Processing the area water system to assist your central heating
Processing the area water system to assist your central heating
There are countless products available in the market that you can add to your heating system to ensure that it runs properly, and there are several other products that can do work for you even in standalone mode. Regardless, a central heating systems that’s given proper care will work for you smoothly. We have all heard the advice from the Government and environmental agents telling us to turn off our lights, turn off televisions and not leaving them on standby, and reducing our washing machine temperature and room thermostats. These energy saving hints are not only good for the environment, but also great for keeping your bills down at times of high energy costs. But how about making your central heating system operate more effectively? The accumulation of sludge and limescale deposits in your central heating system will reduce its efficiency.
To stop the build up of limescale and sludge in your system particularly in hard water areas, then you need to take a look at water treatment.
The term ‘water treatment’ is one that is used to describe various methods of taking care of your system. Various products of water treatment are available like electronic line and magnetic filters, noise reducers, gunk removers, anti-freeze and scale reducers and inhibitors.
In the UK, depending on where you live, your water could range between hard and soft. 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 deposits inside boiler parts, pipework and radiators increases energy consumption and can lead to banging and bumping in the pipework. You may be surprised to hear that you bills can increase by as much as 40% with just a thin layer of limescale in your hot water cylinder. These are basically calcium deposits solidifying from the water. Those who live in soft water areas need not take quite so many precautions but it is always wise to seek advice if you are unsure.
The water treatment options work by changing water’s molecular structure, it changes the way water behaves. It can do this in different ways for example, by changing one structure for another, by taking away a structure or by inhibiting the structure from becoming solid.
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 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. Before using a water treatment remedy on your present system, ensure that the entire heating system is completely flushed out.
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. They will help make detergents and soaps lather more readily but do not help in the fight to get your heating system working efficiently.
You basically need to prevent your system from three things, limescale deposits, biological growth and corrosion.
Right from the time the system is installed and commissioned, internal conditions can cause corrosion to set in. Corrosion causes sludge in the system which can restrict the circulation causing cold spots on your radiators. Pinholes can develop in the radiators which can make the boiler noisy when heating up.
The calcium and magnesium present in hard water is responsible for limescale deposits. When the water is heated, these minerals deposit, forming a hard crust that grows with time and blocks the pipes. This again can manifest itself with a noisy heating system.
Biological growth in the system is another one to avoid. This tends to get into the system by open tanks. Once in the system it breeds producing slime and sludge. If the growth occurs in pipework, it can decrease the efficacy of the entire system.
You can learn more about these problems on the internet. It would be wise to take time to go through some of this information. Lets first have a look at the manufacturers. Below is a list of manufacturers and some of the popular products they have available. 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.
So wish you all the best for your water treatment, make sure you chose the one that is effective and at the same time cuts your household bills by helping you maintain an efficient central heating system.