Flushing Radiators

If you’ve heard a plumber say things like: “Well, it’s just something that needs to be done every few years” or “We come across this all the time, it’s just one of those things”… and then handed over hundreds of euro – you’ve probably wondered if there was actually another solution?

Well the good news is… there is and it’s called Oxyvent.

Why do Radiators need to be flushed?”

Flushing Radiators, or Power Flushing, is the process of removing sludge from inside your heating system, which prevents heat from being evenly distributed throughout your radiators. The black sludge forms over time as a result of corrosion, and is made up of a combination of dirt and rust. The most common place to find radiators with a build up of sludge are the ones furthest away from the boiler. These radiators usually have a poor flow rate, which means the water is not being pumped fast enough to go around the full radiator panel. The water at the bottom just sits there and never heats up. This creates the ideal conditions for corrosion to take place and with these channels usually only around 5mm wide, it eventually leads to them getting clogged up and greatly reduces your heating systems efficiency.

To better grasp the idea, turn on your heating for half an hour and then go to the radiators furthest from the boiler. Put your hand around the middle lower part of the radiator and you should be able to feel a large difference in temperature, where the hot water meets the cold. It is here that corrosion is at its most aggressive and where most problems begin.

Let’s have a look at an example of this with the help of a Thermal Imaging Video Camera. This video will show you how a poor flow of water can cause a large difference in temperatures, and thus creating the right environment where corrosion can flourish.

At Oxyvent, we discovered a formula that was able to increase the flow of water to all the radiators, from 1.5 litres per minute to 3.5 litres per minute. By moving higher volumes of water through all the radiators, it keeps those important channels open and prevents any sludge from blocking them up. As the saying goes “A rolling stone gathers no moss”.

So not only does the Oxyvent system reduce the Delta T from 11° to 2° – but it also prevents the need for Power Flushing by moving higher volumes of water through the radiators and maintaining a more efficient heat in every room.

Advantages of the Oxyvent System

Reduce the amount of chemicals been used.
Extend the Life of your radiators
Prevents build-up of sludge in radiator channels at source.
Large saving on fuel bill
Produce Radiant heat
Reduces maintenance

Customers that have installed Oxyvent have saved thousands in flushing alone. If all houses in Ireland installed the Oxyvent system we would save in excess of €350 million per year in fuel bills and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 3.3 million tonnes.

Frequently Asked Questions

There seem to be more questions than answers when it comes to flushing sludge out of radiators.

Why do I need to flush my radiators?

Due to corrosion in the heating system sludge build up inside the radiators preventing them from heating.

Why are my radiators cold at the bottom?

Radiators are made up of a series of channels. The principle flow of water travels up the first two channels, across the top and exits through the last channel. The water in the channels in between gets very little or no movement. These channels are the ones that get clogged up with sludge. The sludge reduces the flow of water through the channels and eventually blocks them completely preventing the radiator from heating fully.

What is preventing my radiators from heating properly?

Radiators rely on flow rate to heat them. The average existing system only has a flow rate of 1.5 litres per minute. This is not fast enough to push water through all the channels of the radiator. Some of channels get little or no flow rate through them. This means it is only a matter of time before sludge will eventually block them up completely.

Have Plumbers any another option other than flushing?

Prior to the Oxyvent system, Plumbers were left with no other option.

What effect has flushing on the Environment?

There can be a couple of different chemicals used in every flush. If they use sludge remover, it must be completely flushed out, as it can cause serious damage to your system. The disposing of the contaminated flushing water can then of course cause damage to the Environment.

If my radiators are clogged up, do I need to get them replaced?

If the radiators are extremely old then the channels in the radiators could block up completely over a long period of time. If this sludge can’t be removed then a new radiator is required. In General we find that 99.9% of radiators work well once the sludge is removed.

Remember, sludge is not always the problem when the radiators don’t heat fully. In most situations it is just poor flow rate. The heated water does not flow through the radiator to heat it properly.

Is Flushing expensive?

On average the prices for a house with 12 radiators on a Gas or Oil boiler can range from €400 to €800. You must also take into account the fuel you wasted with poor performing radiators before you had them flushed. You probably even keep putting it off to see if it would sort itself out or try to get better valve for money. With the current prices of flushing, the Oxyvent System would pay for itself in just 3 flushes… never mind all the other benefits you could enjoy.

Why do Experts recommend Flushing?

Experts recommend flushing your system every 5 years. If left any longer it could completely clog up and eventually break down. You would be wasting a huge amount of fuel with very poor return. In this day and age, even the basic principal of heating a radiator cannot be accomplished without constant maintenance and regular flushing. Oxyvent is the only other solution.

What our customers have to say

“We have a sizeable heating system which consists of 24 radiators ,we always seem to have a problem getting the heat to perhaps 5 radiators. At first we thought it maybe that our boiler was not sufficient enough to run the system, but we were reassured that the output of our boiler was more than enough to run the installation.

We tried a more powerful circulating pump but this did not improve the situation. We heard of Oxyvent through a friend and requested an inspection. He explained what the problems were and recommended that we install the Oxyvent Tank.

We could say the results were instant, we had on the first day pretty much all the radiators heating up to what they should be, from then on the system seem to improve and it definitely now is heating to its full potential.”

Brian Kelly, Co. Cork

“We built a new house in 2004 and were very disappointed with the heat from the radiators. We have a bungalow and especially the two bedrooms at the back of the house were freezing, and in the winter we had to use electric heaters in those rooms to heat them. We had the heating on all day and the house was still cold. We heard about Oxyvent spoke with them about how the Oxyvent Tank would help us. We fitted the Oxyvent Tank in 2006 and could not believe the change. All the rooms heated up fast and the boiler had to be switched off after one hour as the house was roasting. Our fuel bills are down about 30% but the best result is the house is nice and warm. We could never fill a bath with hot water before and had to do with filling it halfway, and now we can have a nice full hot bath of water for the first time.

A lot of our friends and family have the Oxyvent Tank in their homes and they are delighted with it. We would highly recommend to anyone whether they have an old house or new one.”

Pat & Joan Looney, Co. Kerry

“We have the Oxyvent Tank for about ten years, before installing it we had radiators not heating all the way through, they were cold at the bottom throughout the house, even though they were cold we were burning quite a lot of oil, so we decided to have the Oxyvent Tank installed, the difference was amazing we had even heat throughout the house all of the radiators were heating and we were burning less oil, a saving of 30 to 35% I would say, so getting the Oxyvent Tank was a great idea still today 10 years later it is working as well as it did when it was first installed.”

Sarah Stafford, Co. Kerry

“We are so delighted with the Oxyvent Tank since we got it installed in 2005. We have mighty heat from the radiators, and they are hot all over, different than before. Everyone that comes in remarks on the heat and are amazed when they see how low the boiler temperature is set. Prior to putting it in I would have the boiler temperature set high, it is now set to minimum. The Hot water in the tap is now boiling, a big difference from before. I had big savings in my oil bills over the years and I would like to wish you every success with the Oxyvent tank. IT’S A WONDERFUL PRODUCT!”

Margaret, Tralee, Co. Kerry

“I installed the Oxyvent Tank in my oil fired heating system in 2008. Prior to installation I had a lot of trouble with air locks in my system. The Oxyvent Tank rectified this problem.

Since installation my yearly oil consumption is significantly lower and thankfully my heating is a lot more efficient. I would confidently recommend this product without any hesitation.”