Why Your Radiators Are Cold at the Bottom (And Why Power Flushing Might Destroy Your System).
Standard central heating pipes act like rivers; debris rolls along the bottom. Microbore pipes act like drinking straws. Because the internal diameter is so small (often just 6mm-8mm), the water velocity is high, but the capacity for debris is non-existent. microbore central heating blockage
Microbore central heating systems, popular in the 1970s and 80s for their ease of installation, use pipes with diameters as small as . While efficient for smaller homes, their narrow pathways make them highly susceptible to blockages that standard systems might easily pass. Symptoms of a Microbore Blockage Why Your Radiators Are Cold at the Bottom
If you are renovating, consider abandoning the microbore tails. Most modern high-efficiency condensing boilers and heat pumps require higher flow rates than microbore can provide. Replacing the 8mm/10mm tails with 15mm copper is a weekend job that guarantees the problem never returns and improves the efficiency of your boiler by 15-20%. Because the internal diameter is so small (often
In a microbore system, power flushing can be catastrophic. High-pressure water can dislodge a large "slug" of sludge in the main trunk, pushing it into the microbore tails. Because the tails are so narrow, the slug acts like a cork, completely blocking the pipe.