Processing the area water to help your gas boiler
Processing the area water to help your gas boiler
There are many optional products that are available to add to your heating system to keep it running on a regular basis, and there are others that you can install and let them do the work for you day by day. Either way, a well looked after central heating system will run more efficiently for you. It is now well known, thanks to advice given by governments and environmental organisations, that we should save energy wherever possible by turning off lights, washing clothes at lower temperatures, switching televisions off and turning down thermostats. All these habits will result in lower household bills in addition to protecting the environment through energy saving. But what about getting your central heating system to work more efficiently? The build up of gunk and limescale deposits in your central heating system will cause it to run less efficiently.
You should be thinking about water treatment to stop this accumulation of gunk and limescale, especially if you live in a hard water area.
The term water treatment encompasses many different remedies for the protection of your system. Magnetic/electronic lime fighters, scale reducers/inhibitors, sludge reducers, noise reducers and anti-freeze are examples of the type of water treatment products that are available to you.
You can either get hard or soft water in UK, depending on the area you live in. Limescale deposits are common in areas that get hard water, and these deposits are first seen on kettles, taps and shower heads. Any accumulation of limescale will make your system run less economically and therefore increase your heating bill. Just a small, thin layer of scale in your hot water cylinder can increase your fuel bills by as much as forty percent. Limescale is simply calcium deposits in your system. These problems are not seen in areas that get soft water, however in case of any doubt one should always seek advice.
Water treatment products act by modifying the water borne salts and preventing harmful reactions. 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.
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. The service technician fitting your gas connections should possess CORGI certification, this is now called Gas Safe and is a legal requirement.
If you anticipate hard water problems, you can fit out your new central heating system with a suitable water treatment attachment. 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. These water softening chemicals can produce better lather and are good for your skin, but they cannot reverse the choking and pitting inside the heating system.
Corrosion, limescale and biological growth are the three things that you should be looking to limit or stop from occurring.
Corrosion can start from the moment the system is set up and filled with water from the mains supply. 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.
Hard water contains magnesium and calcium and these minerals deposit as limescale in the system. Deposits of these minerals leave hard crusts in the system when the water is heated. Limescale can again make the gas central heating system noisy.
You should also be wary of biological growth. This problem occurs when tanks are open as they are in certain types of central heating system. After managing to enter the system, it spreads by creating slime and gunk. 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. These resources cover product details as well as user feedback. Manufacturers of water treatment products provide detailed data and user references on their websites. This site contains a list of manufacturers, and the products that they produce and sell to help maintain your central heating. Blogs also offer ample source of free help and information or you can contact the companies with any questions.
Good luck with your water treatment heres to energy cost-efficient central heating and hot water with lower household bills of course.