The central heating boiler likes its water supply to be treated
The central heating boiler likes its water supply 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. Regardless, a gas central heating systems that’s given proper care will work for you smoothly. 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 environmentally conscious steps not only save the greenery on our planet, but also save the pound notes in our wallet. 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.
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.
The lifeblood of your heating system is the water that runs through it – Water Treatment maintains that water at an optimal quality to prevent damage and breakdown of the heating system. A wide assortment of water treatment products is easily available like sludge remover, scale reducer, anti-freeze, magnetic scale fighter, noise reducer, electronic scale inhibitor, and the like.
You can either get hard or soft water in UK, depending on the area you live in. Living in a hard water area means that you are prone to limescale your kettle probably being the first place that you will notice limescale deposits as well as on your showerhead and taps. Limescale not only reduces the efficiency of your system, but also increases your heating bills. Just a small, thin layer of scale in your hot water cylinder can increase your fuel bills by as much as forty percent. Limescale is nothing, but calcium deposits in your central heating system. Soft water area residents should not worry too much, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for help if you are not so sure.
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.
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.
To begin with, you should make certain that your system has been assembled by a qualified individual, for example it’s important to have the simple knowledge that connecting aluminum and copper or brass triggers a corrosive reaction because that’s what happens when different metals are joined. All gas connections must be made by a CORGI registered tradesperson.
Don’t rush in to making a decision, always carefully consider what type of water treatment you need with your particular system. If you are updating your existing system you would be looking at flushing the whole system before adding any water treatment solutions.
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. These water softening chemicals can produce better lather and are good for your skin, but they cannot reverse the choking and pitting inside the heating system.
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. 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 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. Heat causes these minerals to precipitate and bit by bit encrust the inner lining of pipes, leading to blockage. Again, the symptom of this can be a heating system that makes noise.
Biological growth is another thing that should be avoided at all costs. Minute organisms can enter through the vents and storage tanks of the boiler. After managing to enter the system, it spreads by creating slime and gunk. This can also grow and cause blockages in the pipework thereby reducing the efficiency of the whole system.
A lot of free advice is available on the internet on how to get rid of biological growth. Take some time to look through this. We recommend starting with the manufacturers themselves. Browse through some of the reputed water treatment companies and their acclaimed products on this page. Besides inquiring for information with company sources, you should also read opinions on specialised blogs.
Good luck with your water treatment heres to energy cost-efficient central heating and hot water with lower household bills of course.
