Can you help your central heating system with softer water
Can you help your central heating system with softer water
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. The point being that if you look after your system it will look after you. You must have heard those environmental and government agents asking us to switch off our Television, lights etc when not in use, the room thermostats and washing machine temperatures should also be turned down to cut energy use and carbon dioxide production. All of these are effective ways of saving energy which will not only help environmentally but also reduce many household energy bills. But what about getting your central heating system to work more efficiently? The build up of sludge and limescale deposits in your central heating system will cause it to run less efficiently.
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 term water treatment encompasses many different remedies for the protection of your system. 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. These deposits decrease the efficiency of your system which in turn increases your household bills. Your fuel bills can increase by 40% even with small deposits of limescale in your cylinder. Limescale deposits are simply composed of calcium. 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.
The way that most water treatments work is by changing the molecular structure of the water’s particles which, in turn alters 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 different types of chemical test kits available that can help you to ascertain the corrosion potential of water by measuring the pH, chloride, iron and copper levels.
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. The service technician fitting your gas connections should possess CORGI certification, this is now called Gas Safe and is a legal requirement.
If you anticipate hard water problems, you can fit out your new central heating system with a suitable water treatment attachment. However in case you are just updating your existing one, you can start with flushing the system and then think of any water treatment, there are chemicals you can add to your central heating system to reduce corrosion and sludge build up.
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. These water softening chemicals can produce better lather and are good for your skin, but they cannot reverse the choking and pitting inside the heating system.
Limescale formation, acidic corrosion and bio-chemical sludge are the main causes of heating system damage.
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 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.
In hard water areas the calcium and magnesium in the water causes limescale. Once the water is heated it leaves deposits of these minerals which form a hard crust, building up over time and blocking pipes etc. Again, the symptom of this can be a heating system that makes noise.
You should also be wary of biological growth. They gets into the heating system through open tanks. After managing to enter the system, it spreads by creating slime and sludge. It can also cover the inside of the pipework resulting in clogs and negatively affecting the operation of the whole system.
Plenty of free help is available on the internet. Take a look at this for a few minutes to improve your awareness. 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. Blogs also offer ample source of free help and information or you can contact the companies with any questions.
In order to ensure that your gas central heating system works efficiently and your family bills are also cut, find out the best water treatment method and apply the recommended treatments annually.