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New Modcon old cast iron radiator system

bob eck
bob eck Member Posts: 930
When you are installing a high efficiency Modcon boiler on a old system with many cast iron radiators and large black steel pipe in they system do you use any type of chemical and flush out the system before putting the new boiler in? Anyone have photos of the radiators before and after from a thermal imager?

Comments

  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    edited March 2013
    Rhomar

    Hydro-Solv, after a good water flush.  Drain after a couple weeks and repeat.  Sometimes again.  Then some Pro-Tek, with a follow-up in a year.



    Have always used a wye strainer, though I'm going to give one of those DirtMag units a try on the next one.
  • nicholas bonham-carter
    nicholas bonham-carter Member Posts: 8,576
    adding water teatment

    is there a preferred piping arangement which would allow the convenient addition of water treatment [and dawn liquid]?--nbc
  • gennady
    gennady Member Posts: 839
    Sentinel

    I m using sentinel X400 for system cleaning and X100 for water conditioning.
  • heatpro02920
    heatpro02920 Member Posts: 991
    +1

    On the Sential Products, and I add a wye strainer to each zone return and the primary loop return, flush and then schedule to return to reflush if the customer wants to incur the costs until it is clean... but only for old systems with a lot of iron components, most of the sstems I do now have all copper,pex,brass so its not a huge issue.... I like using cast iron boilers for radiator systems....
  • gennady
    gennady Member Posts: 839
    DIRTMAG

    I always install dirtmags on CI radoators system
  • Charlie from wmass
    Charlie from wmass Member Posts: 4,318
    I often worry about

    cleaning the system so well it starts leaking where there were no leaks before. I prefer using a good dirt separator like a Calleffi or a nice settling point like a low loss header to drop out the crud with out disturbing the system too much. rust transmits heat fairly well when wet.
    Cost is what you spend , value is what you get.

    cell # 413-841-6726
    https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/charles-garrity-plumbing-and-heating
  • JStar
    JStar Member Posts: 2,752
    Boiler

    Cast iron boiler on a big radiator system...what a waste of an opportunity.
  • heatpro02920
    heatpro02920 Member Posts: 991
    I learn from my mistakes, J

    LOL, I installed a GB142 on a radiator system, it was a simple install, and we did it in the summer time so we had time to clean the system good... I cleaned it good, but even after letting it soak, high pressure purging it, heating them to well over 200 and then blasting it through, finally all came out clean, or so I thought, long story short, I ended up replacing all the piping and radiators just to make the service calls stop, and that was after removing every radiator and pressure blasting them with my k1 steam cleaner in the driveway...



    I now recommend std boilers with all the bells and whistles of course{ODR, delta t circs, ect} when ever Im looking at a house full of black pipe and fhw radiators, although if the customer wants a mod/con I will do it, but wont be happy about it...
  • Paul48
    Paul48 Member Posts: 4,469
    Charlie

    My initial thought was...that's opening up a can of worms. I wonder whether creating a trap with larger pipe, magnets?,and a means to blow it down would work? Something to think about....a rusty surface has more surface area.
  • gennady
    gennady Member Posts: 839
    DIRTMAG

    This is DIRTMAG design.
  • Paul48
    Paul48 Member Posts: 4,469
    Oh Well

    Another fortune lost! Geez! LOL  Years ago, I tried to get a friend to go in with me, and buy a truck load of furniture. I had found out how huge the markup was, and fugured we could mark it up way less than the "Big Boys" and still make a lot of money. I never followed through on it. A couple years later, Bob's Discount Furniture opened up.Then there was the electrician that came into work, years ago, trying to get folks to invest with him in this new technology. We all laughed at him. He retired a few years later, at 40. The technology was cell phones.
  • SWEI
    SWEI Member Posts: 7,356
    piping arrangement

    Webstone ProPal valves.  The more the merrier.
This discussion has been closed.