Live in a soft water supply region and get lighter gas bills
Live in a soft water supply region and get lighter gas bills
There are many optional products that are available to add to your central 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. The point being that if you look after your system it will look after you. The Government and environmental agencies repeatedly tell us about the ways to conserve energy like switching off the lights and appliances when not in use, re-adjusting the temperature of the room and washing machine according to the needs, and not leaving any electrical device in the standby mode. 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 sludge accumulate in it.
It usually happens in areas where hard water is present, you can go for water treatment to avoid these deposits.
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 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.
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. Heating bills grow as a result of efficiency reduction caused by limescale. Your fuel bills can increase by forty percent even with small deposits of limescale in your cylinder. Basically, limescale is just the build up of calcium deposits. 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. Some will change one structure for another, others remove the offending structure and another will stop them from being able to make a solid leaving them in suspension.
There are different types of chemical test kits available that can help you to ascertain the corrosion potential of water by measuring the pH, chloride, iron and copper levels.
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. By law, only CORGI registered tradespeople can deal with gas connections, this scheme is now known as Gas Safe.
Don’t rush in to making a decision, always carefully consider what type of water treatment you need with your particular 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 sludge build up.
Products added to the mains supply can soften hard water and improve the quality of water for domestic use, but they do not prevent or remedy deterioration of the central heating system. They will help make detergents and soaps lather more readily but do not help in the fight to get your heating system working efficiently.
Limescale formation, acidic corrosion and bio-chemical sludge are the main causes of heating system damage.
Corrosion will begin as soon as the tank is filled with water. Corrosion causes gunk in the system which can restrict the circulation causing cold spots on your radiators. If left as such, it can lead to the formation of pinholes in the radiator, and it will also make the boiler noisy.
Hard water contains magnesium and calcium and these minerals deposit as limescale in the system. The high temperature of the water causes these elements to become hard and crusty, leaving deposits behind that clog pipes etc. Again, the symptom of this can be a heating system that makes noise.
The next problem to deal with is the biological growth. This problem occurs when tanks are open as they are in certain types of central heating system. The biological growth advances rapidly in the form of a slimy lining. This gunk stagnates in the plumbing and slows down the flow of hot water.
Plenty of free help is available on the internet. Please spare some time and go through this or read the other informative articles in this website. Manufacturers of water treatment products provide detailed data and user references on their web sites. You can see below a list of some of the most popular products and their manufacturers. Blogs also offer ample source of free help and information or you can contact the companies with any questions.
In order to ensure that your central heating system works efficiently and your home bills are also decreased, find out the best water treatment method and apply the recommended treatments annually.