From: Greg Stevens [email protected]
Date: 14 Nov 2002
Time: 06:49:38
Remote Name: 202.47.56.17
Sorry Bruce, I took my eye off the ball for a while.
Radiator sludge, a common problem which can affect us all, buggers up our radiators also!
The comment on the Soda is an answer, as it probably is a Vintage style it can be impossible to clean in the conventional way. I use a dip of about 8% Caustic to dip Vintage Radiators. The secret I think is to agitate air from the bottom of the core whilst submerged. I use a timed solenoid preset at about, 5 seconds on and then 1 minute off to allow the solution to soak back through the core.
THIS CAN BE DETRIMENTAL to a weak core, should there be any long term leaks it can open these up and cause more leaks. There are in this case 2 options.
You have an unusable blocked core or an unusable leaking core. I tend to lean towards the "clean and leaking" option. At least you can use a stop leak to control the leaks, as it is a non pressurised system.
I hope this is a form of answer, can be a problem this Radiator Sludge.
Regards
Greg