Price Match Promise
Free, Fast Delivery
A quick and easy guide to central heating inhibitor
If you've taken an extra interest in your central heating system recently, then you definitely need to know about inhibitor.
Keeping your central heating system well-maintained and running smoothly is incredibly important and ensures that your home gets warm when you need it most.
Central heating inhibitor is absolutely imperative to this process and we'll explain more below.
What is central heating inhibitor?
Central heating inhibitor is a chemical solution that is added into your central heating system.
Its purpose is to stop rust and internal corrosion from occurring inside your heating system, which could reduce performance and efficiency.
What does central heating inhibitor do?
Central heating inhibitor helps to stop internal corrosion from occurring inside the different components inside your heating system.
Without inhibitor, the water and metals inside your central heating system can react with one another causing rust and corrosion.
This corrosion is most often seen inside radiators, where tiny bits of rusty metal can break off and settle at the bottom of radiators. The resulting 'brown sludge' can cause your radiators to feel cold at the bottom and hot at the top.
As a consequence, your boiler and pump will have to work much harder to keep your home warm. This uses more energy which will result in higher heating bills. It also shortens the life of your boiler and can eventually lead to an expensive breakdown (normally at the coldest time of year).
Adding chemical inhibitor to your heating system greatly helps to reduce this internal rusting and sludge from building up.
What happens if you don't use inhibitor?
Where do you put central heating inhibitor?
Central heating inhibitor can be added to your system in a number of ways, such as poured into a heated towel rail or via a loft tank.
Below are some videos showing you some different methods of adding chemical inhibitor to your central heating system.
How to add inhibitor via a heated towel rail
How to add inhibitor via a loft tank
How to add inhibitor to a pressurised heating system
How often should central heating inhibitor be changed?
Central heating inhibitor should be changed once per year. The impact it has of preventing internal corrosion breaks down over time, so it's important fresh inhibitor goes in once per year.
It's recommended that your boiler and heating system are checked by a professional Gas Safe Registered heating engineer every 12 months to ensure everything is safe and running smoothly. Adding chemical inhibitor to your heating system is usually one of the maintenance tasks the heating engineer will perform.
If you've moved into a new house or you can't remember when inhibitor was last added, get round a professional to check over your whole system and do it for you.
If your heating system is drained for any reason in between maintenance checks, inhibitor should also be added again.
How much central heating inhibitor should I use?
For a heating system of up to 10 radiators, you can add a 1 litre bottle of inhibitor. For over 10 radiators, break into another bottle and use an appropriate amount extra.
It's best that you don't mix brands of chemical inhibitor, so it's good to drain your system before adding some. If you're unsure then call a heating engineer to do it for you.
View Our Central Heating Inhibitor
RELATED ARTICLES
• The importance of annual heating system maintenance
