How your topical water can contract your gas cost-efficiency and injure your boiler
How your topical water can contract your gas cost-efficiency and injure your boiler
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. Irregardless of which you choose, you should take proper care of your heating system, only then can it perform efficiently. It is now well known, thanks to advice given by governments and environmental organisations, that we should save energy wherever possible by turning off lights, washing clothes at lower temperatures, switching televisions off and turning down thermostats. By doing all this, you not only cut down on the electricity bill, but also protect the environment. Are you paying the same attention to your central heating system? The heating system is also prone to reduced efficiency caused by corrosion, limescale formation and sludge buildup.
To prevent a mass of gunk and limescale from building up in your system, especially where the water is hard, you must try water treatment.
The term ‘water treatment’ is one that is used to describe various methods of taking care of your system. Magnetic/electronic lime fighters, scale reducers/inhibitors, gunk reducers, noise reducers and anti-freeze are examples of the type of water treatment products that are available to you.
Living in the UK means that depending on whereabouts you are in the country, your water can range from hard to soft. Limescale deposits are common in areas that get hard water, and these deposits are first seen on kettles, taps and shower heads. Heating bills grow as a result of efficiency reduction caused by limescale. You may be surprised to hear that you bills can increase by as much as forty percent with just a thin layer of limescale in your hot water cylinder. Limescale deposits are simply composed of calcium. Although those living in soft water areas will not have to take as many provisions, if you are unsure you should still get professional advice.
Water treatment products act by modifying the water borne salts and preventing harmful reactions. 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.
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. The service technician fitting your gas connections should possess CORGI certification, this is now called Gas Safe and is a legal requirement.
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.
Heating systems get their supply of water from the main water source of your household and many mechanisms can be connected to the main source to solve water issues, yet, you should keep in mind that water softening systems installed for your home are only meant to serve your household needs and will not help with the hard water problem affecting your 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.
Corrosion, limescale and biological growth are the three things that you should be looking to limit or stop from occurring.
Corrosion can begin immediately after the water starts to fill up the system from the main source after installation. Corrosion causes gunk in the system which can restrict the circulation causing cold spots on your radiators. It can cause pinholes in the radiators and if left can cause the boiler to become noisy.
The calcium and magnesium present in hard water is responsible for limescale deposits. Once the water is heated it leaves deposits of these minerals which form a hard crust, building up over time and blocking pipes etc. Limescale can again make the gas central heating system noisy.
You should also be wary of biological growth. This tends to get into the system by open tanks. The biological growth advances rapidly in the form of a slimy lining. 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. It is recommended that you begin with the producers of the various systems. This site contains a list of manufacturers, and the products that they produce and sell to help maintain your central heating. Blogs also offer ample source of free help and information or you can contact the companies with any questions.
All the best with your water treatment, let energy conserving central heating and hot water with lower home bills rule.