Are you harming the gas boiler with a bad water
Are you harming the gas boiler with a bad water
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. In either case, your system will be well-prepared to work efficiently if you take the time to maintain it. You must have heard those environmental and government agents asking us to switch off our Television, 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 gunk accumulate in it.
To stop the build up of limescale and gunk in your system particularly in hard water areas, then you need to take a look at water treatment.
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 central heating 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.
If you are living in UK, you should first ascertain the hardness of the water you are getting. If you find a build up of limescale in your kettle and on your shower head you probable live in a hard water area. These deposits decrease the efficiency of your system which in turn increases your household bills. A thin layer of limescale can increase your fuel bills by 40 percent. These are basically calcium deposits solidifying from the water. 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. These products can neutralize limescale, loosen and remove hard deposits or even maintain the residual salts in suspension form to be flushed out periodically.
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.
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. The gas connections should be made only by a trades person, who is Gas Safe registered (with CORGI).
It is a good idea to plan ahead, if you are having a new system installed, think which water treatment you will require as some can be fitted to your system. However in case you are just updating your existing one, you can start with flushing the system and then think of any water treatment, there are chemicals you can add to your central heating system to reduce corrosion and gunk build up.
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. These solutions can make detergent and soaps to lather effortlessly, but they will not be able to help the heating system to work efficiently.
You basically need to prevent your system from three things, limescale deposits, biological growth and corrosion.
Corrosion will begin as soon as the tank is filled with water. Your radiators can suffer from cold spots caused by restricted circulation as a result of sludge created in the system by corrosion. 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. The deposits thicken when the water is heated, this leads to formation of a hard crust over a period which eventually blocks pipes etc. This can also make the system noisy and inefficient, you will be paying for gas that does not heat your house.
The next problem to deal with is the biological growth. The growth enters the system through open tanks in certain types of heating system. Once in the system it breeds producing slime and gunk. In addition to the tank, they grow into the pipes and block them; thereby the efficiency of the system is further reduced.
A lot of free advice is available on the internet on how to get rid of biological growth. Please spare some time and go through this or read the other informative articles in this web site. Lets first have a look at the manufacturers. Below is a list of manufacturers and some of the popular products they have available. 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.
Good luck with your water treatment heres to energy efficient central heating and hot water with lower household bills of course.