The central heating boiler likes its water to be treated
The central heating boiler likes its water to be treated
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 heating system will run more efficiently for you. 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 the above enlisted ways effectively save energy, protect the environment and bring down the electricity bill. What is the best way to get your central heating system to work more economically? With the accumulation of the likes of limescale and gunk in your system will make it less efficient.
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.
Water treatment looks after your system in more than one way. sludge extractors, limescale inhibitors, electronic and magnetic lime reducers, anti-freeze compounds and noise reducing agents are some of the extensive water treatment products sold in the market today.
The UK has water types ranging from hard to soft based on the region where you live. 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. Limescale reduces efficiency and adds to heating bills. Your fuel bills can increase by 40% even with small deposits of limescale in your cylinder. When calcium carbonate precipitates out of the hard water, it forms limescale inside the boiler. If you live in a soft water region, then you need not worry about limescale that much; however, if you are unsure about the water quality, then without any faltering seek 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. 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.
Remember that when two different metals are connected (for example- aluminium and brass), an anode and cathode polarity is created thus starting the process of corrosion; this is something that a competent technician should watch out for when installing your system. You must get your gas connections done by a person registered with CORGI as the law requires this.
Always plan before getting the new system installed; for instance, you should know what water treatment method should be used. If you are updating your existing system you would be looking at flushing the whole system before adding any water treatment solutions.
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. These solutions can make detergent and soaps to lather effortlessly, but they will not be able to help the heating system to work efficiently.
Corrosion, limescale and biological growth are the three prominent things you need to stop.
Right from the time the system is installed and commissioned, internal conditions can cause corrosion to set in. Corrosion produces sludge and this prevents free circulation, this can eventually lead to formation of cold spots on radiators. Pinholes can also appear in the radiator and if the problem is not sorted out in good time your boiler could start to make noises.
Hard water has a higher concentration of calcium and magnesium salts which cause limescale deposits within the system. Deposits of these minerals leave hard crusts in the system when the water is heated. This can also make the system noisy and inefficient, you will be paying for gas that does not heat your home.
Biological growth is another thing that should be avoided at all costs. This tends to get into the system by open tanks. After managing to enter the system, it spreads by creating slime and sludge. In addition to the tank, they grow into the pipes and block them; thereby the efficiency of the system is further reduced.
A lot of free advice is available on the internet on how to get rid of biological growth. These resources cover product details as well as user feedback. Manufacturers of water treatment products provide detailed data and user references on their websites. You can find a list manufacturers and the popular items they carry in this site. Blogs are another great source of free advice and information or contact a supplier with any queries that you may have.
So wish you all the best for your water treatment, make sure you chose the one that is effective and at the same time trims your household costs by helping you maintain an efficient gas central heating system.