Expert Heating and Plumbing Services
Open Vented System
Open vented systems comprise of a cold water storage tank and a feed and expansion tank. A 'regular' or 'conventional boiler will heat the water throughout the system.
Should I Upgrade
Open vented systems do have their advantages but these systems are now becoming outdated and are less efficient.
By upgrading you will have a new 'A' rated boiler.
The old tanks can be removed which saves space giving you back loft space and airing cupboard for storage.
If your finding that you are starting to spend more and more repairing your old system it may be time to consider whether it's financially viable to keep spending money on an old system.
We would be happy to talk you through the options
How Long Does It Take
Converting from an open vented system to a pressurised system will vary depending on what type of pressurised system is going in.
Combination Boiler - A typical conversion installing a combi boiler should take 2 to 3 days depending on the house.
Unvented System - for a larger house a typical unvented cyclinder and boiler install will take 2-3 days
There are many varying factors when deciding which system to install so it's best to have a gas safe engineer visit to run through the options which will give you a better idea of timescale and price.
Blockages and Dirty Systems
Have you noticed:
- Patchy areas of warmth on your radiators
- Strange nioses coming from your boiler
- Radiators not heating properly
- Heating pipes are hot but radiator are cold
- When bleeding radiators the water is dark coloured
Radiator sludge also known as 'magnatite' is a build up of rust and general dirt and debris. The sludge that is pumped around the heating system can slowly build up and block radiators. These blockages will put added strain on your boiler components eventually causing a boiler breakdown.
Prevent The Build Up Of Sludge
- Fit a magnetic system filter
- Use inhibitor
- Have your boiler serviced
However if the build up of sludge is too great it may be time to look at how to remove the sludge from your system using one of the following methods:
- DIY - you can try flushing the radiator yourself. If you're confident enough that you can remove radiators yourself then flush them through using the garden hose (in the garden of course).
- Magnaclean or Powerflush - To shift any heavy settled sludge and rust from your system, your heating engineer will add a chemical cleaner to help lift it from where it's landed. The deep clean, or flushing process then moves this debris out of the system, bringing it back to optimal performance
- Changing Radiators - It may be cheaper to just change the radiators. Yes, radiators do come to 'end-of-life' and it might just be worth rid of those old radiators that are full of sludge. Sometimes no amount of flushing or chemicals will resolve the issue.
