How your localised water supply can contract your gas economy and hurt your heating boiler

There are countless products available in the market that you can add to your heating system to ensure that it runs properly, and there are several other products that can do work for you even in standalone mode. The point being that if you look after your system it will look after 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. These energy saving hints are not only good for the environment, but also great for keeping your bills down at times of high energy costs. What is the best way to get your central heating system to work more economically? With the accumulation of the likes of limescale and sludge 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 is a term used to cover many different ways of looking after your system. 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.

If you are living in UK, you should first ascertain the hardness of the water you are getting. 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. A tiny layer of scale inside the cylinder of your hot water can augment your fuel cost by up to forty percent. Limescale deposits are simply composed of calcium. Although those living in soft water areas will not have to take as many provisions, if you are unsure you should still get professional advice.

Water treatment products act by modifying the water borne salts and preventing harmful reactions. It can do this in different ways for example, by changing one structure for another, by taking away a structure or by inhibiting the structure from becoming solid.

There are different types of chemical test kits available that can help you to ascertain the corrosion potential of water by measuring the pH, chloride, iron and copper levels.

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. All gas connections must be made by a CORGI registered tradesperson.

Always plan before getting the new system installed; for instance, you should know what water treatment method should be used. If you are upgrading your current system, you must cleanse your whole system before any water treatment chemicals are added.

Heating systems get their supply of water from the main water source of your household and many mechanisms can be connected to the main source to solve water issues, yet, you should keep in mind that water softening systems installed for your home are only meant to serve your household needs and will not help with the hard water problem affecting your central 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.

With regards to heating systems, you have to prevent three important things viz,limescale, corrosion and biological growth.

Right from the time the system is installed and commissioned, internal conditions can cause corrosion to set in. One of the symptoms of corrosion is cold spots in your radiators because sludge in the system prevents the water circulating properly. It can cause pinholes in the radiators and if left can cause the boiler to become noisy.

Limescale results from the presence of calcium and magnesium in water, hard water regions have these elements more than the rest of the country. The high temperature of the water causes these elements to become hard and crusty, leaving deposits behind that clog pipes etc. This can also make the system noisy and inefficient, you will be paying for gas that does not heat your house.

Biological growth inside the system is another hazard that must be prevented. Minute organisms can enter through the vents and storage tanks of the boiler. It establishes itself in the system and then produces gunk and slime. In addition to the tank, they grow into the pipes and block them; thereby the efficiency of the system is further reduced.

There is a lot of free advice on the internet. It would be wise to take time to go through some of this information. Producers of water treatment products provide detailed data and user references on their websites. You can see below a list of some of the most popular products and their manufacturers. You can also gain additional information and seek advice through different blogs or forums, some may be run by the manufacturers.

All the best with your treatment and let’s hope you can get your central heating systems working as efficiently as possible to save you some hard cash.

Posted in Safety