Treating your regional water supply to help your heating boiler
Treating your regional water supply to help your heating boiler
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. Regardless, a central heating systems that’s given proper care will work for you smoothly. We have all heard the advice from the Government and environmental agents telling us to turn off our lights, turn off TVs and not leaving them on standby, and reducing our washing machine temperature and room thermostats. All these habits will result in lower household bills in addition to protecting the environment through energy saving. So how to make your central heating system run efficiently and reduce carbon dioxide? Your gas central heating’s efficacy decreases when limescale deposits and sludge accumulate in it.
You should be thinking about water treatment to stop this accumulation of gunk and limescale, especially if you live in a hard water area.
Water treatment is a term used to cover many different ways of looking after your system. Many types of water treatment products such as scale reducers and inhibitors, magnetic and electronic anti-lime mechanisms, sludge destroyers, noise reducers and anti-freeze can be used for water treatment.
Living in the UK means that depending on whereabouts you are in the country, your water can range from hard to soft. If you spot limescale formation inside your kettle or bath taps, there is probably hard water running in your taps. Limescale not only reduces the efficiency of your system, but also increases your heating bills. The energy cost in a boiler cylinder with limescale lining can be 40 percent more than a clean boiler leading to more expensive energy bills. These are basically calcium deposits solidifying from the water. Soft water area residents should not worry too much, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for help if you are not so sure.
The water treatment options work by changing water’s molecular structure, it changes the way water behaves. Some methods change one structure into another; a few others, remove the interfering structure; and the remaining, prevent the formation of limescale.
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.
To begin with, you should make certain that your system has been assembled by a qualified individual, for example it’s important to have the simple knowledge that connecting aluminum and copper or brass triggers a corrosive reaction because that’s what happens when different metals are joined. 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. Before using a water treatment remedy on your present system, ensure that the entire heating system is completely flushed out.
The central heating system will take water from the main pipeline, and in this line, even if a functional water treatment method is already there to tackle the problem of hard water this method will be of no use for your heating system. They do not alter the efficiency of your system, they only allow soaps and detergents to produce more lather when washing clothes.
Corrosion, limescale and biological growth are the three things that you should be looking to limit or stop from occurring.
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. Due to corrosion gunk is produced, which in its turn creates cold spots in the radiator and stops circulation. Gradual pitting can perforate the metal piping, causing the boiler or radiators to rattle.
In hard water areas the calcium and magnesium in the water causes limescale. Once the water is heated it leaves deposits of these minerals which form a hard crust, building up over time and blocking pipes etc. A vibrating and wheezing heating system can be a real nuisance.
Fungal and bacterial growth is another menace to vented heating systems. This problem occurs when tanks are open as they are in certain types of central heating system. The biological growth advances rapidly in the form of a slimy lining. In addition to the tank, they grow into the pipes and block them; thereby the efficiency of the system is further reduced.
Various forums and websites provide useful information on water treatment. It would be wise to take time to go through some of this information. Lets first have a look at the manufacturers. Below is a list of manufacturers and some of the popular products they have available. Blogs also offer ample source of free help and information or you can contact the companies with any questions.
All the best with your treatment and let’s hope you can get your heating systems working as expeditiously as possible to save you some hard cash.