What can you put in your water system to help your gas boiler
What can you put in your water system to help your gas boiler
Manufacturers have made multiple products and services that you can add to your gas central heating system to help it to perform efficiently for a longer period of time. Irregardless of which you choose, you should take proper care of your central heating system, only then can it perform efficiently. 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 the above enlisted ways effectively save energy, protect the environment and bring down the electricity bill. But how about making your central heating system operate more effectively? The accumulation of gunk and limescale deposits in your central heating system will reduce its efficiency.
To prevent a mass of sludge and limescale from building up in your system, especially where the water is hard, you must try water treatment.
The term water treatment encompasses many different remedies for the protection 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.
Your location in the UK caninfluence the extent of your water’s hardness or softness. Hard water exposes you to limescale — your kettle, shower head and taps being the most probable areas where you first notice limescale masses. Heating bills grow as a result of efficiency reduction caused by limescale. The energy cost in a boiler cylinder with limescale lining can be 40 percent more than a clean boiler leading to more expensive gas bills. When calcium carbonate precipitates out of the hard water, it forms limescale inside the boiler. 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. 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 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.
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.
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 revamping the old system, you should rinse out the whole system before adding the water treatment method.
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 do not alter the efficiency of your system, they only allow soaps and detergents to produce more lather when washing clothes.
Corrosion, limescale and biological growth are the three things that you should be looking to limit or stop from occurring.
Right from the time the system is installed and commissioned, internal conditions can cause corrosion to set in. Corrosion produces sludge and this prevents free circulation, this can eventually lead to formation of cold spots on radiators. Pinholes can appear in the radiators and if untreated the boiler can start making noises.
In hard water areas the calcium and magnesium in the water causes limescale. The deposits thicken when the water is heated, this leads to formation of a hard crust over a period of time which eventually blocks pipes etc. Again, the symptom of this can be a heating system that makes noise.
Biological growth is another thing that should be avoided at all costs. This is usually introduced into the system through open tanks. After the biological matter gets into the tank it begins to breed and produces sludge and slime. This material can really make your system under perform by clogging up the pipework.
Various forums and websites provide useful information on water treatment. Take out time to go through a few pages of free advice. It is recommended that you begin with the manufacturers 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 are another great source of free advice and information or contact a supplier with any queries that you may have.
So wish you all the best for your water treatment, make sure you chose the one that is effective and at the same time reduces your household bills by helping you maintain an efficient central heating system.