Risk management Detecting the poorly commissioned system that is likely to self destruct.

Plumbing and Heating Surveys. Buying or selling a property?

I carry out precision steel thickness other tests on radiators for anyone with corrosion concerns.

The steel thickness may be marked at any point tested.
The information will assist with remedial work decisions.

General corrosion within a system may be found to be localised.
One radiator may be perforated while others are sound.

Dumping or recycling of serviceable radiators is an incredible waste of energy resources and very often taxpayers money.
Ultrasonics enable general corrosion to be detected early before serious damage is done.

Ingress of air through the walls of non barrier plastics pipes.
A recent check of radiators piped with an early non barrier plastic confirmed that radiator steel had corroded from an original min 1.11mm down to  .65mm thick.
Almost 50% loss of steel thickness in nine years.
Feeding the system directly from the plumbing tank meant
there was low static pressure in a system that could not be dosed with an inhibitor.

This serves to remind us of the importance of choosing appropriate materials, flushing and dosing with an inhibitor
when commissioning even if system design is sound.
Pre-commission cleansing in accordance with BS7593:1992 and Benchmark is recommended for all new installations.See Fernox.

Excessive use of flux and galvanic corrosion. Failure to flush out flux residues can result in a system that is likely to self destruct in a few years. Copper pipe and brass fittings degrade to give up copper and other metals to be plated out in parts of the steel radiators. The adjacent unplated steel becomes sacrificial. Rapid pitting and pinholing can occur. There may be no indication that it is happening in what may otherwise be a well maintained system. Air ingress through minute pinholes has been seen to cause much general corrosion before leakage became apparent. Air enters more readily if system pressure is not maintained. Non destructive testing of steel radiators. I am now in a position to test for the copper plating that causes areas of concentrated anodic pitting and pinholes. Flow transfer of copper particles into radiators. Dezincification may leave some brass valves with reformed, porous copper edges. Being lighter this copper is more readily eroded or lifted as particles to be deposited in the radiators larger horizontal waterways. Deep pitting in the steel has been observed around the residue of such particles.

Corrosion pits found in a vertical radiator manifold. Two are exposed.