power flushing

rightjob! wrote: »

question on powerflushing,lads who have one nad use it frequently

what is your preferred type of flushing unit magnaclean/fernox machine/flowclean ect and why?

and what chemicals would you use?

what is best value for money and what to steer clear of.

Fernox is probably the best machine on the market but expensive. I use the magnacleanse double magnet attached to my grundfos flusher and I find it great. I always use fernox chemicals. Generally f3 if the system isn't too bad but mostly f5 is what I use to clean the system then add f1 inhibitor after. You'd also need a TDS meter to test the water as your flushing. It will show you when your rad water is within 10-20% of your mains water

rightjob! wrote: »

what is your preferred type of flushing unit magnaclean/fernox machine/flowclean ect and why?

Fernox Powerflow with Fernox Powerflushing magnet.
Why? The spec really. 1,100 watt power so it can achieve a circulation rate of approx 100 litres per minute & a dump rate of 60 litres a minute.
Nearly every mains cannot keep up with the dump rate.

Nearly all other machines on the market operate with a 330 watt motor so very difficult to shift stubborn sludge.

rightjob! wrote: »

and what chemicals would you use?

Fernox F5, DS40 & F1 inhibitor. Sentinel products also very good. Just on experience, I have tried a few others & never get the same results.

rightjob! wrote: »

what is best value for money and what to steer clear of.

Stay clear of ones that use the system circulating pump. Low watt motor ones just don't hack it.
Kamco also do a larger one which is excellent but very pricey.

I also use a vibrating rad hammer that attaches to my hammer drill. That and a dead blow rubber hammer. I find them great for stubborn rads

rightjob!

cheers for the replys lads

the fernox powerflow does seem popular

so shane the magnaclense uses the circulating pump would you steer away from this because of that?

what kind of money is the fernox machine,and where is the best place to buy?

rightjob! wrote: »

cheers for the replys lads

the fernox powerflow does seem popular

so shane the magnaclense uses the circulating pump would you steer away from this because of that?

what kind of money is the fernox machine,and where is the best place to buy?

The magna cleanse can also be used with your powerflushing machine as I do. Fernox machines are around the 1k mark. A magnacleanse magnet unit or fernox unit are both close to 500

rightjob!

i think im going to go with the fernox unit,where stocks them lads?or where is best to buy from?

rightjob! wrote: »

i think im going to go with the fernox unit,where stocks them lads?or where is best to buy from?

If you like, I can PM you the Fernox rep for Ireland's number & he will set the price for you where ever you are in the country. He will tell your local supplier your price, so you can deal with your local supplier. I think the price is fairly set but I think he can sweeten it with a few freebies.

lot of fernox lovers here it seems...

my first experience of powerflushing was with a fernox machine probably 5 years or so ago and I didn't like it tbh.... I'm sure they've come on leaps and bounds now.. however mysetup is;

kamco clearflow cf90, will do up to 40 rads on a system on a 3 storey house, using a .75hp motor and circulating at 150litres per min.

I used to use their powerfull fx2 acid cleaner, this is no good for new HE boilers with aluminium etc inside so normally use fernox f3 in the system or f5 straight to flush. protect with f1.

Have a rad hammer but very rarely need to use it, use a rubber mallet when needed sometimes but generally the machine is very very good and shifts at least 95% of magnetite.

I use it with a combi mag filter. Again I don't like the fernox ones, the ones I've seen are very small in comparison? the filter is 11,000 gauss of magnetic power.

I couldn't be happier with my kamco machine and am looking to purchase another after christmas.

They aren't the easiest to get hold of as you've to order from england and they invite you to their training centre in heatrow which is a course worth doing. They do their own chemicals which are generally ok, the hyperflush is like f3 and cheaper, the fx2 is great acid but can only be used on older systems and requires a bit more work, checking the ph readings and neutralising the system with crystals after flushing. by the time u pay delivery cost on chemicals from england its near as cheap just to by f3/f5 locally.

I only know one other guy locally who has a kamco machine but its the smaller older model to mine and again he has great results from it.

I powerflush as a speciality to repair heat output to systems and would generally do 2-3 a week, many people have a flusher but only flush because of warranty and aren't really that bothered about results imo. Never had a complaint and all reports are good so its def worth purchasing a machine yourself.

on the beer and waffling a bit but heres a few older pics of mine and results...

setup

magnet after a few rads

I leave the magnetite results in a bottle of container, normally 2litre milk carton as they are easily acquired! I tell people to leave it for a few weeks to harden to see the real results... here is one I revisited

result

That is the same magnet as the Fernox one, which is also 11,000 gauss. You might be referring to their discontinued flush buddy which was crap.
The Fernox DS40 would be the equivalent to Kamco's FX2.
Kamco's are great machines. Just price is the killer.

anthonyos

I asked in hevac for the price of the mk3 and was told 1200incl vat what would a kamco cost

yes shane correct! since my last post I researched the fernox magnet a bit more and they are very very similar, id even say made in the same factory! it is a dear machine but you get what you pay for is my moto, though I don't think theres that much difference in them?? I like the cf90 for its easy to move etc as u can wheel it on 2 wheels up or down steps also. Any flushing machine at 500 GBP or so just isn't worth it imo...

Wish I had took photo of a job 3wks ago, sludge filled the fullbore of the magnets housing after a couple of rads, dunno if it was the best or worst system I flushed! worst system, best result maybe, incredible results for the customer.

anthonyos wrote: »

I asked in hevac for the price of the mk3 and was told 1200incl vat what would a kamco cost

will check proper figure tomorrow actually but I'd say near 1500euro or £1,200.. not sure if thats with or without the magnet tho....

does anyone have a maxmag and any idea on the costs?

anthonyos wrote: »

I asked in hevac for the price of the mk3 and was told 1200incl vat what would a kamco cost

Mk3 would be €1,100. CF90 about €1,500 + delivery from UK.
Then you need magnet, about €450, pump head adaptor about €120. Decent TDS meter about €100. Test kits & a few other sundries but most of these can be made up, such as empty pump housings, empty non-return valves, for solid fuel systems, etc.

anthonyos

company I work for has one of the cheap machines thinks it the excel industries one and its a ball of sh1t the velocity of the water flow is terrible and the outcome of a flush is that the system is the same as before we started

Sparkpea wrote: »

does anyone have a maxmag and any idea on the costs?

Yup if you are talking about Kamco's Combimag or Fernox Powerflush Filter, €450 incl vat. Kamco & Fernox share the manufacturer, only difference is Kamco is clear plastic, Fernox is black, but they are identical otherwise.

I think the CF90 still comes with all the kit in that price (apart from the combimag), so you get all hoses, chemicals for a flush or 2, ph paper/test kit, pump head adapter kit and storage bucket.

Is the magnacleanse like the tp1 or is it linked to a flushing machine?

shane0007 wrote: »

Yup if you are talking about Kamco's Combimag or Fernox Powerflush Filter, €450 incl vat. Kamco & Fernox share the manufacturer, only difference is Kamco is clear plastic, Fernox is black, but they are identical otherwise.

no its like a magnetic roller (seen it on fernox website there), a bit like the rad hammer only a different option

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj3aKStbvuo

Sparkpea wrote: »

no its like a magnetic roller (seen it on fernox website there), a bit like the rad hammer only a different option

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fj3aKStbvuo

Oh yes. I got one from them ages ago as a demo. I thought it was crap. It will only move loose magnetite which would be done by the unit anyhow.
If you want one, you can have mine.

if you say its crap thats good enough for me

haven't used the rad hammer in years either, wee rubber mallet is enough now and again I feel. Would love to get an infared camera to be able to see cold spots before and after but they are mega money...

dear santa........

Yes I use a dead blow mallet. Simple & effective.
I purchased the Flir i7 camera last year. Great investment. I would use it heaps. They do cheaper versions, the i3 & the i5. I think the difference is picture quality & image saving.
There was one for sale on Donedeal for about €1,000 a while back. It sold immediately!
Flir do recon ones direct also. They have an agent in Portlaoise also.

shane0007 wrote: »

Yes I use a dead blow mallet. Simple & effective.
I purchased the Flir i7 camera last year. Great investment. I would use it heaps. They do cheaper versions, the i3 & the i5. I think the difference is picture quality & image saving.
There was one for sale on Donedeal for about €1,000 a while back. It sold immediately!
Flir do recon ones direct also. They have an agent in Portlaoise also.

In Portlaoise?? Who?

Dtp1979 wrote: »

In Portlaoise?? Who?

PowerPoint, I bought mine from them.

what sort of money new shane?

i7 €2,500
I think the i5 is about €1,700 & the i3 about €1,000.

Thanks, certainly be a good investment, but put on the long finger lol

Keep an eye on Flir's website as they sometimes do special offers, especially with recon ones.

http://www.flir.com/cs/emea/en/view/?id=42844

Also watch out for 2nd hand ones. A lot of BER guys bought them & then realised there is no money in being a BER surveyor!

Sparkpea wrote: »

Thanks, certainly be a good investment, but put on the long finger lol

What I love about it, you can see into the rad, see the blockages, know exactly where to thump & see when it shifts completely. Also great for seeing if the system needs a powerflush in the first instance. I usually ask the customer to have the heating on for an hour before I get there. A bit of adjusting & you can see if it is a sludge issue or not pretty quickly.
Good for balancing too as you see exact temps on the rads & pipework.
Then there is leak detection & brilliant for finding pipe runs in floors if you are trying to zone or see what is happening in a system.