Yes, is the short answer but here are the reasons (the long answer) as to why you should have a magnetic filter installed. They’re designed to pull out the magnetic debris/sludge from your heating system so that it protects the lifespan of the boiler/heating system. Typically installed on the return pipe to the boiler to help maximize the protection of the boiler. Sometimes it is not possible to install a magnetic filter onto the return pipe so they can be installed onto the flow. This isn’t recommended as the debris/sludge will pass through the boiler before being caught by the filter.
What exactly does a magnetic filter protect?
It’s easy to say it “protects the boiler” but what exactly does it protect inside. The magnetic filter protects several main components of the boiler, the main components would be the primary and secondary heat exchangers, this is due to their narrow waterways to that help exchange the heat quickly. When these narrow waterways get clogged up it affects the efficiency of heat transfer, which will eventually lead to the boiler overheating and cutting out (a symptom of this would be your hot water from a combi boiler going hot, cold, hot, cold) this usually ends up with the homeowner calling for a repair.
It also protects the pump, the pump is like your heart, it wants to work as efficiently as possible but if it is fighting against debris and sludge eventually it’s going to overdo it and conk out, which would result in a call to a heating engineer for a repair.
After the boiler, the next thing for the filter to protect is the radiators. A magnetic filter is only small and designed to protect the boiler, but it will help to collect debris and sludge that might otherwise settle in the radiators. The easiest and quickest way to “test” this is to feel the radiators when the heating system is hot. If the radiators are hot at the top and cold at the bottom this is usually a classic case of sludge build-up. This will affect the efficiency of the radiators, taking longer to heat the room causing the boiler to use more fuel/gas.
Maintenance of the magnetic filter
Once installed magnetic filters require very little maintenance. If the system is quite dirty it would be recommended to regularly check and clean the filter to ensure it doesn’t clog up. Otherwise, if the system is relatively clean, a filter should be checked once a year. Usually when the boiler is annually serviced. Not all heating engineers check magnetic filters as standard when servicing a boiler, so it is always best to ask beforehand.
Thinking of having a magnetic filter installed?
If you are thinking about having a magnetic filter installed we would recommend that you talk to a heating engineer first. You can contact us at DPJ Plumbing, Heating and Gas for further information. Contact us on 01889597377, 07971693134 or visit our contact page.
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