Can you help your central heating with softer water
Can you help your central heating with softer water
Nowadays a typical household is fitted with dozens of automatic appliances and systems to provide homeowners with a convenient life. Any household system, be it a refrigerator or television set or electrical wiring, will function better and more economically if it is well maintained. 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 televisions off and turning down thermostats. 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.
If you live in a region where hard water is being supplied, then you should look for water treatment methods to prevent gunk and limescale from damaging your central heating system.
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. 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. Any accumulation of limescale will make your system run less economically and therefore increase your heating bill. 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. Limescale is simply calcium deposits in your system. If you live in a soft water region, then you need not worry about limescale that much; however, if you are unsure about the water quality, then without any wavering seek advice.
Most water treatments act by altering the molecular structure of the water and the particles therein and changing 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.
If you want to determine the corrosion rate inside your heating system, you can do so by using these chemical kits which measure the chloride, copper and iron levels and measure the pH.
First, you must ensure that your system has been installed by a competent person just knowing that you must never directly connect aluminium to copper or brass because simply by connecting different metals can start a reaction which causes corrosion. All gas connections must be made by a CORGI registered tradesperson.
It is a good idea to plan ahead, if you are having a new system installed, think which water treatment you will require as some can be fitted to your system. Before using a water treatment remedy on your present system, ensure that the entire heating system is completely flushed out.
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. They do not alter the efficiency of your system, they only allow soaps and detergents to produce more lather when washing clothes.
The three main things that you need to prevent are corrosion, limescale and biological growth.
Corrosion can start from the moment the system is set up and filled with water from the mains supply. Due to corrosion sludge is produced, which in its turn creates cold spots in the radiator and stops circulation. Pinholes can appear in the radiators and if untreated the boiler can start making noises.
Hard water has a higher concentration of calcium and magnesium salts which cause limescale deposits within the system. When the water is heated, these minerals deposit, forming a hard crust that grows with time and blocks the pipes. Limescale can again make the gas central heating system noisy.
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 sludge stagnates in the plumbing and slows down the flow of hot water.
There is a lot of free advice on the internet. Please spare some time and go through this or read the other informative articles in this website. 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. You can also gain additional information and seek advice through different blogs or forums, some may be run by the manufacturers.
All the best with your water treatment, let energy conserving heating and hot water with lower household bills rule.