Can you service your central heating boiler with softer water
Can you service your central heating boiler with softer water
There are countless products available in the market that you can add to your 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 central heating system will run more efficiently for you. Environmental agencies and local authorities constantly advise us to economise our carbon footprint by switching off unneeded lights and electric devices and by setting our thermostats at lower temperatures. All these habits will result in lower household bills in addition to protecting the environment through energy saving. But, how will you make sure that your central heating system works efficiently? As the layers of sludge 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 sludge and limescale from damaging your central heating system.
Water treatment is a term used to cover many different ways of looking after your system. A wide range of water treatment products including scale reducers and inhibitors, magnetic and electronic lime fighters, sludge removers, noise reducers and anti-freeze are available.
You can either get hard or soft water in UK, depending on the area you live in. If you spot limescale formation inside your kettle or bath taps, there is probably hard water running in your taps. Any accumulation of limescale will make your system run less economically and therefore increase your heating bill. Your fuel bills can increase by 40% even with small deposits of limescale in your cylinder. When calcium carbonate precipitates out of the hard water, it forms limescale inside the boiler. These problems are not seen in areas that get soft water, however in case of any doubt one should always seek advice.
Many water treatments produce the desired effect by changing how water molecules and the particles inside act through modifications of their structure. Water treatment works in different ways, it can change the structure or prevent the formation of solid or remove the offending particle altogether.
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.
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. You must get your gas connections done by a person registered with CORGI as the law requires this.
You should decide about the water treatment well in advance, especially when you are installing a new heating system. Before using a water treatment remedy on your present system, ensure that the entire heating system is completely flushed out.
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.
With regards to heating systems, you have to prevent three important things viz,limescale, corrosion and biological growth.
Corrosion can start from the moment the system is set up and filled with water from the mains supply. The residue from corrosive action causes clogging of the water flow and reduces uniform heat transfer through the radiators. Pinholes can appear in the radiators and if untreated the boiler can start making noises.
Hard water contains magnesium and calcium and these minerals deposit as limescale in the system. Deposits of these minerals leave hard crusts in the system when the water is heated. This can be another cause of the gas boiler making strange noises.
Biological growth in the system is another one to avoid. Minute organisms can enter through the vents and storage tanks of the boiler. After the biological matter gets into the tank it begins to breed and produces sludge and slime. In addition to the tank, they grow into the pipes and block them; thereby the efficiency of the system is further reduced.
Various forums and websites provide useful information on water treatment. Take out time to go through a few pages of free advice. Kick-start with the manufacturers and their web sites. Browse through some of the reputed water treatment companies and their acclaimed products on this page. Blogs also offer ample source of free help and information or you can contact the companies with any questions.
So wish you all the best for your water treatment, make sure you chose the one that is effective and at the same time trims your household costs by helping you maintain an efficient central heating system.