Shrink your gas invoices with softer water supply for your boiler
Shrink your gas invoices with softer water supply for your boiler
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. 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 TV, 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 these habits will result in lower household bills in addition to protecting the environment through energy saving. But how about making your central heating system operate more effectively? The accumulation of sludge and limescale deposits in your central heating system will reduce its efficiency.
You should be thinking about water treatment to stop this accumulation of sludge and limescale, especially if you live in a hard water area.
The term water treatment encompasses many different remedies for the protection of your system. Various products of water treatment are available like electronic line and magnetic filters, noise reducers, gunk removers, anti-freeze and scale reducers and inhibitors.
Living in the UK means that depending on whereabouts you are in the country, your water can range from hard to soft. If you spot limescale formation inside your kettle or bath taps, there is probably hard water running in your taps. Central Heating bills grow as a result of efficiency reduction caused by limescale. Your fuel bills can increase by 40% even with small deposits of limescale in your cylinder. Limescale is nothing, but calcium deposits in your central heating system. These problems are not seen in areas that get soft water, however in case of any doubt one should always 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. Some methods change one structure into another; a few others, remove the interfering structure; and the remaining, prevent the formation of limescale.
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.
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. All gas connections must be made by a CORGI registered tradesperson.
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. 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. 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 sludge are the main causes of heating system damage.
From the very instant your heating system is in place corrosion can begin. Due to corrosion sludge is produced, which in its turn creates cold spots in the radiator and stops circulation. Pinholes can appear in the radiators and if untreated the boiler can start making noises.
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. The deposits thicken when the water is heated, this leads to formation of a hard crust over a period which eventually blocks pipes etc. Again, the symptom of this can be a heating system that makes noise.
Biological growth in the system is another one to avoid. This problem occurs when tanks are open as they are in certain types of central heating system. It establishes itself in the system and then produces sludge and slime. This material can really make your system under perform by clogging up the pipework.
You can find a lot of information and advice on how to deal with these problems on the internet and in this site. Take some time to look through this. Manufacturers 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. Blogs are another great source of free advice and information or contact a supplier with any queries that you may have.
In order to ensure that your central heating system works efficiently and your family bills are also decreased, find out the best water treatment method and apply the recommended treatments every year.