Installing a brand-new boiler is one of the biggest investments you’ll make for your home. But here is something many homeowners in London aren’t told: the boiler is only as good as the water inside your pipes. If you’ve recently had a quote for a “one-day installation,” you need to ask a very important question: is there actually enough time to clean the system?
The Reality of “High-Volume” Installations
We know that many large, national installation companies aim to get jobs done as quickly as possible—often in a single day. While they are professional, their high-volume business model doesn’t always allow for the hours of deep cleaning that an older system really needs.
At MAK Plumbing, we take a different approach. For this recent Vaillant EcoFit installation in Norwood, we dedicated two full days to the project. Here’s why.
The “One Radiator at a Time” Rule
If your radiators have been in place for 15 years or more, they are likely filled with “magnetite”—a thick, black sludge that builds up over time. You can’t just rinse this out; it has to be forced out. To do it properly:
- We isolate every radiator except for one.
- We flush that single radiator until the water runs crystal clear.
- We repeat the process for every single radiator in the house.
As you can see in the photo of our magnetic filters, the amount of debris we removed from this Norwood home was massive. If we had rushed the job in one day, that 15-year-old sludge would have gone straight into the brand-new boiler.
Protecting Your 10-Year Warranty
Whether you choose a Vaillant, a Worcester Bosch, or a Baxi, these manufacturers offer fantastic 10-year warranties. However, those warranties depend on the system being cleaned to professional standards. If a manufacturer’s engineer finds sludge in a blocked heat exchanger, they may refuse to cover the repair. That “fast” one-day installation could end up being very expensive in the long run.
What to Look For
When choosing an installer, don’t just look at the price or the brand name. Look at the process. A proper installation should involve:
- A minimum of two days for a full replacement and deep clean.
- Individual flushing of every radiator.
- Proof of cleaning (like seeing the magnetite captured in the filters).
We take pride in the “invisible” work that happens inside your pipes. It’s the difference between a boiler that lasts 5 years and one that stays efficient for the full 10-year warranty period and beyond.