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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Plumbing Questions >> The cost to install a Magnaclean unit? https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1264842882 Message started by side-show-bob55 on Jan 30^th, 2010, 9:14am

Title: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by side-show-bob55 on Jan 30^th, 2010, 9:14am

Hi All

My Nan had boiler problems and called british gas out as she has a contract with them, they came out and said that her pipes were all blocked and she needed a complete air purge @ a cost of around £700, the engineer then said he could help delay this cost by fitting a Magnaclean professional for £250 now or if he had to come back it would be closer to £500. That seams really expensive to me as i have found them on google for £75-£120 so that means she has paid well over £100 for fitting when they don't look difficult to fit.

Can anyone give me a rough idea of what a plumber would charge to install one?

Many thanks

Rob

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by Zambezi on Jan 30^th, 2010, 9:55am

I pay just over £81 for mine and it can be installed in an hour, average price for a heating engineer around here is about £50 an hour, plumbers would be cheaper but not all will work on heating systems. London would be double or more per hour.

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by thescruff on Jan 30^th, 2010, 10:17am

£150.00 would be an average.

More to the point Nan has more than likely been coned by BG into buying one anyway.

What was the boiler fault.

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by CWatters on Jan 30^th, 2010, 12:07pm

Has your Nan been on BG's Homecare plan for years? It's quite possible that she does or will soon need a power power flush. The sludge in system may have formed because corrosion inhibitor wasn't put in the system initially, nor was the level checked annually. This isn't something that BG do as part of the Homecare plan. BG like to give the impression that their plan covers everything you need to do to maintain your heating system in top condition but it doean't.

Having said that... You normally only need a power flush on very heavilly sludged system. If the system is working and all rads are getting hot an ordinary flush (perhaps repeated) might do the job for a lot less money.

Can a magnaclean cope with a system that already has a lot of sludge int it?

If it does need power flushing you should shop around and get quotes. You might find someone to do it for a heck of a lot less than £700. Perhaps as low as £200-300.

Remember to put corrosion inhibitor (eg Fernox F1) back in after refilling

Google GB Power flush and read up. There are other ways to clean the system...

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=155334

I've no experience with this company but just as an example..

http://www.powerflushuk.com/mission.htm

Quote:

our charges are around half the price of BG power flushing

More on Homecare: Be aware that the plan requires you to pay for the first power flush if they say you need one BUT you don't have to get BG to do it. If you get someone else to do it keep the reciept and send a copy to BG. They should still continue to provide cover AND I believe they should do the next power flush for free (if it ever requires one which it shouldn't really if you keep the corrosion inhibitor topped up). Read the small print of the Homecare plan.

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by side-show-bob55 on Jan 30^th, 2010, 4:26pm

Thanks for all the help.

It gets worse i am affraied, she is and has been on home plan for a while, but i would be supprised if the system is sludged up because she lives in a static home with only four/five rads.

After the engineer had fitted the Magnaclean he charged the system back up and then it lost its water again. He then found a leak under the house, a mouse has eaten through one of the poly pipes. He replaced the section of pipe but he had no lagging in the van so he has left it all unlagged. Apparantly they are not coming back to lag it either.

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by Zambezi on Jan 31^st, 2010, 9:21pm

Is the BG guy doing it as a BG job or as a private job?

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by heating-eng on Feb 10^th, 2010, 11:29pm

thescruff wrote on Jan 30^th, 2010, 10:17am:

£150.00 would be an average.

More to the point Nan has more than likely been coned by BG into buying one anyway.

What was the boiler fault.

the magnaclean filters are very good i fit them on all new boilers that i fit.
i would say about £150 to fit one as a stand alone.
i would be happy to pay BG £215 for fitting one , the good thing is it would then be covered under the homecare agreement .

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by heating-eng on Feb 10^th, 2010, 11:35pm

would only do the

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by heating-eng on Feb 11^th, 2010, 1:11pm

been searching the web and found this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oXo9Vn5RuT8

http://www.plumbersforum.co.uk/showthread.php?49-How-to-clean-out-a-magnaclean-filter-guide-on-how-to-clean-your-magnaclean-filter

its not great but it does show you how to clean the filter out .

http://www.cheapcentralheating.co.uk/

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by Zambezi on Feb 12^th, 2010, 8:32am

I have bought a Fernox TF1 to fit on my system, it does the same as the Magnaclean but it also has a cyclone to catch non-magnetic bits.
Same price too.

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by thescruff on Feb 12^th, 2010, 3:30pm

Bad move Zambezi :o

Still at least you can tell us just how bad they are. ::)

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by Zambezi on Feb 12^th, 2010, 3:52pm

thescruff wrote on Feb 12^th, 2010, 3:30pm:

Bad move Zambezi :o

Still at least you can tell us just how bad they are. ::)

Why?
There is not much in the way of comparisons because the TF1 has only been out a couple of months.
We compared the magnets on the demo models and the TF1 magnet was much stronger than the Magnaclean magnet
The cyclonic "trap" is used successfully in dust extraction in air systems so I figured it would be a nice feature in a wet system.

http://www.fernox.com/?cccpage=Total_Filter_TF1&sub=10">http://www.fernox.com/?cccpage=Total_Filter_TF1&sub=10

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by CWatters on Feb 12^th, 2010, 7:41pm

wrote on Feb 10^th, 2010, 11:35pm:

BG would only do the second flush if they had done the first

I would argue most strongly if they try that. The T&C say...

Quote:

If we recommend that your system needs cleaning through with PowerFlush™ we will charge you to undertake this work. Once it is finished, there will be no charge for any future PowerFlush™ work that may be needed, as long as you keep a continuous HomeCare 100, 200, 300 or 400™ agreement at that property.

There is nothing in the T&C that says BG have to do the first one.

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by thescruff on Feb 14^th, 2010, 2:13am

That may be true Zambezi, but there's a lot of bad press about them already.

Not large enough catchment area, and a pig to clean, including next to impossible to get all the muck out.

Sorry the Magnaclean wins every time, even over the twintech.

Title: Re: The cost to install a Magnaclean unit?
Post by heating-eng on Feb 14^th, 2010, 11:43pm

CWatters wrote on Feb 12^th, 2010, 7:41pm:

wrote on Feb 10^th, 2010, 11:35pm:

BG would only do the second flush if they had done the first

I would argue most strongly if they try that. The T&C say...

Quote:

If we recommend that your system needs cleaning through with PowerFlush™ we will charge you to undertake this work. Once it is finished, there will be no charge for any future PowerFlush™ work that may be needed, as long as you keep a continuous HomeCare 100, 200, 300 or 400™ agreement at that property.

There is nothing in the T&C that says BG have to do the first one.

think the bit that say we will charge you once is the clue.

BG will not come and reflush a system that hasnt been done correctly to start with , you are joking right?
http://www.cheapcentralheating.co.uk/