What can you place in your water supply to help your heating boiler
What can you place in your water supply to help your heating boiler
There are many optional products that are available to add to your central 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. Any household system, be it a refrigerator or television set or electrical wiring, will function better and more economically if it is well maintained. 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. These energy saving tips are not only good for the environment, but also great for keeping your bills down at times of high energy prices. But what about getting your central heating system to work more efficiently? The build up of sludge and limescale deposits in your central heating system will cause it to run less efficiently.
To stop the build up of limescale and gunk in your system particularly in hard water areas, then you need to take a look at water treatment.
The term water treatment encompasses many different remedies for the protection of 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.
In the UK, depending on where you live, your water could range between hard and soft. Limescale deposits are common in areas that get hard water, and these deposits are first seen on kettles, taps and shower heads. These deposits decrease the cost-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. 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 water treatment options work by changing water’s molecular structure, it changes the way water behaves. Water treatment works in different ways, it can change the structure or prevent the formation of solid or remove the offending particle altogether.
There are chemical test kits which will measure the ph and chloride levels and also the iron and copper levels so that you can measure the probable corrosion potential and rate.
Your system must be installed by a professional, never connect brass or copper to aluminum as this can lead to corrosion through the interaction of these metals. The gas connections should be made only by a trades person, who is Gas Safe registered (with CORGI).
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.
Heating systems take water from the mains water supply and there are various systems that you can attach to your mains supply to deal with hard water problems, however, it is worth noting that systems that are put in to soften water in your home are only for household use and will do nothing for your central heating system problems. 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.
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. Pinholes can develop in the radiators which can make the boiler noisy when heating up.
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. Again, the symptom of this can be a heating system that makes noise.
Biological growth in the system is another one to avoid. This problem occurs when tanks are open as they are in certain types of central heating system. After the biological matter gets into the tank it begins to breed and produces gunk and slime. This can also grow and cause blockages in the pipework thereby reducing the efficiency of the whole system.
Various forums and websites provide useful information on water treatment. 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. Blogs also offer ample source of free help and information or you can contact the companies with any questions.
So wish you all the best for your water treatment, make sure you chose the one that is effective and at the same time cuts your household bills by helping you maintain an efficient central heating system.