Some radiators are cold at the bottom so i’m guessing there’s sludge in there. I don’t want to take the radiators off if i can help it so can i just flush them out. The radiator in the garage has a tap on it so do i just stick the hose on, open the tap and leave it for a bit to run through?

ta

Combi or open system?

Reverse flushing is best – get some flushing chemicals in the system and follow the instructions

It’s not a combi boiler so does that make it an open system?

What does reverse flushing mean?

ta

Personally I’d take off the offending radiator, and flush it out in the garden, easiest all round really. Just bleed it when you re-fit it

Go into loft and tie up the ball cock to the small central heating tank. Open drain valve and as the water drains out start to open the highest rad bleed valve. work your way down opening all the bleed valves until all the water is out of the system. Then close all valves, put a bottle of rad/system flush into water tank. Undo tie on ball cock,bleed system, run for a couple of days. Drain system as above. Then refill only this time put a bottle of system conditioner/ protector into tank. If the rads are still playing up then close the valves on the rad and remove. Flush each one out with hose pipe. Caution black water from rad takes some cleaning up.

Just take the offending rads off, bang em with a rubber mallet, turn them upsides down, fill them with water, shake them about, and generally get the shite out. Buy a magnaclean, and install it on the return, they’re ace. Beware of banging chemicals in, when you’re unsure of what system you have, a primatic, or certain elsons with cleanser in will make bathtime interesting.

As nickc and paulosoxo have said is the best way.
Just make sure you have turned the radiator valves off properly. 🙂

thanks all,

i wanted to avoid taking the rads off as there’s a couple which are sludged up, the worse being in the front room which is a BIG old cast iron one and we’ve only recently had a new cream carpet fitted!

I’ll try the flush first.

ta

Swisstony, don’t confuse flushing and draining though.
If they’re badly sludged, then in all honesty, draining it a few times won’t make much differance