Treating the regional water supply to assist the central heating boiler
Treating the regional water supply to assist the central heating boiler
There are several products that serve as auxiliary items for your central heating system so that it functions normally, and then there are those that work independently to give you the service you want. The point being that if you look after your system it will look after you. 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. All the above enlisted ways effectively save energy, protect the environment and bring down the electricity bill. But, how will you make sure that your central heating system works efficiently? As the layers of gunk and limescale starts piling up, the efficiency of the system starts dwindling increasing your energy costs.
To prevent a mass of gunk and limescale from building up in your system, especially where the water is hard, you must try water treatment.
Water treatment is a term used to cover many different ways of looking after your system. Various products of water treatment are available like electronic line and magnetic filters, noise reducers, sludge removers, anti-freeze and scale reducers and inhibitors.
In the UK, depending on where you live, your water could range between hard and soft. If you spot limescale formation inside your kettle or bath taps, there is probably hard water running in your taps. Central Heating bills grow as a result of efficiency reduction caused by limescale. Your fuel bills can increase by forty percent even with small deposits of limescale in your cylinder. When calcium carbonate precipitates out of the hard water, it forms limescale inside the boiler. Soft water area residents should not worry too much, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for help if you are not so sure.
The water treatment options work by changing water’s molecular structure, it changes the way water behaves. Some methods change one structure into another; a few others, remove the interfering structure; and the remaining, prevent the formation of limescale.
The outlook for possible corrosion can be determined by monitoring pH and salt levels as well as ionic conditions, using standard chemical testing kits.
It is very important to make sure that your system is put in by someone who knows what they’re doing as they will be aware of things like not connecting aluminium to copper or brass, which can cause corrosion. Every gas connection should be carried out by a CORGI, Gas Safe, registered professional.
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.
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.
With regards to heating systems, you have to prevent three important things viz,limescale, corrosion and biological growth.
Corrosion can begin immediately after the water starts to fill up the system from the main source after installation. Your radiators can suffer from cold spots caused by restricted circulation as a result of gunk created in the system by corrosion. Gradual pitting can perforate the metal piping, causing the boiler or radiators to rattle.
Limescale is caused by calcium and magnesium which is present in the water hard water areas having far more of these minerals than other parts of the country. Once the water is heated it leaves deposits of these minerals which form a hard crust, building up over time and blocking pipes etc. A vibrating and wheezing heating system can be a real nuisance.
Biological growth in the system is another one to avoid. This tends to get into the system by open tanks. 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.
You can find a lot of information and advice on how to deal with these problems on the internet and in this site. Take out time to go through a few pages of free advice. Manufacturers of water treatment products provide detailed data and user references on their websites. Some well known manufacturers and their popular products are listed in this site, such as Sentinel or Fernox. Blogs are another great source of free advice and information or contact a supplier with any queries that you may have.
Good luck with your water treatment heres to energy efficient central heating and hot water with lower household bills of course.