What is Power Flushing?
Our home central heating needs regular maintenance to keep it running in tip top condition and to lessen the probability of it breaking down over the winter.
Apart from regular servicing, one of the treatments which is recommended by many experts is a power flush of the system, but before ringing up your local heating engineer for an appointment, it is important to know what a power flushing is, and how much it is likely to cost you.
Why is Power Flushing Needed?
Over time, sludge and debris can build up in your central heating system.
As the central heating systems in our homes are a closed loop, there is no easy way to allow this sludge to drain away easily.
You can’t see the debris or sludge building up in your radiators, but if you can feel that your radiators are warm around the edges but cold in the centre, or if you hear banging noises when your central heating is running, a power flush might get rid of the sludge and help your heating work more efficiently.
The problem with sludge is more common in areas with hard water, so if you have problems with limescale in your kettle or iron, your central heating system may well need to be treated too.
If left untreated, a continued build-up of sludge can cause the pump to develop a fault, or even for the central heating to fail completely.
What is The Power Flushing Process?
During a power flush, the heating engineer will literally push water and chemicals through your radiators, flushing out any debris as they go.
Radiators are treated one by one, and the process can take around four hours, longer if you have a particularly large house with lots of radiators.
Having your system power flushed can prolong the life of your boiler and as it makes your radiators more efficient, it should reduce the cost of your heating bills too.
During the time your system is being flushed out you will not be able to use your heating, so it might be a good idea to schedule this treatment for the warmer months of the year rather than waiting until the depths of winter.
Charges For Power Flushing?
The cost for having your central heating power flushed is around £400, with additional charges for each radiator over the stated maximum.
Many companies guarantee that once you have your system power flushed, it should not need done again, and if it does, they will repeat the process free of charge.
Power flushing is not often included as part of the monthly insurance policies which you can take out to protect against boiler breakdown, and as the service is offered by both the major energy companies and independent gas heating engineers, it is important to shop around for the best price before committing to buy.
At first glance the price of a central heating power flush may seem high, but when you compare it to the cost of an entire central heating system or a replacement boiler, it immediately appears more affordable.
