What can you insert in your water system to help your central heating system
What can you insert in your water system to help your central heating system
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. Irregardless of which you choose, you should take proper care of your central heating system, only then can it perform efficiently. 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. By doing all this, you not only cut down on the electricity bill, but also protect the environment. But, how will you make sure that your central heating system works efficiently? As the layers of gunk and limescale starts piling up, the efficiency of the system starts dwindling increasing your energy costs.
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.
Water treatment is a term used to cover many different ways of looking after 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.
If you are living in UK, you should first ascertain the hardness of the water you are getting. 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 energy bills. Basically, limescale is just the build up of calcium deposits. 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 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. Some methods change one structure into another; a few others, remove the interfering structure; and the remaining, prevent the formation of limescale.
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 upgrading your current system, you must cleanse your whole system before any water treatment chemicals are added.
Heating systems take water from the mains water supply and there are various systems that you can attach to your mains supply to deal with hard water problems, however, it is worth noting that systems that are put in to soften water in your home are only for household use and will do nothing for your central heating system problems. 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.
Corrosion, limescale and biological growth are the three things that you should be looking to limit or stop from occurring.
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. One of the symptoms of corrosion is cold spots in your radiators because sludge in the system prevents the water circulating properly. 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. 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 again can manifest itself with a noisy heating system.
Biological growth is another thing that should be avoided at all costs. This tends to get into the system by open tanks. The biological growth advances rapidly in the form of a slimy lining. If the growth occurs in pipework, it can decrease the efficacy of the entire system.
You can find a lot of information and advice on how to deal with these problems on the internet and in this site. Please spare some time and go through this or read the other informative articles in this site. Kick-start with the manufacturers and their web sites. This site contains a list of manufacturers, and the products that they produce and sell to help maintain your central heating. Besides inquiring for information with company sources, you should also read opinions on specialised blogs.
Good luck with your water treatment heres to energy cost-efficient heating and hot water with lower household bills of course.