Are you hurting your gas boiler with the wrong water system
Are you hurting your gas boiler with the wrong water system
You can find a number of products that can be added to your central heating system to help it run smoother as well as some products that can take care of themselves. The point being that if you look after your system it will look after you. The Government and environmental agencies repeatedly tell us about the ways to conserve energy like switching off the lights and appliances when not in use, re-adjusting the temperature of the room and washing machine according to the needs, and not leaving any electrical device in the standby mode. These environmentally conscious steps not only save the greenery on our planet, but also save the pound notes in our wallet. But what about getting your gas central heating system to work more efficiently? The build up of sludge and limescale deposits in your central heating system will cause it to run less efficiently.
If you live in a region where hard water is being supplied, then you should look for water treatment methods to prevent gunk and limescale from damaging your central heating system.
The lifeblood of your heating system is the water that runs through it – Water Treatment maintains that water at an optimal quality to prevent damage and breakdown of the heating system. Various products of water treatment are available like electronic line and magnetic filters, noise reducers, gunk removers, anti-freeze and scale reducers and inhibitors.
If you are living in UK, you should first ascertain the hardness of the water you are getting. If you are living in hard water region, then you will be more susceptible to limescale attacks; you can notice deposits in your kettle, tap and shower head. Any accumulation of limescale will make your system run less economically and therefore increase your heating bill. Your fuel bills can increase by forty percent even with small deposits of limescale in your cylinder. Limescale is simply calcium deposits in your system. Although those living in soft water areas will not have to take as many provisions, if you are unsure you should still get professional advice.
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. It can do this in different ways for example, by changing one structure for another, by taking away a structure or by inhibiting the structure from becoming solid.
You can find out the ph and chloride, iron and copper levels with chemical test kits, which will allow you to measure the likely corrosion rate in your system.
First, you must ensure that your system has been installed by a competent person just knowing that you must never directly connect aluminium to copper or brass because simply by connecting different metals can start a reaction which causes corrosion. All gas connections must be made by a CORGI registered tradesperson.
It is a good idea to plan ahead, if you are having a new system installed, think which water treatment you will require as some can be fitted to 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 sludge build up.
Products added to the mains supply can soften hard water and improve the quality of water for domestic use, but they do not prevent or remedy deterioration of the central heating system. They will help make detergents and soaps lather more readily but do not help in the fight to get your heating system working efficiently.
Limescale formation, acidic corrosion and bio-chemical sludge are the main causes of heating system damage.
Corrosion will begin as soon as the tank is filled with water. Your radiators can suffer from cold spots caused by restricted circulation as a result of gunk created in the system by corrosion. If left as such, it can lead to the formation of pinholes in the radiator, and it will also make the boiler noisy.
Hard water contains magnesium and calcium and these minerals deposit as limescale in the system. Once the water is heated it leaves deposits of these minerals which form a hard crust, building up over time and blocking pipes etc. This again can manifest itself with a noisy heating system.
Biological growth is another thing that should be avoided at all costs. Minute organisms can enter through the vents and storage tanks of the boiler. It establishes itself in the system and then produces sludge and slime. This can also grow and cause blockages in the pipework thereby reducing the efficiency of the whole system.
You can find a lot of information and advice on how to deal with these problems on the internet and in this site. Take out time to go through a few pages of free advice. We recommend starting with the manufacturers themselves. You can find a list manufacturers and the popular items they carry in this site. Forums and Blogs are another good source of free advice and wholesome information; you can also use these to directly get in touch with the suppliers.
All the best with your water treatment, let energy conserving central heating and hot water with lower household bills rule.