What can you place in your water supply to help your central heating boiler
What can you place in your water supply to help your central heating boiler
Nowadays a typical home is fitted with dozens of automatic appliances and systems to provide homeowners with a convenient life. Either way, a well looked after heating system will run more efficiently for you. 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 TVs off and turning down thermostats. These energy saving tips are not only good for the environment, but also great for keeping your costs down at times of high energy costs. But what about getting your gas central heating system to work more efficiently? The build up of sludge and limescale deposits in your central heating system will cause it to run less efficiently.
It usually happens in areas where hard water is present, you can go for water treatment to avoid these deposits.
Water treatment is a term used to cover many different ways of looking after your system. gunk extractors, limescale inhibitors, electronic and magnetic lime reducers, anti-freeze compounds and noise reducing agents are some of the extensive water treatment products sold in the market today.
The UK has water types ranging from hard to soft based on the region where you live. Living in a hard water area means that you are prone to limescale your kettle probably being the first place that you will notice limescale deposits as well as on your showerhead and taps. Limescale reduces efficiency and adds to heating bills. Just a small, thin layer of scale in your hot water cylinder can increase your fuel bills by as much as forty percent. Limescale is simply calcium deposits in your system. Soft water area residents should not worry too much, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for help if you are not so sure.
The way that most water treatments work is by changing the molecular structure of the water’s particles which, in turn alters the way it behaves. Water treatment works in different ways, it can change the structure or prevent the formation of solid or remove the offending particle altogether.
The outlook for possible corrosion can be determined by monitoring pH and salt levels as well as ionic conditions, using standard chemical testing kits.
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 gas connections should be made only by a trades person, who is Gas Safe registered (with CORGI).
Don’t rush in to making a decision, always carefully consider what type of water treatment you need with your particular system. If you are updating your existing system you would be looking at flushing the whole system before adding any water treatment solutions.
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. 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.
Right from the time the system is installed and commissioned, internal conditions can cause corrosion to set in. Corrosion produces gunk and this prevents free circulation, this can eventually lead to formation of cold spots on radiators. 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. Once the water is heated it leaves deposits of these minerals which form a hard crust, building up over time and blocking pipes etc. This can also make the system noisy and uneconomical, you will be paying for energy that does not heat your house.
You should also be wary of biological growth. This is usually introduced into the system through open tanks. After managing to enter the system, it spreads by creating slime and gunk. It can also cover the inside of the pipework resulting in clogs and negatively affecting the operation of the whole system.
Various forums and websites provide useful information on water treatment. Take some time to look through this. Kick-start with the manufacturers and their web sites. This site contains a list of manufacturers, and the products that they produce and sell to help maintain your central heating. Forums and Blogs are another good source of free advice and wholesome information; you can also use these to directly get in touch with the suppliers.
All the best with your water treatment, let energy conserving heating and hot water with lower home bills rule.