The central heating boiler likes its water to be treated
The central heating boiler likes its water to be treated
Manufacturers have made multiple products and services that you can add to your gas central heating system to help it to perform efficiently for a longer period of time. In either case, your system will be well-prepared to work efficiently if you take the time to maintain it. 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. All these habits will result in lower household bills in addition to protecting the environment through energy saving. But how about making your central heating system operate more effectively? The accumulation of gunk and limescale deposits in your central heating system will reduce its efficiency.
To prevent a mass of sludge and limescale from building up in your system, especially where the water is hard, you must try water treatment.
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 central 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.
The UK has water types ranging from hard to soft based on the region where you live. Limescale deposits are common in areas that get hard water, and these deposits are first seen on kettles, taps and shower heads. Limescale deposits inside boiler parts, pipework and radiators increases energy consumption and can lead to banging and bumping in the pipework. A thin layer of limescale can increase your fuel bills by 40 percent. Limescale deposits are simply composed of calcium. Soft water which contains less calcium salts is less prone to this scale formation, however it is advisable to test the water and take precautions.
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. Water treatment works in different ways, it can change the structure or prevent the formation of solid or remove the offending particle altogether.
If you want to determine the corrosion rate inside your heating system, you can do so by using these chemical kits which measure the chloride, copper and iron levels and measure the pH.
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. You must get your gas connections done by a person registered with CORGI as the law requires this.
You should decide about the water treatment well in advance, especially when you are installing a new heating system. It would be a good idea to completely flush your whole system before adding any water treatments.
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 do not alter the efficiency of your system, they only allow soaps and detergents to produce more lather when washing clothes.
With regards to heating systems, you have to prevent three important things viz,limescale, corrosion and biological growth.
Corrosion can start from the moment the system is set up and filled with water from the mains supply. Corrosion produces gunk and this prevents free circulation, this can eventually lead to formation of cold spots on radiators. Pinholes can appear in the radiators and if untreated the boiler can start making 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. Deposits of these minerals leave hard crusts in the system when the water is heated. A vibrating and wheezing heating system can be a real nuisance.
You should also be wary of biological growth. The growth enters the system through open tanks in certain types of heating system. After the biological matter gets into the tank it begins to breed and produces gunk and slime. This material can really make your system under perform by clogging up the pipework.
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. Lets first have a look at the manufacturers. Some well known manufacturers and their popular products are listed in this site, such as Sentinel or Fernox. You can also find a lot of really useful information and tips through forums as well as speaking to suppliers directly with any specific questions that you may have.
Now you should be able to choose and install an effective central heating system which is enjoyable, healthy and economical on both kinds of green!.