System never serviced or cleaned

[Rob Foster]

Just bought a new place. There is a 24 Worcester combi. The place has been neglected over 20 years BUT. just took all the rads off for upgrading and moving. There is no filter and no chemicals in the water...I sniffed it and tasted it ! Guess what no black sludge anywhere even on the dropped ones so whats this all about ? we advise people to do all that yet this system is clean without any precautions
Rob Foster aka centralheatking

 

[Harvest Fields]

Could have been flushed or drained recently. Even though they say nothing has been done for 20 years.

 

[Rob Foster]

Brother in Law lives opposite
he used to look after the place for the outgoing he warned me before took it on that nowt had been done for years to anything
and he would know but having said that the lecky is spot on
chking

 

[Harvest Fields]

So the lecky is spot on and the heating water is sweet. Sounds like a find to me.

 

[Millsy 82]

As long as your not constantly adding fresh water inside then I cant see why not.

The old boy who taught me did an experiment his boiler was 10 years old on an open vent and he did nothing to it never serviced etc to see how long it lasted. He called it an experiment I called him a lazy old sod. It didnt break down in the 4.5 years I worked with him so that was 14.5 years no service no inhibitor etc.

 

[Harvest Fields]

I would call that lucky.

 

[Rob Foster]

So the lucky is spot on and the heating water is sweet. Sounds like a find to me.

The Rob Foster test for inhibitor in ch is when you drain it outside the wriggly worms always come out and then stop wriggling but its easy to smell it and it tastes of pear drops usually ..centralheatking

 

[Rob Foster]

So the lucky is spot on and the heating water is sweet. Sounds like a find to me.

yes to the mes but drains, land ,undergrowth soffits a nightmare but its my 22 house and only one bog until next week ..a new downstairs
gravity one no pump effort
so off we go again chking

 

[Burger]

Maybe it was installed and rarely/never used

 

[Stigster]

the wriggly worms always come out and then stop wriggling

You've just reminded me of something. A few years ago I was draining down an old cylinder to replace with an unvented system. I put my hose out the window and down onto the path next to some flower beds. After a while I went out to see if the water had stopped running and cylinder was empty. To my horror there were what must have been hundreds of earthworms, all now bright pink, cooked to death by the scalding hot water on the surface of the flower bed. I felt like a mass killer after that. It's a big deal to me that I never kill anything unnecessarily, not even a spider or fly so I was pretty upset to be honest. I certainly didn't do that on purpose though.

Poor worms.

 

[Rob Foster]

You've just reminded me of something. A few years ago I was draining down an old cylinder to replace with an unvented system. I put my hose out the window and down onto the path next to some flower beds. After a while I went out to see if the water had stopped running and cylinder was empty. To my horror there were what must have been hundreds of earthworms, all now bright pink, cooked to death by the scalding hot water on the surface of the flower bed. I felt like a mass killer after that. It's a big deal to me that I never kill anything unnecessarily, not even a spider or fly so I was pretty upset to be honest. I certainly didn't do that on purpose though.

Poor worms.

You are here by absolved of your sin by order of UKPF the main body of Plumbers in the Uk and often all around the Globe...Rob Foster aka centralheatking and we will not report you to the soil association or countryfile a contribution to the moderators Xmas bash in Las Vegas can do wonders I understand

 

[Stigster]

Thank you, Rob. I feel a lot better now after that

 

[Best]

I have come across really old open vented heating systems that I am certain have never had any maintenance on the water side and yet proved to be almost clean. Some about 40 years old.
Part of the reason is I believe the systems were not pumping over or drawing air in above the normal.

Recently had to pipe a rad to different wall and remove some rads for decorating on a sealed system I installed in 2005 and found the water totally spotless in the rads. System had no work done until then.

 

[Jerry]

 

[Rob Foster]

I have come across really old open vented heating systems that I am certain have never had any maintenance on the water side and yet proved to be almost clean. Some about 40 years old.
Part of the reason is I believe the systems were not pumping over or drawing air in above the normal.

Recently had to pipe a rad to different wall and remove some rads for decorating on a sealed system I installed in 2005 and found the water totally spotless in the rads. System had no work done until then.

Best which is exactly why I posted my findings. It really makes me curious who knows maybe its a big wind up
to make punters cough up.
Having stated that I have produced 3 mag filters for various companys and they do pick up debris before the Hx
Probably if the system is sound
and the boiler is not like a race horse then our findings are true
Centralheatking

 

[Jim Goodenough]

You've just reminded me of something. A few years ago I was draining down an old cylinder to replace with an unvented system. I put my hose out the window and down onto the path next to some flower beds. After a while I went out to see if the water had stopped running and cylinder was empty. To my horror there were what must have been hundreds of earthworms, all now bright pink, cooked to death by the scalding hot water on the surface of the flower bed. I felt like a mass killer after that. It's a big deal to me that I never kill anything unnecessarily, not even a spider or fly so I was pretty upset to be honest. I certainly didn't do that on purpose though.

Poor worms.

What about bluebottles and rat's?

 

[Jerry]

What about bluebottles and rat's?

I am happy to kill with impunity wasps, mosquitos, leeches, ticks.....etc etc
I cant however say that i have not speared a few earthworms on a fishing hook..

 

[Rob Foster]

I am happy to kill with impunity wasps, mosquitos, leeches, ticks...etc etc
I cant however say that i have not speared a few earthworms on a fishing hook..

dont like magpies that much
centralheatking

 

[CalHeat]

Just bought a new place. There is a 24 Worcester combi. The place has been neglected over 20 years BUT. just took all the rads off for upgrading and moving. There is no filter and no chemicals in the water...I sniffed it and tasted it ! Guess what no black sludge anywhere even on the dropped ones so whats this all about ? we advise people to do all that yet this system is clean without any precautions
Rob Foster aka centralheatking

Surely if a sealed system and cleaned out when installed then as long as no air gets into the system it should stay clean

 

[Burger]

Surely if a sealed system and cleaned out when installed then as long as no air gets into the system it should stay clean

Agreed, but water has oxygen in it, so you’d think it would rust, maybe it was distilled?

 

[Rob Foster]

Agreed, but water has oxygen in it, so you’d think it would rust, maybe it was distilled?

I agree with you, ferric oxide etc and the gas generated inc. hydrogen can be a real problem
in ch systems but as I stated maybe a well installed system vented or not might be ok without any toys ..mag filters, additives .if it does not leak or pump over .thats what I am finking...Rob Foster ...aka centralheatking

 

[CalHeat]

I agree with you, ferric oxide etc and the gas generated inc. hydrogen can be a real problem
in ch systems but as I stated maybe a well installed system vented or not might be ok without any toys ..mag filters, additives .if it does not leak or pump over .thats what I am finking...Rob Foster ...aka centralheatking

As I understand it in Germany they don’t use chemicals on central heating systems

 

[Burger]

As I understand it in Germany they don’t use chemicals on central heating systems

Yes, I believe they use distilled water

 

[Jim Goodenough]

Yes, I believe they use distilled water

Vodka or Gin ??

 

[CalHeat]

Yes, I believe they use distilled water

Too expensive to buy the equipment but would improve heating systems immeasurably if we did that over here