smelly water in expansion tank

[hel]

Why is the water in my expansion tank now smelling disgusting and looks like black sludge for the first time in 17 years?

I had a new boiler installed in July.

I have scooped out most of the water last week but the refilled tank smells just as bad again.

Thanks for any reply

 

[REDSAW]

not sure but i have just come in from a ball cack change and that was the same, smells like the sewers?.

 

[spanners1967]

doesn't seem that they powerflushed properly OR bothered to clean out the f&e tank.... you shoudn't have it that colour after 6 months.... we did a boiler change recently where the owner had been dosing up on inhibitor for years... very very clean system....

 

[Paulus]

You need to empty the tank completely and give it a good clean, I use a sponge to get all the sludge out. It would be advisable to also flush out the whole system at the same time as some of that sludge will have got into the pipework. Re-fill and don't forget to add inhibiter.

It ain't a quick job but the tank will smell soooo much sweeter and the system should be more efficient.

Alternatively stick one of them household fresheners to the ouside of the tank.

 

[hel]

Woaw, thanks for the quick replies and the tips. I have put rust cleaner in and even dragged a magnet through the sludge earlier on tonight: very satisfying. It is full of iron filings!!!!!

It smells of rust/fish but not sewer.

Will drain tomorrow. I hope one go will be enough. I halso ahve bought some inhibitor and hope that will do the trick. I hope I don't have to replace the tank too.

Thanks a bundle for your help.

Hel

 

[Gray0689]

No much inhibitor can be just as bad as non

 

[Rick the Spud]

IMO if it's in the expansion tank, it's in the system. advise drain down and flush through.

I'm no plumber, but my system was the same, did the above, sorted.

 

[hel]

Well, drained the system yesterday. I had to do it twice.Scraped the expansion tank too: nice big lumps of rust at the bottom. Smell gone, water nice and clean BUT still having lots of trapped air in radiators.

Grrrrrrrrrrrr will I ever get it sorted out? I am having to bleed the bl####ing things every day.

 

[LeonF]

Hi
Forgive me if I seem to hijack Hel's thread but I think I have the problem that Hel is now running into.
I put in TRVs a few weeks ago and slung in one pot of Sentinal X100. Its a fairly small system, 10 rads but some are small. Since then the rate of gas production has rocketed! Worse than a cowboy on beans. It was improved by turning down the boiler thermostat but something has changed. The header tank water is now yuky and very warm as the gas has forced the water back into the attic.....any ideas anybody.
Could Grey0689 please explain the problem of too much inhibitor.

 

[southcoastboile]

why does air in expansion vessels smell like fish? another one of lifes mysteries :skep:

 

[tamz]

Hel and Leon. Check the pump is not turned up too high. Set it to the lowest setting the system will work at. Setting it too high can cause it to draw air or pump over.

Southcoast. The smell is hydrogen gas.

 

[WHPES]

Dead mouse in the F&E Cistern causes a stink!

 

[FD Powerflow]

X100 is notorious for gassing in soft water areas because it contains phosphates which produce a lot of gas. Drain down and refil with Fernox F1 is the best advice

Hi
Forgive me if I seem to hijack Hel's thread but I think I have the problem that Hel is now running into.
I put in TRVs a few weeks ago and slung in one pot of Sentinal X100. Its a fairly small system, 10 rads but some are small. Since then the rate of gas production has rocketed! Worse than a cowboy on beans. It was improved by turning down the boiler thermostat but something has changed. The header tank water is now yuky and very warm as the gas has forced the water back into the attic.....any ideas anybody.
Could Grey0689 please explain the problem of too much inhibitor.

 

[Gray0689]

To much inhibitor plus pumping over goes all gooey and slimy

 

[LeonF]

Er! how do you turn down a pump?? Thought they were fixed....

Smell is not Hydrogen...still got my eyebrows to prove it!!

 

[LeonF]

Outch! after all that expense!!