product, we've only had one problem, and that was dealt with excellently by Fernox, couldn't ask for more.

We've been using Spiro products for over 10 years and have fitted hundreds of air and water separators, with not a single problem. Spiros have a set of gauzes inside, they are designed to slow a proportion of the water passing through the filter body. When the velocity drops, air and solids tend to separate. Just like they do in a radiator!

 

[Catmandoo2]

yeh i agree the magnacleans leak, thats why i fit the TF1, best of both worlds. There is a noticable difference in what comes out of spirotechs compared to magnacleans and TF1s when Im servicing. Your experience is limited to one install

Thanks mickyg. It's the plastic of the TF1s that bothers me.

Can they really remain trouble-free throughout the life of the boilers they are protecting?

Yeh why not?? Its solid enough, 70% of boilers on the market are full of similar types of plastic.

Really? In contact with the circulating water?

yep

My concern re the TF1 is that as plastics age they tend to become brittle and crack - especially if continually exposed to fluctuating temperatures as in this case. It may take years for this to happen of course.

I've been trying to get dimensional details from Fernox on the TF1, but they are not responding to my Emails. I'm looking for the access clearance space needed around the TF1 to service it, eg, remove the magnet.

Space is at a premium close to my boiler, located in an airing cupboard - not a problem with the MB3 of course since its magnet simply slides down outside the cylinder.

 

[Catmandoo2]

What alot of people seem to forget about or dont know is that the magnacleans usually leaked from the lid. This lid is sealed with a large O'ring.

Guess what seals the body of the spirotech......an o'ring!

Ok there were other factors involved as well in the magna leaking but still, just a simple O'ring keeping the water at bay.

O'rings are used in vast numbers of critical applications though, aren't they? And without adverse effects. I suspect most problems with them relate to applications requiring regular access in servicing etc, in which though the manufacturer recommends fitting a new O'ring each time, few will bother to do so. According to the manufacturer, the spirotech body should hardly ever need accessing, so its O'ring seal should remain undisturbed for many years, as I understand it.

 

[Catmandoo2]

The Magnaclean was a nice idea very poorly executed. Avoid at any cost.

The TF1 is a good product, we've only had one problem, and that was dealt with excellently by Fernox, couldn't ask for more.

We've been using Spiro products for over 10 years and have fitted hundreds of air and water separators, with not a single problem. Spiros have a set of gauzes inside, they are designed to slow a proportion of the water passing through the filter body. When the velocity drops, air and solids tend to separate. Just like they do in a radiator!

Any idea if the Spiro restricts flow more than others, eg the TF1?

Or is filtering effectiveness proportional to flow resistance perhaps?

 

[Catmandoo2]

...
I've been trying to get dimensional details from Fernox on the TF1, but they are not responding to my Emails. I'm looking for the access clearance space needed around the TF1 to service it, eg, remove the magnet.

Space is at a premium close to my boiler, located in an airing cupboard - not a problem with the MB3 of course since its magnet simply slides down outside the cylinder.

Still no response from Fernox.

Can anyone here help?

I'm looking for the overall height needed, including magnet-access clearance, to install a TF1.
The return pipe is quite a short vertical drop from the ceiling to a right-angle bend leading to the rear of the 24HXI Boiler.

 

[ALEC1]

The a spirodirt seperator is the answer.....as it only needs clearance to get a spanner in above it..

 

[gaswizzard]

Allow 300mm to withdraw the magnet assembly from the body.

Why don't you purchase the TF1 then you would have the dimensions?

 

[mickyg]

the tf1 does need a bit of room tbh. You need a bit above to pull the magnet out and a bit below to get something under the drain, or a 1/2" hose connector.

 

[ecowarrior]

the new model has a magnet to satisfy the public who don't understand how it works.

Correct.

The less plastic the better! The only downside is you cant dose with them.

 

[ChrisR]

the new model has a magnet to satisfy the public who don't understand how it works.

Does anyone? We can all guess, but assumptions may be wrong.

"Flocculated" ferromagnetic particles can be any density - they can even be made to float on water. Many of the heating system cleaners do flocculate particles, to make them go into suspension (ie similar density to water) to aid flushing. (X400 is a classic of course)

Particles can be low density without specific flocculating agents being introduced. Hydrated forms of many oxides are likely to be in suspension.

So having a magnet could well help separate all those particles.

 

[David937]

Does this product seem gimmicky?

http://www.sentinel-solutions.net/product/detail/central-heating/liquids/x900-filter-aid/

 

[ChrisR]

gimmicky?

Probably not an unfair term to use.
If a system has much gunk in it then it needs a clean-out.
If it's only got a little, which most systems have, ( eg sitting in the bottom of a radiator) then it doesn't matter very much, as far as I'm aware.
There might be some intermediate territory when this product would make a measurable difference. I don't think I'll hold my breath waiting for someone to prove it.

You always have to wonder what HARM someone might find a new product does, in years to come.
Bloke at Fernox told me once how many times their inhibitor has changed in the light of experience. I can't remember how many now, but it was a lot!

 

[LondonChap]

Does this product seem gimmicky?

http://www.sentinel-solutions.net/product/detail/central-heating/liquids/x900-filter-aid/[/QUOTE]

That sounds good. It must be used with a filter to catch the released solids. It also protects the system like X-100, so you do not drain the system, only remove the dirt from the filter regularly until it is clean. Sentinel are supposed to make good reliable products.