Like any major home appliance, proper care and maintenance of your central heating system are important to ensure it runs at top efficiency to keep you toasty all winter long.

Regular service goes a long way toward that goal, but there are occasional major services needed at times. After all, a central heating system is a big investment that you want to keep going as long as possible.

One of those is a powerflush, which our team at Assett Plumbing provides around the Northamptonshire area.



Let’s look at what a powerflush is and how to know when you need to have one performed on your central heating system.

Powerflush Process

Over time, dirt, rust, and other debris start to collect in the pipes, boiler, and radiators of your system. The professional term for this mud-like substance is “sludge”.

Sludge can block the hot water flow through the system, making it run inefficiently. Powerflushing cleans out the deposits of sludge, replacing it with clean water.

Most of the time a powerflush takes a full-day appointment. The actual time depends on the number of radiators, the size of your home, and how dirty or blocked the system has gotten.



Our engineer comes out and hooks a pump to your system. They’ll flush your setup with a blend of chemicals, removing the sludge and rust. Once the chemicals have done their job, clean water is forced through to remove all the dirty liquid.

When You Need It

A powerflush is considered preventative maintenance and should happen every five or six years. As with anything, the actual timeline depends on the type of system, age of the boiler, and the hardness of your water.

While your engineer will check your system during your annual service, you can also be keeping an eye out for signs that all is not well. While they don’t always signal the need for a powerflush, they are common symptoms.

• Cold areas on your radiators, specifically the bottom
• Noisy boiler or radiators
• Dirty water when you bleed the radiator
• Slow to warm up or not as hot as usual
• Older boiler that might not have been serviced for a while



If you have plans to replace your boiler, you will definitely want to do a powerflush before putting in the new unit. This keeps the new boiler from being contaminated with sludge from the old one.

Benefits Once Done

The main goal of a powerflush and regular maintenance is to extend the life of your heating system. Keeping the pipes and radiators clean of sludge can improve its lifespan and make it less likely to break down.



You’ll also find a clean system is more efficient in general. Your radiators will heat up more quickly and get hotter than before. This means lower running costs, a nice bonus given more than half the cost of energy bills in the UK go toward heating.

Call on Assett Plumbing

You can find powerflushing kits and how-to videos out there, but this particular bit of maintenance is a risky job to undertake. The special chemicals and equipment can cause more harm than good in untrained hands.

Every plumber at Assett Plumbing is fully qualified to provide this service, as well as check your entire system for leaks or other problems. Contact us today on 01604 372395 to schedule your service.