TECH TALK
John Lawton, Technical Product Manager at Intergas, discusses why cleaning and treating a new heating system, in accordance with Part L of the Building Regulations, is so important.
To ensure your customers get the most out of their new Intergas boiler it’s vital to ensure the heating system is chemically cleaned and treated. The procedure I’ve outlined below will help to protect and maintain the system for years to come:
- Fill the system with mains cold water to 1.5 bar and check for any leaks (rectify where necessary). Drain the system thoroughly making sure all drain cocks are fully open and that the system is completely drained.
- Refill the system with mains cold water to 1.5 bar and purge out the air, and if possible, circulate before switching on the appliance, then operate the boiler at normal rate until the target temperature has been reached and all radiators are hot. Drain the system thoroughly making sure all drain cocks are fully open and that the system is completely drained.
- Add the correct amount of recommended cleaner i.e. Fernox Cleaner F3 (Express F3) Adey MC3 (Rapide MC3)
- Refill the system and commission the heating system in the normal way, operating the boiler for a minimum of one hour at normal temperature. (A longer period of time – up to a maximum of one week – is beneficial to the cleaning process especially if excess flux was used during the installation.)
5. Drain and flush the system thoroughly to remove any cleaning chemical and any debris present. This is a crucial part of the cleaning process and must be done correctly. Use a TDS meter to ensure that the Total Dissolved Solids have been satisfactorily removed. The system can be regarded as being thoroughly cleaned when the system water value is within 10% of the mains water value.
