Power flushing incident

[house holder]

Hi All

I am not a plumber or heating engineer, I'm just after your advice or opinions.

I told a gas safe plumber, my heating wasn't working, its micro bore and hasn't been right for ages and he explained a power flush would sort it out, he turned up at lunch time spent 3 1/2 hours taking a radiator off and putting his machine in its place and left it running while he fumbled about with the other rads etc, only to proclaim that it hadn't worked and I should now pay him over £500 for the privelidge, oh and he also had to purchase a litre of fluid to do it with that apparently is enormously expensive.

Is it normal to expect to be paid for this level of service? and why is it so expensive?. I haven't had the invoice yet, he wanted cash after he'd finished but I didn't have cash, so he is going to invoice me next week.

Any advice or oppinions would be appreciated. If its the normal practice I don't mind paying but I can't help feeling ripped off.

 

[Leo21]

I agree. I tell the customers all this and more. Might not work, may find leaks etc. Yet still that's what bg suggested blah blah blah. What are you going to do, turn the work down. Not in this climate.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

the older sentinel ferroquest was excellent at flushing minibore systems it got all the muck out there was a downside though it would eat a aluminum boiler

 

[ecowarm]

Fair comment. I've got fernox flusher, good piece of kit but if the airing cupboards upstairs it be hell of a messy job. The hoses don't reach that far and I can't remember the last time I had a pair of pump valves that actually turned off.

I have a fernox P/F and I have extra long hoses now after I was flushing a system outside the airing cupboard and the son of the customer (in his 20's) decieded to undo the hose clamp!!!!!!! You can get a lot of black sludge along the hall and down the stairs before you manage to turn it off!!!! I now have the machine outside on all jobs

 

[Leo21]

How much were the hoses? And how do you get them on the van there already huge!

 

[ecowarm]

They were about £60 and they and the powerflusher only go in the van when needed
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Edit; not from fernox, from a local hose supplier

 

[SafeGasInstall]

They were about £60 and they and the powerflusher only go in the van when needed
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Edit; not from fernox, from a local hose supplier

i have nortstrom power flush will the hose fit mine ? can i get two of them long ones , can you get me there number pls

 

[ecowarm]

Stan PM your number and I will get the number tomorrow, they do hoses in all sizes. They are 3/4" high temp, high pressure and I just swapped the hose connectors from the original hoses

 

[cdodds2004]

thats a impressive set up, were did you get the fernox tester from? and whats the best results you have had from dirty to clean?

 

[ecowarm]

thats a impressive set up, were did you get the fernox tester from? and whats the best results you have had from dirty to clean?

Er... from fernox lol.

I always test the cold water at the kitchen sink and always get within 10% of that in line with fernox instructions.

 

[cdodds2004]

lol i no fernox sell them direct, was just wondering if any merchants had them off the shelf, as they dont have them round my way not that i have seen. i just flush till the magna clean i have fitted to machine isnt picking anymore rubbish then give system another good flush through with clean water, i need to get one of them testers though.