Your central heating system efficiency is affected by where you are
Your central heating system efficiency is affected by where you are
Nowadays a typical home is fitted with dozens of automatic appliances and systems to provide homeowners with a convenient life. The point being that if you look after your system it will look after you. Our Government and environmental activists have been telling us to switch off lights, turn televisions completely off instead of leaving them on standby, and lower the temperature of our washing machines as well us the thermostats of our rooms. These environmentally conscious steps not only save the greenery on our planet, but also save the pound notes in our wallet. 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 gunk and limescale from building up in your system, especially where the water is hard, you must try water treatment.
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.
Your location in the UK caninfluence the extent of your water’s hardness or softness. If you are living in hard water region, then you will be more susceptible to limescale attacks; you can notice deposits in your kettle, tap and shower head. Limescale reduces efficiency and adds to heating bills. A thin layer of limescale can increase your fuel bills by 40 percent. When calcium carbonate precipitates out of the hard water, it forms limescale inside the boiler. These problems are not seen in areas that get soft water, however in case of any doubt one should always seek advice.
A majority of water treatment methods alter the molecular structure of water and the associated particles, and thereby changes the way water behaves. 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.
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. By law, only CORGI registered tradespeople can deal with gas connections, this scheme is now known as Gas Safe.
Always plan before getting the new system installed; for instance, you should know what water treatment method should be used. If you are updating your existing system you would be looking at flushing the whole system before adding any water treatment solutions.
The central heating system will take water from the main pipeline, and in this line, even if a functional water treatment method is already there to tackle the problem of hard water this method will be of no use for your heating system. They do not alter the efficiency of your system, they only allow soaps and detergents to produce more lather when washing clothes.
With regards to heating systems, you have to prevent three important things viz,limescale, corrosion and biological growth.
The first problem that you may have to face is corrosion, it can start as soon as the system is installed and filled with water. Corrosion produces sludge 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. The deposits thicken when the water is heated, this leads to formation of a hard crust over a period which eventually blocks pipes etc. This can also make the system noisy and uneconomical, you will be paying for energy that does not heat your home.
Biological growth inside the system is another hazard that must be prevented. The growth enters the system through open tanks in certain types of heating system. After managing to enter the system, it spreads by creating slime and gunk. This can also grow and cause blockages in the pipework thereby reducing the efficiency 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. Below is a list of manufacturers and some of the popular products they have available. You can also find a lot of really useful information and tips through forums as well as speaking to suppliers directly with any specific questions that you may have.
Good luck with your water treatment heres to energy cost-efficient heating and hot water with lower household bills of course.