Cooling System

["David Kirk" <david@domain.elided>]

I have been doing a bit of maintenance on the cooling system in anticipation
of some sunshine this year. A few questions seem to result.

Hoses. I need a new hose set as some of them are starting to look like
balloons. I thought I heard that some people sell better ones than others
(Reinforced Vs Standard). Does the List have any thoughts or suggestions?

Radiator. It is still holding water but starting to look a bit flaky. I
would like to change it, perhaps just for peace of mind. Rimmers at least,
offer standard MK11 and 25% uprated versions. (4 row and 5 row
respectively). I would like to know what my current kind of radiator is, How
can I tell the difference ? (I may well be stupid but when I asked the
question of the man at Rimmers he said that the 4 row one had 4 rows and the
other had 5. I was too embarrassed to ask "rows of what?")

When I flushed the system with the garden hosepipe on full power (the first
time I have ever done this ... tut tut) , I had expected lots of rusty,
flaky bits of rubbish to come out but all that seemed to pass out the other
end was clean pure drinking water (well not quite cos of the antifreeze but
you know what I mean!),. Is this normal or does it mean I haven't done it
right?

David Kirk