Are you harming your heating boiler with an inappropriate water supply
Are you harming your heating boiler with an inappropriate water supply
There are several products that serve as auxiliary items for your central heating system so that it operates normally, and then there are those that work independently to give you the service you want. Either way, a well looked after central heating system will run more efficiently for you. You must have heard those environmental and government agents asking us to switch off our TV, lights etc when not in use, the room thermostats and washing machine temperatures should also be turned down to cut energy use and carbon dioxide production. By doing all this, you not only cut down on the electricity bill, but also protect the environment. Are you paying the same attention to your central heating system? The heating system is also prone to reduced efficiency caused by corrosion, limescale formation and gunk buildup.
You should be thinking about water treatment to stop this accumulation of sludge and limescale, especially if you live in a hard water area.
Water treatment refers to several aspects of taking care of your central heating system. Magnetic/electronic lime fighters, scale reducers/inhibitors, gunk reducers, noise reducers and anti-freeze are examples of the type of water treatment products that are available to you.
If you are living in UK, you should first ascertain the hardness of the water you are getting. If you find a build up of limescale in your kettle and on your shower head you probable live in a hard water area. Limescale reduces efficiency and adds to heating bills. Just a small, thin layer of scale in your hot water cylinder can increase your fuel bills by as much as 40%. Basically, limescale is just the build up of calcium deposits. Those who live in soft water areas need not take quite so many precautions but it is always wise to seek advice if you are unsure.
The way that most water treatments work is by changing the molecular structure of the water’s particles which, in turn alters the way it behaves. One way of modification is to convert a structure completely to another, another is to take out the mischievous component, and yet another way is to prevent the structure from becoming solid, thus leaving its normal process unrealized.
There are different types of chemical test kits available that can help you to ascertain the corrosion potential of water by measuring the pH, chloride, iron and copper levels.
Your system must be installed by a professional, never connect brass or copper to aluminum as this can lead to corrosion through the interaction of these metals. Every gas connection should be carried out by a CORGI, Gas Safe, registered professional.
If you plan ahead of time while having a new system assembled, you will be able to identify the water treatments you need and have some of them installed with your system. However in case you are just updating your existing one, you can start with flushing the system and then think of any water treatment, there are chemicals you can add to your central heating system to reduce corrosion and gunk build up.
Heating systems take water from the mains water supply and there are various systems that you can attach to your mains supply to deal with hard water problems, however, it is worth noting that systems that are put in to soften water in your home are only for household use and will do nothing for your central heating system problems. They will not have any effect on how efficiently your system works, but they will make detergents and soaps lather up more easily.
The three main things that you need to prevent are corrosion, limescale and biological growth.
The first problem that you may have to face is corrosion, it can start as soon as the system is installed and filled with water. One of the symptoms of corrosion is cold spots in your radiators because sludge in the system prevents the water circulating properly. Pinholes can also appear in the radiator and if the problem is not sorted out in good time your boiler could start to make noises.
Limescale is caused by calcium and magnesium which is present in the water hard water areas having far more of these minerals than other parts of the country. Heat causes these minerals to precipitate and bit by bit encrust the inner lining of pipes, leading to blockage. Again, the symptom of this can be a heating system that makes noise.
Fungal and bacterial growth is another menace to vented heating systems. This tends to get into the system by open tanks. After entering into the system, they starts breeding and produce slime and gunk. This gunk stagnates in the plumbing and slows down the flow of hot water.
Plenty of free help is available on the net. These resources cover product details as well as user feedback. We recommend starting with the manufacturers themselves. This site contains a list of manufacturers, and the products that they produce and sell to help maintain your central heating. Blogs are another great source of free advice and information or contact a supplier with any queries that you may have.
All the best with your water treatment, let energy conserving heating and hot water with lower home bills rule.
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