Your boiler wants its water system to be processed
Your boiler wants its water system to be processed
There are innumerable products available in the market that you can add to your central heating system to ensure that it runs properly, and there are several other products that can do work for you even in standalone mode. Irregardless of which you choose, you should take proper care of your heating system, only then can it perform efficiently. Environmental agencies and local authorities constantly advise us to economise our carbon footprint by switching off unneeded lights and electric devices and by setting our thermostats at lower temperatures. By doing all this, you not only cut down on the electricity account, 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.
Whether your water is hard or soft can play a crucial role in the life of your central heating system and water treatment can help here – to extend the healthy working of your system with products such as Fernox.
The term water treatment encompasses many different remedies for the protection of your system. A wide assortment of water treatment products is easily available like sludge remover, scale reducer, anti-freeze, magnetic scale fighter, noise reducer, electronic scale inhibitor, and the like.
Living in the UK means that depending on whereabouts you are in the country, your water can range from hard to soft. Living in a hard water area means that you are prone to limescale your kettle probably being the first place that you will notice limescale deposits as well as on your showerhead and taps. These deposits decrease the efficiency of your system which in turn increases your household bills. A tiny layer of scale inside the cylinder of your hot water can augment your fuel cost by up to forty percent. When calcium carbonate precipitates out of the hard water, it forms limescale inside the boiler. 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.
Water treatment products act by modifying the water borne salts and preventing harmful reactions. Some will change one structure for another, others remove the offending structure and another will stop them from being able to make a solid leaving them in suspension.
Chemical test kits are available that allow you to check the probability and speed of corrosion by gauging the levels of ph, chloride, iron and copper.
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. The gas connections should be made only by a trades person, who is Gas Safe registered (with CORGI).
If you anticipate hard water problems, you can fit out your new central heating system with a suitable water treatment attachment. If you are updating your existing system you would be looking at flushing the whole system before adding any water treatment solutions.
Heating systems get their supply of water from the main water source of your household and many mechanisms can be connected to the main source to solve water issues, yet, you should keep in mind that water softening systems installed for your home are only meant to serve your household needs and will not help with the hard water problem affecting your central heating system. You will be able to make lather with detergents and soaps more easily but your heating system will still have problems with efficiency.
Limescale formation, acidic corrosion and bio-chemical sludge are the main causes of heating system damage.
Corrosion can start from the moment the system is set up and filled with water from the mains supply. Your radiators can suffer from cold spots caused by restricted circulation as a result of sludge 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.
In hard water areas the calcium and magnesium in the water causes limescale. The high temperature of the water causes these elements to become hard and crusty, leaving deposits behind that clog pipes etc. This again can manifest itself with a noisy heating system.
You should also be wary of biological growth. They gets into the heating system through open tanks. After entering into the system, they starts breeding and produce slime and sludge. It can also cover the inside of the pipework resulting in clogs and negatively affecting the operation of the whole system.
You can learn more about these problems on the internet. It would be wise to take time to go through some of this information. It is recommended that you begin with the producers of the various systems. This site contains a list of manufacturers, and the products that they produce and sell to help maintain your central heating. You can also gain additional information and seek advice through different blogs or forums, some may be run by the manufacturers.
All the best with your water treatment, let energy conserving central heating and hot water with lower household bills rule.