Power flush price please!

[Spantik]

Hi everyone

I have been advised that my CH system would benefit from a power flush (and I tend to agree having seen the sludge). The system is 30 years old - (back boiler, 6 rads, hot water cylinder in airing cupboard, 1978 terraced property). The CH and hot water system work pretty well considering age and we are away a lot so it's sometimes off altogether.  I live on the border between West and East Midlands (Nuneaton near Coventry/Leicester).  Of course BGas have quoted mega (?) - I got them down to £500 with a promise to fix anything else that the procedure uncovers inclusive in the price eg leaking rad.

Can anyone help with their thoughts on a price (incl VAT) for this procedure??

Thanks tons in advance.......

[HiHo]

British Gas seem to charge £500-600 for this procedure. I considered this about a year ago and prices came down as low as about £300 (None BG supplier). Its quite a lot of work (a day I think) to make sure the whole system (individual rads etc) is clean and there is then the various inhibitors that go into the water to prevent more crap from building up.

The reason I was considering it was my boiler was knocking (localised boiling). In the end a plumber said to turn my pump up from level 1 to 2. A bit cheaper than a power flush! The thing that got me with the power flush was that nobody could assure me that it was crap in the pipes causing the knocking or that the power flush would cure it. Simply that it might help. Pretty much all old CH systems will have very black water and some sludge in them (at the bottom of rads, etc) and so that doesn't prove anything, does it?

Why has it been suggested it needs doing as if it ain't broke...sounds risky.

[Spantik]

Thanks for this.

I had to have the part that swaps the CH+water heating over to just water heating (Summer use) renewed as it was sticking and the CH was coming on when not required. When the engineer showed the old part to me it WAS full of sludge. Also some of the rads are not heating effectively despite bleeding them AND the system is 30 years old! So I'm sure there is a need.

I have called a local firm and they have quoted £375 (as against BGas £500). With only 6 rads in my house he says it should take half a day.

Thing about the B Gas quote is that they also put right (within the price) anything else that MAY occur as a result of the power wash eg it may find a weak point in a rad and that may need renewing.  Or, of course, nothing else may happen which makes the power wash expensive!  It's a risk you take. 

Anybody else got any comments please?