Reduce your energy bills with softer water for your central heating boiler
Reduce your energy bills with softer water for your central heating boiler
Nowadays a typical home is fitted with dozens of automatic appliances and systems to provide homeowners with a convenient life. The point being that if you look after your system it will look after you. You must have heard those environmental and government agents asking us to switch off our TV, lights etc when not in use, the room thermostats and washing machine temperatures should also be turned down to cut energy use and carbon dioxide production. All of these are effective ways of saving energy which will not only help environmentally but also reduce many household energy bills. 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.
It usually happens in areas where hard water is present, you can go for water treatment to avoid these deposits.
Water treatment looks after your system in more than one way. gunk 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.
Your location in the UK caninfluence the extent of your water’s hardness or softness. If you spot limescale formation inside your kettle or bath taps, there is probably hard water running in your taps. 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. 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.
Many water treatments produce the desired effect by changing how water molecules and the particles inside act through modifications of their structure. 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.
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.
The first thing that you need to do is to determine whether your system has been installed by a competent person or not; if different metals like aluminum and copper or brass are connected together, corrosion will set in immediately. The gas connections should be made only by a trades person, who is Gas Safe registered (with CORGI).
Always plan before getting the new system installed; for instance, you should know what water treatment method should be used. Before using a water treatment remedy on your present system, ensure that the entire heating system is completely flushed out.
The mains water supply provides water to the heating systems, one can fix various other systems with the mains supply in order to deal with the problem of hard water, however these systems that soften the water work only for your household, they don’t do much about the problems associated with the 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.
The three main things that you need to prevent are corrosion, limescale and biological growth.
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. The residue from corrosive action causes clogging of the water flow and reduces uniform heat transfer through the radiators. Pinholes can appear in the radiators and if untreated the boiler can start making noises.
The calcium and magnesium present in hard water is responsible for limescale deposits. Deposits of these minerals leave hard crusts in the system when the water is heated. A vibrating and wheezing heating system can be a real nuisance.
Biological growth inside the system is another hazard that must be prevented. This problem occurs when tanks are open as they are in certain types of central heating system. It establishes itself in the system and then produces gunk and slime. This material can really make your system under perform by clogging up the pipework.
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. Lets first have a look at the manufacturers. You can see below a list of some of the most popular products and their manufacturers. Blogs are another great source of free advice and information or contact a supplier with any queries that you may have.
In order to ensure that your gas central heating system works efficiently and your family bills are also reduced, find out the best water treatment method and apply the recommended treatments annually.