Over the years, after sheer necessity, I’ve become fairly competent at bleeding radiators without panicking or tackling the boiler pressure. But according to the heating experts I’ve spoken to, there are some heating cleaning jobs you should never do yourself.
These cleaning jobs are the sort that, if you make one wrong move, you could be left with a broken heating system or worse, a serious safety issue. And although I’m all for saving money by doing certain things myself, no amount of saving is worth the risk of either of those things.
So while I’m all for doing a huge list of winter home maintenance tasks, these are the heating cleaning jobs I will never do myself and why you should leave them to the pros, too.
1. Doing a whole system powerflush
A power flush is basically a deep clean for your entire heating system. It forces water and cleaning chemicals through the pipes and radiators at high pressure to clear out all the gunk like debris, rust and black sludge, explains Nicholas Auckland, heating and energy expert at Trade Radiators.
‘You need a high-pressure pump and specialist cleaning fluids to blast out all the black sludge (magnetite) that builds up in your pipes and radiators,’ says Nicholas. ‘If you get the pressure or chemicals wrong, you can crack pipework or blow seals, which will result in leaks everywhere.’
Heating engineers know exactly how much pressure to use and ‘as well as that, after flushing, an engineer has to rebalance the whole system so that every radiator heats evenly. Getting one room too hot or leaving another too cold can result in more wasted energy, and therefore higher bills,’ he adds.
Some people do attempt this themselves, but there are several very good reasons why you should leave this to a qualified heating engineer, explains Matthew Jenkins, heating expert at MyJobQuote.
‘The first is that you really need the right equipment to carry it out. People have been known to disconnect their radiators, one at a time, and take them outside to flush them with water. Not only is this time-consuming, but it won’t do anything about the sludge caught elsewhere in your system.’
Even if you decide to buy or hire a professional powerflush machine, it’s still not advisable to take on this task yourself, he adds. ‘Without an inspection of your heating system first, power flushing it could expose issues such as weak pipework, and unless you know what you’re doing, you could damage your boiler.’
2. Boiler deep clean
Boilers are full of delicate parts like burners, seals and heat exchangers. And a deep clean will involve taking it all apart, removing carbon deposits and checking everything is working as it should, according to Nicholas.
‘Inside that metal box where water gets hot, scale will build up and up over the years. You can strip it out yourself (not recommended at all), but this means dismantling parts of the boiler, flushing in acidic inhibitors, then neutralising and thoroughly rinsing.’
Nicholas says that this is a tricky job that should be left to the experts and not even attempted by a non-expert. This is because making one mistake risks perforating the exchanger or leaving corrosive residue behind.
‘As well as this, once you’ve taken the boiler apart, all the gas joints and seals must be put back together exactly right and properly pressure tested. A tiny gas leak or poor seal can be deadly, so this really needs to be done by a professional.’
Matthew says it’s also worth knowing that most boiler warranties are automatically voided if anyone other than an approved Gas Safe engineer works on your heating system. This also means that fitting and cleaning magnetic filters and adding corrosion and limescale inhibitors into your system should only be done by professionals.
That is definitely a no-go for me. A gas safe engineer has the tools and the training to do this properly, and they’ll spot things you’ll never notice too.
3. Flue cleaning
Keeping your flue clear is crucial for safe ventilation. Any blockages can cause carbon monoxide to build up. While it’s possible to sweep your own flue and you might think it’s just a case of brushing it out, it’s not recommended, advises Joyce French, cleaning expert at Homehow.co.uk. It should always be checked and cleaned during a professional service.
‘A professional chimney sweep has the experience and know-how to look for problems as they are cleaning the chimney,’ explains Joyce. ‘Things like cracks and other structural issues might not be as obvious to a homeowner, but a chimney sweep knows what to look out for.’
She adds that it’s often the case that your home insurance company will require a certificate from a professional chimney sweep to prove that it’s been done properly.
‘Depending on how much you use your fire or wood burner, you may need to have the flue swept once or twice a year.’
So, if a job involves opening up a boiler, handling gas, chemicals or electrics, it’s one to avoid. I’d rather stick to simple maintenance (bleeding radiators, topping up boiler pressure and checking the thermostat) and let the experts handle the rest.
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