Your central heating wishes its water supply to be treated
Your central heating wishes its water supply to be treated
There are several products that serve as auxiliary items for your central heating system so that it operates normally, and then there are those that work independently to give you the service you want. Either way, a well looked after central heating system will run more efficiently for you. The Government and environmental agencies repeatedly tell us about the ways to conserve energy like switching off the lights and appliances when not in use, re-adjusting the temperature of the room and washing machine according to the needs, and not leaving any electrical device in the standby mode. All these habits will result in lower household bills in addition to protecting the environment through energy saving. But, how will you make sure that your central heating system works efficiently? As the layers of sludge and limescale starts piling up, the efficiency of the system starts dwindling increasing your energy costs.
Whether your water is hard or soft can play a crucial role in the life of your central heating system and water treatment can help here – to extend the healthy working of your system with products such as Fernox.
Water treatment is a term used to cover many different ways of looking after your 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. 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 deposits inside boiler parts, pipework and radiators increases energy consumption and can lead to banging and bumping in the pipework. A tiny layer of scale inside the cylinder of your hot water can augment your fuel cost by up to forty percent. When calcium carbonate precipitates out of the hard water, it forms limescale inside the boiler. Although those living in soft water areas will not have to take as many provisions, if you are unsure you should still get professional advice.
Most water treatments act by altering the molecular structure of the water and the particles therein and changing the way it 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.
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.
To begin with, you should make certain that your system has been assembled by a qualified individual, for example it’s important to have the simple knowledge that connecting aluminum and copper or brass triggers a corrosive reaction because that’s what happens when different metals are joined. The service technician fitting your gas connections should possess CORGI certification, this is now called Gas Safe and is a legal requirement.
If you plan ahead of time while having a new system assembled, you will be able to identify the water treatments you need and have some of them installed with your system. If you are upgrading your current system, you must cleanse your whole system before any water treatment chemicals are added.
Products added to the mains supply can soften hard water and improve the quality of water for domestic use, but they do not prevent or remedy deterioration of the central heating system. You will be able to make lather with detergents and soaps more easily but your heating system will still have problems with efficiency.
With regards to heating systems, you have to prevent three important things viz,limescale, corrosion and biological growth.
From the very instant your heating system is in place corrosion can begin. Due to corrosion sludge is produced, which in its turn creates cold spots in the radiator and stops circulation. Gradual pitting can perforate the metal piping, causing the boiler or radiators to rattle.
Hard water contains magnesium and calcium and these minerals deposit as limescale in the system. The high temperature of the water causes these elements to become hard and crusty, leaving deposits behind that clog pipes etc. A vibrating and wheezing heating system can be a real nuisance.
Fungal and bacterial growth is another menace to vented heating systems. 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. If the growth occurs in pipework, it can decrease the efficacy of the entire system.
There is a lot of free advice on the internet. Take a look at this for a few minutes to improve your awareness. We recommend starting with the manufacturers themselves. This site contains a list of manufacturers, and the products that they produce and sell to help maintain your central heating. 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.
All the best with your water treatment, let energy conserving heating and hot water with lower home bills rule.