Treating your local water supply to assist your central heating system
Treating your local water supply to assist your central heating system
There are countless products available in the market that you can add to your central heating system to ensure that it runs properly, and there are several other products that can do work for you even in standalone mode. 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 televisions and not leaving them on standby, and reducing our washing machine temperature and room thermostats. These environmentally conscious steps not only save the greenery on our planet, but also save the pound notes in our wallet. 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.
Whether your water is hard or soft can play a crucial role in the life of your central heating system and water treatment can help here – to extend the healthy working of your system with products such as Fernox.
The term water treatment encompasses many different remedies for the protection of your system. A wide assortment of water treatment products is easily available like gunk remover, scale reducer, anti-freeze, magnetic scale fighter, noise reducer, electronic scale inhibitor, and the like.
The UK has water types ranging from hard to soft based on the region where you live. Limescale deposits are common in areas that get hard water, and these deposits are first seen on kettles, taps and shower heads. Limescale deposits inside boiler parts, pipework and radiators increases energy consumption and can lead to banging and bumping in the pipework. The energy cost in a boiler cylinder with limescale lining can be 40 percent more than a clean boiler leading to more expensive gas bills. When calcium carbonate precipitates out of the hard water, it forms limescale inside the boiler. 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.
A majority of water treatment methods alter the molecular structure of water and the associated particles, and thereby changes the way water behaves. Water treatment works in different ways, it can change the structure or prevent the formation of solid or remove the offending particle altogether.
There are chemical test kits which will measure the ph and chloride levels and also the iron and copper levels so that you can measure the probable corrosion potential and rate.
Your system must be installed by a professional, never connect brass or copper to aluminum as this can lead to corrosion through the interaction of these metals. Every gas connection should be carried out by a CORGI, Gas Safe, registered professional.
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.
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. They will not have any effect on how efficiently your system works, but they will make detergents and soaps lather up more easily.
With regards to heating systems, you have to prevent three important things viz,limescale, corrosion and biological growth.
From the very instant your heating system is in place corrosion can begin. Due to corrosion gunk is produced, which in its turn creates cold spots in the radiator and stops circulation. 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. Deposits of these minerals leave hard crusts in the system when the water is heated. This can be another cause of the boiler making strange noises.
Biological growth in the system is another one to avoid. This is usually introduced into the system through open tanks. The biological growth advances rapidly in the form of a slimy lining. If the growth occurs in pipework, it can decrease the efficacy of the entire system.
Plenty of free help is available on the net. These resources cover product details as well as user feedback. Manufacturers of water treatment products provide detailed data and user references on their websites. Below is a list of manufacturers and some of the popular products they have available. You can also find a lot of really useful information and tips through forums as well as speaking to suppliers directly with any specific questions that you may have.
All the best with your water treatment, let energy conserving central heating and hot water with lower home bills rule.