Cleaning a Magnetic Filter without an isolation valve

Hello All,

We have a Vaillant boiler, it has an advanced protection kit fitted that gives it a 10 year warranty. My understanding is that this is essentially a magnetic filter that captures all the deposits before the enter the boiler and contaminate it, thus invalidating your warranty.

I have a Vaillant Engineer yesterday to do it's first service and he didn't actually open up the filter to clean it out, I questioned him about it twice, at which point he extracted some water from it and said it's clean anyway. Being sceptical I did some research and it seems this filter MUST be opened and cleaned every year.

I had a go at it myself after looking at this excellent video on youtube

The problem is, I just realised there is no incoming isolation valve into the filter. There is only an isolation valve at the boiler end. To me that means you'd have to drain down the whole system (it's a comni boiler) to simply clean the filter? Is that correct?

I'm assuming without an incoming isolation valve the water will simply keep gushing out as soon as I open the filter up?

I'd rather not go another year before it's cleaned. The original installer I believe has made a big mistake in not fitting an inbound isolation valve.

Any thoughts welcome.

Have to drain the system to clean the filter

Unfortunately, you will have to drain down this time and clean the filter but at the same time fit a full bore isolation valve for future cleaning of the filter.

I found someone else, by chance who has the same filter and no isolation valve fitted. I got them to question their installer who also services every year. He's response was..."it's a flat and all the rads are below the level of the filter so an isolation valve is not needed".

This may be the case, but for me I have my boiler & filter downstairs and I have rads upstairs so it don't apply to me. Chasing the original installer to come back to drain the system, fit an isolation valve and clean the filter. He's agreed, but hope he's not thinking of charging me for this as I don't think that'd be fair.

The Advanced protection kit is supplied with an isolation valve, as per the screeshot attached.

However, the protection kit is NOT supplied with an isolation valve, as per the screeshot attached.

Seems installers are getting the two mixed up!

From what i remember reading the instructions it presumes there is an isolator fitted by boiler so you turn that off and then the one by filter.

Thanks All. After much persuasion the installer came back to drain the system and fit an isolation valve. The magnectic filter could then be cleaned, and it was full of muck!

As a follow up question. What are the general opinions on this....

When you refill or top up a heating system on a combi (e.g. if the boiler pressure is low). Is it ok to do it with softened water? OR should you always bypass the water softener when doing this? When the boiler heats hot water it's always softened water so does it make any difference if you have softened (salt) water running through your heating system?