Can you help your heating boiler with softer water supply
Can you help your heating boiler with softer water supply
You can find a number of products that can be added to your central heating system to help it run smoother as well as some products that can take care of themselves. Irregardless of which you choose, you should take proper care of your central 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 TVs off and turning down thermostats. These energy saving tips are not only good for the environment, but also great for keeping your bills down at times of high energy prices. What is the best way to get your central heating system to work more economically? With the accumulation of the likes of limescale and sludge in your system will make it less efficient.
It usually happens in areas where hard water is present, you can go for water treatment to avoid these deposits.
Water treatment looks after your system in more than one way. A wide assortment of water treatment products is easily available like gunk remover, scale reducer, anti-freeze, magnetic scale fighter, noise reducer, electronic scale inhibitor, and the like.
The UK has water types ranging from hard to soft based on the region where you live. 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. A thin layer of limescale can increase your fuel bills by 40 percent. These are basically calcium deposits solidifying from the water. Soft water area residents should not worry too much, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for help if you are not so sure.
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.
Chemical test kits are available that allow you to check the probability and speed of corrosion by gauging the levels of ph, chloride, iron and copper.
The first thing that you need to do is to determine whether your system has been installed by a competent person or not; if different metals like aluminum and copper or brass are connected together, corrosion will set in immediately. The gas connections should be made only by a trades person, who is Gas Safe registered (with CORGI).
If you anticipate hard water problems, you can fit out your new central heating system with a suitable water treatment attachment. If you are updating your existing system you would be looking at flushing the whole system before adding any water treatment solutions.
Heating systems take water from the mains water supply and there are various systems that you can attach to your mains supply to deal with hard water problems, however, it is worth noting that systems that are put in to soften water in your home are only for household use and will do nothing for your central heating system problems. They will help make detergents and soaps lather more readily but do not help in the fight to get your heating system working efficiently.
Corrosion, limescale and biological growth are the three things that you should be looking to limit or stop from occurring.
Corrosion will begin as soon as the tank is filled with water. One of the symptoms of corrosion is cold spots in your radiators because sludge in the system prevents the water circulating properly. Pinholes can develop in the radiators which can make the boiler noisy when heating up.
Hard water has a higher concentration of calcium and magnesium salts which cause limescale deposits within the system. Heat causes these minerals to precipitate and bit by bit encrust the inner lining of pipes, leading to blockage. This can also make the system noisy and uneconomical, you will be paying for energy that does not heat your house.
The next problem to deal with is the biological growth. They gets into the heating system through open tanks. Once in the system it breeds producing slime and gunk. This can also grow and cause blockages in the pipework thereby reducing the efficiency 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. I would start with the manufacturers themselves. You can see below a list of some of the most popular products and their manufacturers. Besides inquiring for information with company sources, you should also read opinions on specialised blogs.
So wish you all the best for your water treatment, make sure you chose the one that is effective and at the same time shrinks your household bills by helping you maintain an efficient gas central heating system.