Few plumbers on here i know.

Drained my heating last noght to fix aboiler. Even on a new systm with a double dose of sentinel inhibito my water was still black as ace of spades

Looking at magnacleans

Which is better – magnaclean twintech or the fernox tf-1 ?

Both are 80 quid. Fernox looks much easier to fit and clean but magnacleans what ive always heard folks using.

Cheers

You’ll be needing to flush the rads if you want rid of all the black stuff surely? Are they that badly sludged up?

Not sludged , just really black water.

Systems only 18 months old , grant vortex pro external boiler , new delonghi radiators and a mix of new copper and new poly pipe.

Fitted with sentinel inhibitor – double dose. All rads heat evenly and work well

Last time i dropped it and cleaned it at the 12 month mark( which coincided nicely to me needing a radiator off for decorating) the fluid came out like straw.

Tbf i only bled the expansion tank last night via the safety valve but it wasnt pretty …. My patios now stained black.

Dont worry ill be getting some cleaner in the system and then flushing it through but it was suggested i fit a magnaclean device at the same time to minimise it happening again.

Am I reading this right… You drained your system at 12 months because you should? Is this going to be an annual thing? Not something I have ever considered, hence my question…

No i drained it to take a radiator off the system the fat it was 12 months was purely coincidental.

Had i been actually maintaining it i would have checked the pressure in the expansion vessel and yesterday would never have happened !

Not a plumber but do have a magnacleaner thingy.

My radiator water is pretty clean. The manga clean is totally disgusting.

Very interesting post.
To me anyway, I specialise in closed system water additives. I am more on the commercial side but same rules apply.
The industry is pretty split at the moment regarding magnetic and mechanical filtration. Magnetic filtration is a very good idea but if not fully understood can be detrimental in the long term. Clumping together loads of particles is not good if you cant contain them and prevent them from going around the system again and again. This is why you also need mechanical filtration as well.
In modern domestic systems with mixed metals additives have a hard job and due to the mixed metals must not react with any of them. Which means they are not really cleansers at all, just lubricant really.
So to summarise, yes by all means get a magnetic cleaner/filter, make sure it has a mechanical filter (strainer) as well. Clean it regularly.
Will it benefit the system opperation in the long term?
Not as much as a good addative but if boiler is modern and mixed metals are present you cannot use a ‘good’ addative so it has to be Mag/mech.
Just read that back it its not much help really.

I understand what your saying hence im looking at the twintech or the fernox , both have magnets and filters.

Cant i run one with inhibitor in the system also ?

Its an 18 month old grant boiler …. Wuld like the waterjacket to last as long as possible ( boilers scrap once that goes) so keepng it clean is my priority

Provided the filter/mag has mechanical and magnetic it will be OK. Clean it regularly.
Not familiar with either item but make sure you can service the filter without loosing too much system water.
Fresh water is a killer for any boiler, avoid draining large quantities whenever you can.
All boilers rely on good flow through the boiler heat exchanger to prevents localised hot-spots.
Turn your pump up a bit if you can.
Make sure it has an over-run wired-in and working. Many ‘plumbers don’t bother or don’t understand it and just loop it out.
Make sure you have a by-pass and if it has a manual valve make sure its open.
Is the boiler noisy, banging, clonking, hissing or Kettling??

Not a plumber but I am involved with a building which had one fitted during a heating system project. It is brilliant. The ME maintenance company loves it. I will be speccing again in the future.

I’ve just had all my pipes replaced (thank you whoever in 1969 decided it’d be a good idea to use bent nails as pipe clips). The plumber fitted a Magnaclean Professional 2. He’d tried both and preferred the Magnaclean. Filter cleaning looks very easy.

Galvanised nails and copper pipe = Sprinkler system.!

Amazed it lasted this long.

Nah no noises its behaving grand now.
Definanty has an over run on both pumps

Prevention better than cure

Bypass to bypass what ? The magnaclean ?

You would still have to flush the system out. Mother in Law has a magnaclean. We took a rad out the lounge last week and the crap that came out. Dirty black sediment is down to iron corrosion. Flush out and inhibit and fit a magnaclean.

A system by-pass is used to keep flow through the boiler when motorised valve/s are shut.
If all circuits i.e hot water and heating are satisfied and valves are closed pump will over-run. Circulation must be able to continue, if not locolise heat build-up within the boiler will cause damage long term.
Why two pumps, Primary hot water + heating?

Iit is a combi so no external valves all bypass and valves are in the box.

As if by magic both are in the screw fix sale at 80 quid im erring to the fernox because it will be much easier to fit. – just straight cut and fit no bends required 🙂

Will see what the plumbers merchants come back with price wise.

I put mechanical filters in my system and they just kept getting bunged up with sludge and stopping the whole system, so I pulled out the filter bits. System runs fine but water is black. I did have a solder ball which kept circulating round the whole system every few days, you could hear it rattling its way round the house then back through the pump, but it’s stopped now.

Thats not a solder ball, its an Embolism.!

The new magnaclean 2 is a great bit of kit Imho. Adey rep told me they were phasing out the twin tech filter. We have always flushed a system using the magnacleanse system as well. Just out of interest they plastic pipe in your system, was it barrier pipe?

use tf1 at every opportunity.. doddle to fit, service clean. some history of leaking if lid not secured properly ie you dont read the insructions..

was sceptical about the products until a 10yr alpha warranty was revoked on a full brand new system ( all plastic pipe new stelrads new alpha all cleansed and inhibited) the pump had siezed due to muck .. fitted a tf1 to reinsdtate warranty and literally couldnt believe the crud the thing pulled out.. really easy sale retrofit and i wont fit a new boiler without one..

Its hep20 polypipe downstairs and copper soldered upstairs

Having a tf1 – found the installer pack with the cleaner and inhibitor for 100 note online.

Return lines are in the back of one of my cupboards in the kitchen coming down from upstairs so ill fit it there , nice easy fit and clean