The gas boiler likes its water system to be treated
The gas boiler likes its water system to be treated
Nowadays a typical home is fitted with dozens of automatic appliances and systems to provide homeowners with a convenient life. Either way, a well looked after heating system will run more efficiently for you. 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. These environmentally conscious steps not only save the greenery on our planet, but also save the pound notes in our wallet. 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 gunk in your system particularly in hard water areas, then you need to take a look at water treatment.
The term water treatment encompasses many different remedies for the protection of your system. Many types of water treatment products such as scale reducers and inhibitors, magnetic and electronic anti-lime mechanisms, sludge destroyers, noise reducers and anti-freeze can be used for water treatment.
You can either get hard or soft water in UK, depending on the area you live in. Limescale deposits are common in areas that get hard water, and these deposits are first seen on kettles, taps and shower heads. Limescale deposits inside boiler parts, pipework and radiators increases energy consumption and can lead to banging and bumping in the pipework. Just a small, thin layer of scale in your hot water cylinder can increase your fuel bills by as much as 40%. Limescale is simply calcium deposits in your system. 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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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. You will be able to make lather with detergents and soaps more easily but your heating system will still have problems with efficiency.
Corrosion, limescale and biological growth are the three things that you should be looking to limit or stop from occurring.
Right from the time the system is installed and commissioned, internal conditions can cause corrosion to set in. One of the symptoms of corrosion is cold spots in your radiators because sludge in the system prevents the water circulating properly. It can cause pinholes in the radiators and if left can cause the boiler to become noisy.
Hard water contains magnesium and calcium and these minerals deposit as limescale in the system. The deposits thicken when the water is heated, this leads to formation of a hard crust over a period of time which eventually blocks pipes etc. This again can manifest itself with a noisy heating system.
You should also be wary of biological growth. They gets into the heating system through open tanks. After the biological matter gets into the tank it begins to breed and produces sludge and slime. This material can really make your system under perform by clogging up the pipework.
There is a lot of free advice on the internet. It would be wise to take time to go through some of this information. I would start with the manufacturers themselves. Some well known manufacturers and their popular products are listed in this site, such as Sentinel or Fernox. Besides inquiring for information with company sources, you should also read opinions on specialised blogs.
Now you should be able to choose and install an effective central heating system which is enjoyable, healthy and economical on both kinds of green!.