Are you impacting your central heating boiler with an inappropriate water supply
Are you impacting your central heating boiler with an inappropriate water supply
Manufacturers have made multiple products and services that you can add to your central heating system to help it to perform efficiently for a longer period of time. Either way, a well looked after heating system will run more efficiently for you. We have all heard the advice from the Government and environmental agents telling us to turn off our lights, turn off TVs and not leaving them on standby, and reducing our washing machine temperature and room thermostats. All the above enlisted ways effectively save energy, protect the environment and bring down the electricity bill. But what about getting your gas central heating system to work more efficiently? The build up of gunk and limescale deposits in your central heating system will cause it to run less efficiently.
If you live in a region where hard water is being supplied, then you should look for water treatment methods to prevent sludge 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. 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. If you find a build up of limescale in your kettle and on your shower head you probable live in a hard water area. 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 is nothing, but calcium deposits in your central heating system. If you live in a soft water region, then you need not worry about limescale that much; however, if you are unsure about the water quality, then without any hesitation seek advice.
Most water treatments act by altering the molecular structure of the water and the particles therein and changing the way it behaves. Some will change one structure for another, others remove the offending structure and another will stop them from being able to make a solid leaving them in suspension.
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.
Remember that when two different metals are connected (for example- aluminium and brass), an anode and cathode polarity is created thus starting the process of corrosion; this is something that a competent technician should watch out for when installing your system. You must get your gas connections done by a person registered with CORGI as the law requires this.
If you anticipate hard water problems, you can fit out your new central heating system with a suitable water treatment attachment. It would be a good idea to completely flush your whole system before adding any water treatments.
It is worth noting that mains water supplies heating systems, but that any system you use to soften water will not help with any central heating problems that you may be having. You will be able to make lather with detergents and soaps more easily but your heating system will still have problems with efficiency.
Limescale formation, acidic corrosion and bio-chemical gunk are the main causes of heating system damage.
From the very instant your heating system is in place corrosion can begin. Corrosion causes sludge in the system which can restrict the circulation causing cold spots on your radiators. If left as such, it can lead to the formation of pinholes in the radiator, and it will also make the boiler 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. When the water is heated, these minerals deposit, forming a hard crust that grows with time and blocks the pipes. A vibrating and wheezing heating system can be a real nuisance.
Fungal and bacterial growth is another menace to vented heating systems. The growth enters the system through open tanks in certain types of heating system. Once in the system it breeds producing slime and sludge. It can also cover the inside of the pipework resulting in clogs and negatively affecting the operation 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. Kick-start with the manufacturers and their web sites. You can see below a list of some of the most popular products and their manufacturers. Forums and Blogs are another good source of free advice and wholesome information; you can also use these to directly get in touch with the suppliers.
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.