Cost to Powerflush a Central Heating System

Welcome to Plumber’s Rates and this guide to the costs you can expect to pay a plumber or heating engineer to power flush your heating system.

The page was last updated on 17th May 2016 and was written by a plumber with over 25 years of experience. To see the complete plumber’s price list just visit this page.

Typical Price to Powerflush

Here is our price guide, this what we charged our customers when flushing heating systems:

Cost to power flush a small property with 6-8 radiators of various sizes: £325.00

A larger property with 12-14 radiators will cost: £500.00

Don’t forget that the prices shown above are just a rough guide.

We know from our own research and from speaking to customers that British gas charge upwards of: £750.00 for a power flush of the radiators and heating system.

Are you looking for a fixed quote? Please visit the link below:

How Do You Know if the System Needs Flushing?

Here are some warning signs to look out for, they could be a result of sludge/corrosion build up in the heating system:

• Cold spots on radiators.
• Radiators require frequent bleeding.
• Slow start-up times.
• Noisy pump.
• Pump failure.

What are the Benefits?

There are many benefits to having your heating system flushed. If the pipework and radiators are clogged with rust and corrosion then this will put great strain on the pump and even the boiler itself. After flushing, you should notice that the radiators produce heat more evenly, they warm up much quicker and in some cases the whole system will be quieter.

Most boiler manufacturers advise homeowners to have their system flushed before installing a new boiler. The new boiler won’t work efficiently if the pipework is clogged. You may also find that any guarantee is invalidated if the cause of any failure is due to an excessive build-up of rust and corrosion.

For this reason, we suggest you get evidence from your contractor that the work has been completed, a certificate or detailed receipt should be sufficient.

How Does Powerflushing Work?

Without getting into technical details we can explain how power flushing is done:

A sample of water is first taken.

The heating engineer should then turn on the heating and take temperature measurements from all the radiators.

The pipes and radiators are then flushed at an increased pressure with a mixture of water and chemicals, in some cases abrasive additives can be used as well. Vibrating tools are then used on the radiators to dislodge sludge/rust build up which is removed with magnets and filters.

The system is then filled with new water and switched on, the radiators are checked and temperatures are then compared to the original figures. A water sample is also taken for comparison.

Finally a corrosion inhibitor is added to the system.

How Long Does it Take?

This depends on the size of the system and how clogged it is. A small system can be fully flushed in a morning while a larger property may take all day.

What Type of Tradespeople do This Work?

This work is usually carried out by heating engineers or by trained specialists.