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[ambonci]

Getting ready to fire up the boiler within the next few weeks and I wanted to flush my plate exchanger.  Can I use a pressure washer?  Compressed air?  Water hose?  and do I need chemicals and f so what should I use?

Thanks
Adam

[mlappin]

Get yourself a five gallon bucket, a puddle pump and several gallons of white vinegar.

Dump the vinegar in the bucket, attach a garden hose to the puddle pump and the other end to your access valve at the plate exchanger, run another hose back to the bucket, plug in the puddle pump and allow to run for several hours. Washing machine hoses work pretty well for this.

[fireboss]

I just swap my plate exchanger and it looked brand new like the day I put it in 5 or 6 years ago!

[yotehunter66]

I used a garden hose and back flushed through my return line.

[slimjim]

All my manifolds have added drain valves with ball valves to isolate the heat exchanger for flushing, I use commercial coil cleaner and a liberty pump, five minutes on each side, flush them with clean water and they are as good as new!

[WoodMOJoe]

All my manifolds have added drain valves with ball valves to isolate the heat exchanger for flushing, I use commercial coil cleaner and a liberty pump, five minutes on each side, flush them with clean water and they are as good as new!

Slim (or anyone else), do you have a pic of this setup that you could post sometime?  And what is a liberty pump?  Thanks.

[sceptre74]

Here's a pic of one of slim's setups

[ambonci]

All my manifolds have added drain valves with ball valves to isolate the heat exchanger for flushing, I use commercial coil cleaner and a liberty pump, five minutes on each side, flush them with clean water and they are as good as new!

What is the name of the cleaner? I don't have drain valves on them so id have to remove lines then flush.

[slimjim]

Thanks Sceptre, the wife filed a bunch of my old pictures and I can't figure out how to get them back, the liberty pump is simply a good quality pressure pump that most service guys carry with us for evacuation of tanks like hot water or in an emergency for transferring most any liquid, there are lots of commercial coil cleaners at the plumbing supply houses.

[WoodMOJoe]

Thanks Sceptre and Slim, I think I get it now.  Think I will use the ball valves with the hose drain built in...and get to shopping for a little transfer pump.  Probably still about 4-6 weeks from fireup here in the Ozarks.

[oaky]

Webstone makes ball valves with purge/drain valves: http://www.ebay.com/itm/231090208836?_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

I have them throughout my system including a model with built in unions which I find are great.

[WoodMOJoe]

Oh yeh, the ones with unions are just what I need, got 4 on the way, thanks oaky.   

[oaky]

You're welcome, WoodMOJoe.

[WoodMOJoe]

I did a little online shopping and came up with these:

http://www.supplyhouse.com/Webstone-40434-4043-Series-1-Full-Port-Forged-Brass-Ball-Valve-w-Hi-Flow-Hose-Drain-Reversible-Handle-IPS-Union-x-IPS

Free Shipping over $99.

[WoodMOJoe]

When you guys say "coil cleaner"...do you mean the stuff that is typical used externally on evap/condenser coils?

And if so, do you circulate it full-strength through the pump or diluted?