Radiators Not Getting Hot Because of a Blockage in the Micro Bore Pipes, Most Common Place Shown.

[@2BMIKE1569]

Thanks for covering microbore. Not many people do. I have it and absolutely hate the stuff.

[@piotrlyczba9247]

Really good job sir!

[@malcolmstead272]

Retired heating engineer here 45Years, I would fit a tee into the flow or return opposite the fill loop with an isolating valve, just fit your hose onto the tee and flush via the fill loop after closing the boiler isolators. Slightly more difficult to do a reverse flush though, but can be done.

[@markchristohperowen6806]

same. but i just use a drainoff on the flow. if the boiler has a built in filling loop just close the flow isolation on the boiler and use the boilers filling loop to force mains down the return. check with boiler manufactures. i use magnacleanse/vibrahammer on the day of change and usually x400 or x800 left in the system for a couple of weeks if possible if old boiler is still heating,. then mains flush to make sure all chemicals/dirt are out. im lucky to be in an area where the water pressure is quite high. i can see this possibly being a problem in low pressure or lower flow rate houses. biggest thing i found that was not mentioned in the video is half fill the rads so it forces water through the bottom of the rad. watch the dump hose for air. another handy tip is you can use a magnet to sometimes trace blockages. if a fridge magnet sticks to a copper pipe.........

[@ianc8814]

Hi Mark, very interesting. I inherited a dirty microbore system on buying my house 4 years ago. Had at least one rad completely blocked, several partially blocked, and inky black water. I have the 22mm to 8mm manifolds as per your video. Mine are all in the floors. The refurb schedule (as coordinated by my wife) never allowed for cutting into the pipes while the carpets were up. I have had some reasonable results using cleaner, and repeated flushing. A GSR engineer replaced the boiler and thermal store. I've replaced 9 rads but couldn't eradicate all the microbore without some heavy demolition. Anyway system is much cleaner now and all rads work. It was handy that your customer was having other work done and was OK with you lifting the floorboards 👍

[@applanateearth586]

My microbore was a 25 year old sealed system, some dirt and sludge from rusty radiators, all renewed now along with all lockshields and thermostatic valves! This ment cutting every pipe enc and soldering on new tails. The old olives had crushed the pipe and wasn't salvageable! Anyway every blockage was traced to the original plumber who had bent the microbore by hand crushing the side walls. Each section of crushed pipe had to be dug out the plasterboard and replaced and fitted correctly! Microbore is no problem if correctly fitted and serviced. Even 15mm can be fxcked up if fitted by monkeys and not serviced and kept clean!

[@b1h2u3p4]

Nice work, hate those microbore.

[@ryandow3954]

Great video mate, love your home made flushing device too! 😊

[@Vortex1ism]

Fab video, thank you. Love your Heath-Robinson flushing system - proper steam punk engineering! If you can make a tutorial on that alone, then that would be amazing. What system wouldn’t benefit from a competent amateur flush and reverse flush every now and again, before the whole system sludges itself to a halt.

[@can-be-askedhandymanproper3015]

Brilliant job Mark, must have been so satisfying...👍👍👍

[@david-un3om]

Good job Mark. Could you please make a video or drawing on the making of your flushing device. It would save me having to remove all the rads in the house we have moved into.

[@MarkBallardLTDHeatingEngineer]

That's been one I been thinking of do for some time. I might make it my next video. I have plenty of footage in my library for that.

[@marilynperks6111]

Very interesting, I'm amazed the 22mm pipe blocked, rather than at the rad valves where there is more restriction. Just shows you.

[@markchristohperowen6806]

great video.

[@belfast01uk]

Excellent

[@robertlamont9455]

Not microbore related, but a cautionary note on flushing - When I did an annual flush/backflush on my original dirty system it finally choked a thermostatic valve on one of my rads, and being of the auto-balance variety, it knackered it. After my new boiler was installed last spring, I fitted valves and blanking caps to the feed, return (before the mag filter) and mains under the boiler so I could hook up a PRV arrangement similar to your own - When I upgraded all the rads and valves over summer, I fitted up a short hose between each of the rad feed/return lines, flushing and backflushing the lines from the boiler, before fitting new valves and lockshields - The crap that was shifted out after only 10 years was astonishing despite inhibitor One little tip - Fit an empty clear plastic filter casing on the discharge line - It's an easy way to keep an eye on progress. A 1/2" hydraulic diverter valve can be used for flushing, a quarter turn switching from flush to backflush - The backflush is only to shift the crap off the bottom of the rad, so only needs a short bump before returning to flush...

[@Meodus_Humbinerbernecki]

Great video

[@DhanjuSaabuk]

Hello sir can please make video on new central heating pipe work please

[@kipper841]

Great video - that is exactly the problem we are experiencing at the moment! British gas have been three time to power flush out the system but three downstairs radiators still luke warm. They are coming back tomorrow to try and fix it, Is the joint between the 22mm pipe and the 4 micro bore pipes called a manifold? BG have mentioned this but I think are reluctant to go there!

[@MarkBallardLTDHeatingEngineer]

yes its call a manifold but they can look different to this one.

[@markchristohperowen6806]

if i'd saw this earlier ask them(BG) "so how long you been doing this?" you could get a good local gas safe to find the problem and make a report. i did it for a local councillor, she got them to sort it. after the report was put in.

[@juvinosurnamegiven1370]

Why did you choose a poly fit over a solder (access, I assume), or press fit coupler? And can we get a more detailed view of your flusher setup at some point? :)

[@MarkBallardLTDHeatingEngineer]

I would have proffered to solder but both sides of the pipe are not open to the air. So as the fitting is heat the air inside the pipe expands and blows out the solder, making a fitting that leaked or weak.

[@MrPatch25]

Hi Mark, i have 8mm micro bore all radiators get hot except one in living room will this have the same problem one side of pipework is hot other cool i have a drain off on the cool side valve and water is flowing, has to be pipe from valve back, any advise ?

[@owenonstream9022]

Can you tell me how you made your flushing mechanism?

[@MrLEGSAKIMBO]

Yes please can you make detailed drawing of it ,or still photos of it ...great video keep it up ,that are very much appreciated,

[@MarkBallardLTDHeatingEngineer]

Lots of people have asked for this, so it will be my next video.

[@MarkBallardLTDHeatingEngineer]

Lots of people have asked for this, so it will be my next video.

[@user-jo8qz2gi7h]

Hi... Do they ever bury the manifolds in a wall behind plaster?

[@MarkBallardLTDHeatingEngineer]

It could be. Usually the most central position to all the radiators

[@RayMondElec]

I was under the impression, any joints under floor boards etc. Are to be soldered joints or crimped joints.

[@markchristohperowen6806]

gas lines yes. no compression fittings. and definitely no plastic. he is on water/ heating side not gas. please dont work on your gas pipes. unless your GSR.

[@tridens6708]

What are do you cover Mark?

[@ianc8814]

He's Portsmouth way I think

[@MarkBallardLTDHeatingEngineer]

Sorry only work in Gosport my friend

[@nickbea3443]

Those microbore manifolds are asking for blockages to form. Designed to a price rather than efficient function? I thought my MB hand bent curves going to rads were going to be the only restrictions. I'd better find out where the manifolds are.

[@Displays.1234.]

Get rid of micrbore pipe...

[@applanateearth586]

No get rid of crap plumbers! 😂😅

[@shaneshankly4518]

Now the sink has to be changed after the harmful chemicals being being usedin it in 😮😮😮😮