Too much inhibitor?

[GerrythePlumber]

I recently went to a job where the 3 port motorized valve was sticking open. The rads were heating in hot water only mode. I had replaced this valve two years ago. My first thought was sludge in the system. When I tested the water I could not detect any corrosion. The water was yellow, Could there be too much inhibitor the system. Anyone know?

 

[aggis]

No you can't overdose with inhibitor, did you replace the valve?

 

[gaspastemania]

No you can't overdose with inhibitor, did you replace the valve?

Apparently you can , had a sentinal water sample come back once with to much inhibitor.

 

[GerrythePlumber]

I have my own test kit. Cu, Fe, Hardness, etc. Water went cloudy but stayed yellow. Readings were off the scale on the good side. Never came across this before. Weird. I'm replacing the valve tomorrow. Wonder if I should Powerflush the existing inhibitor out and start again. The bloke is a bit of a DIYer. I wonder if he's used some other chemical in the system

 

[GerrythePlumber]

Inhibitor should be 1%. What if it was say 20%. Wouldn't this make everything in the system sticky.

 

[gaspastemania]

Your right there is a percentage to water ratio and it does say on the bottles how much to pour in , it is a bit gloopy so possibly i suppose it could alter performance of valves . Like i say i have had a water sample come back with to much inhibitor so i would say to much is as bad as to little otherwise the sample would not have come back .

 

[stevetheplumber]

vailants di ave a problem a few year back with some inhibitors swelling therubber ball in their divertor valves so its possible

 

[GerrythePlumber]

Just spoke to Steve at the Powerflush association. Apparently there can't be too much inhibitor. That's why they don't print a limit on the amount you use. I now suspect that something else has been added. I read on another forum that some guy had used fairy liquid and was bragging about it. I'm flushing it anyway. Thanks for all your help.I'll let you know the outcome

 

[SafeGasInstall]

there can not be to much inhibitor if we speak of sentinel or fernox products

 

[Bartdude]

Leak sealer maybe?

 

[pauls]

Leak sealer maybe?

i thought that then scrolled down and seen you beat me to it lol

 

[GerrythePlumber]

I though of leak sealer. I've never used it. so I don't know what colour it makes the water

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

I though of leak sealer. I've never used it. so I don't know what colour it makes the water

what make valve did you use?

 

[GerrythePlumber]

Honeywell

 

[gaspastemania]

there can not be to much inhibitor if we speak of sentinel or fernox products

I used to work for a company ewho would take regular water samples of any new install , the sample kits were sentinal and not only myself but other installers would recieve call backs about to much inhibitor on water samples . we would get a data sheet from sentinal with the data breakdown of the water content even had one fail on to much copper content with one install even tho the install was copper pipe ,,,,,,,work that one out !!!

 

[SafeGasInstall]

old company usd to mix sentinel in a bucket with water and sent all the samples over

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

Honeywell

have you had the head off?is base pin moving ok maybe just a rouge syncron they are all made in china

 

[GerrythePlumber]

I have tested for water borne copper content. Can't get a reading. The water doesn't change from the bright yellow colour. It does change colour when I test the iron content. But it's a lower reading than the incoming mains. This tells me there is inhibitor present. When I test for molybdate it goes off the scale. i.e. bright yellow, the same colour.

 

[GerrythePlumber]

Changed the synconous motor. Pin moves by hand. Causes water hammer as expected as I turn it faster than the motor can

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

tbh i think you just have a duff valve nothing to do with over dosing just put a new one in and bill the custard its out of warranty anyway,or speak to Honeywell and try and blag a free one

 

[GerrythePlumber]

Thanks everyone. I'm flushing it and fitting a new valve.

 

[SafeGasInstall]

but change the hole valve not the head only

 

[bengasman]

Inhibitor should be 1%. What if it was say 20%. Wouldn't this make everything in the system sticky.

Theoretically it can start foaming I think, but that would involve somebody accidentally buying £300 worth of inhibitor and then sticking 20 bottles in by mistake rather than one.
What are the chances of that happening?

I have made lots of money from people that failed to add inhibitor when needed, but still have to make my first penny from the negative results of too much inhibitor. Empirical evidence suggests that the risk of overdosing inhibitor are negligible.

 

[GerrythePlumber]

Problem solved. I went into the blokes loft today and found, lying next to the F&E tank, a bottle of Sentinel X400 sludge remover. He picked it up in B&Q. It's been going round his system for 2 years. Now the question is, What harm has it done?

 

[AWheating]

LOL always read the label!

 

[Dannypipe]

Sludge remover in a system for two years. Dear me, that's not healthy.

Anyway, thought I'd add to this thread:

Too much inhibitor can cause the tell tale green streaks from AAV's. Apparently it foams, and logically foam won't make the float rise up in the valve...and the foam will bubble from the AAV. I've never actually come across it, but was told about it on a manufacturers course years ago. He added that you would have to use a lot of inhibitor.

I always make sure I over dose systems slightly. It'll do them more good than harm.

 

[bengasman]

... bottle of Sentinel X400 sludge remover. It's been going round his system for 2 years. Now the question is, What harm has it done?

Probably not a whole lot. Most, if not all of this stuff is biodegradable and after a few months the situation is pretty much back to what it was.

Just do a new chemical flush as if nothing has been done at all, and you'll be ok.

 

[allanmcm]

we had fernox at one of our team talks and they said after a while the cleaner basically just stopped working and didnt do anything

 

[FD Powerflow]

I used to work for a company ewho would take regular water samples of any new install , the sample kits were sentinal and not only myself but other installers would recieve call backs about to much inhibitor on water samples . we would get a data sheet from sentinal with the data breakdown of the water content even had one fail on to much copper content with one install even tho the install was copper pipe ,,,,,,,work that one out !!!

Gaspaste mate, the reason we get tested on copper being in solution is that copper is a noble metal and hardly ever corrodes, the only time it really does is if theres far too much flux in the system otherwise, even if the rads and heat exchanger were made of copper, you wouldnt have even 1ppm in the sample that went to sentinel/fernox.

 

[bengasman]

Gaspaste mate, the reason we get tested on copper being in solution is that copper is a noble metal

Copper is by no means a noble metal