Apart from when fitting a new boiler , when else might I need a powerflush?
 

A water sample analysis using a Kamco test kit may be carried out to determine the cause of any problems as detailed below and the action required

 

SYSTEMSURE WATER ANALYSIS TEST KIT: for central heating & cooling systems

The SYSTEMSURE water analysis test kit enables engineers to make an immediate determination of the quality of water in a heating system, enabling them to understand the causes of problems and to select the appropriate treatment to prevent future system failures and call backs. It will indicate whether a system has been properly pre-commission cleaned, if corrosion is either taking place or is likely to occur, whether the system should be power flushed and whether it has been treated with the correct level of corrosion inhibitor. If power flushing is required, analysis can confirm that all deposits and residues have been purged from a system. Wet central heating systems must be properly cleansed and treated with corrosion inhibitor in order to protect them from the otherwise inevitable decay as system metals trend back to their natural state. WATER ANALYSIS TEST KIT       .   DISSOLVED IRON     DISSOLVED COPPER   The presence of dissolved copper in system water, at a level of 1mg/l or more, is indicative of corrosion problems and is associated with excessive use of flux when installing or repairing a system, and inadequate pre-commission cleaning. Only low levels are usually recorded, as the copper in solution tends to plate out onto steel and aluminium surfaces, causing localised corrosion and wasting (at ca. 0.5 to 1.0 mg/l), and pinholing at higher readings of >1.0 mg/l. Reagent for ca. 60 tests supplied Range: 0 - 5 ppm CHLORIDE LEVEL   Most mains water supplies contain some dissolved chlorides, varying from ca. 20 mg/l upwards to 100 mg/l. Chloride levels significantly above the mains level (more than 25 mg/l, or more than 50% higher) can cause pitting and corrosion of mild steel, particularly in areas of high stress such as bends and welds, and will reduce the performance of corrosion inhibitors. High chloride levels are indicative of flux contamination of the heating system, which should be power flushed and the chloride level re-checked. It is important to check chloride level before and after pre-commission cleaning of a system to ensure that the process has been fully effective. Reagent for ca. 60 tests supplied Range: 10 - 200 ppm TOTAL HARDNESS   More than 60% of Britain, by area, has water classified as hard (expressed as more than 200 mg/l calcium carbonate). The harder the water, the more prone heat exchangers and calorifiers are to scaling up with limescale deposits. Whilst soft water (expressed as less than 100 mg/L calcium carbonate) does not cause scaling problems, it tends to be more corrosive to metals used in heating systems. If, when checking the hardness of system water, the hardness is much less than that of the mains water, then it is probable that scaling up of the boiler or heat exchanger has already occurred. Even when the hardness of mains and system water are apparently similar, scaling may also have occurred if the system has been frequently drained and refilled, or if a water leak has led to a continuous ingress of fresh water into the system. Soft water produced by a water softener usually has a hardness value of less than 2 mg/l, but should not be used in central heating systems as it is more aggressive than even natural soft water, particularly to aluminium heat exchangers and radiators. Reagent for ca. 30 tests supplied Range: 0 - 600 ppm INHIBITOR CONCENTRATION It is important to check the correct level of corrosion inhibitor in a system in order to ensure long term protection from internal corrosion, sludge formation, scale deposition and boiler noises. The Systemsafe-DM inhibitor level test is used to check the correct level of Kamco inhibitor. The test measures the molybdate content within a heating system. A reading of 330 mg/l (ppm) molybdate equates to the optimum treatment level of 1% Systemsafe-DM by volume. A higher value is not detrimental, but if the test indicates under-dosing, then the level should be brought up to the optimum by further addition of Systemsafe-DM. Reagent for ca. 30 tests supplied Range: 600 - 2400 ppm TOTAL DISSOLVED SOLIDS (TDS) omparison of TDS levels between mains water and system water can be used to confirm the efficiency of a power flush - after flushing, both values should be almost identical. A TDS meter can also be used to ensure correct dosing of inhibitor or flushing chemical into a system of unknown volume.

Interpretation and significance of water analysis test results
Analysis / test	Result of test	Interpretation / cause	Action to be taken by engineer
pH	ph less than 6	Acidic cleanser left in system	Power flush system, check pH and add Systemsafe-DM inhibitor
	ph greater than 8.5	Alkaline cleanser left in system or sytem may contain softened water	Power flush system, refill with mains water and add Systemsafe-DM inhibitor
Dissolved iron	More than 1 mg/L above mains water	1. If no inhibitor present, system is corroding	Check for aeration (pumping over?). Repair any leaks, power flush and add Systemsafe-DM inhibitor
		2. If inhibitor is present, corrosion may have stabilised	Check again after 4 weeks. If iron content has increased, power flush and add Systemsafe-DM inhibitor
Dissolved copper	More than 0.5 mg/L	Flux residues left in system	Power flush system and add Systemsafe-DM inhibitor
Chloride level	More than 25 mg/L, or 50% higher than the reading for mains water	Flux residues left in system	Power flush system and add Systemsafe-DM inhibitor
Hardness	Mains water much harder than system water	Limescale deposits in heat exchanger or boiler	Descale boiler with Scalebreaker FX, Scalebreaker SR or Power Flush FX2.
	Less than 2 mg/L hardness in system water	Heating system contains softened water.	If aluminium heat exchanger or boiler, check pH level. If above 8.5, drain and refill system with mains water and add Systemsafe-DM inhibitor.
Inhibitor concentration	Less than 330 mg/L molybdate	Insufficient inhibitor added, or system has leaked	Check for leaks and add further inhibitor to give 330 mg/L inhibitor
	More than 330 mg/L molybdate	System over-dosed with inhibitor	If all other tests passed, no action needed.
T.D.S. (Total Dissolved Solids)	Reading after power flushing higher than mains water	Residue of cleanser or corrosion debris in system	Continue flushing until T.D.S. value is similar to mains water.

 Price Guide

Typical prices are  £350 for a 5 rad system and £390 for a 9 rad system