Shrink your energy accounts with softer water supply for your central heating boiler
Shrink your energy accounts with softer water supply for your central heating boiler
There are several products that serve as auxiliary items for your central heating system so that it functions 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. Our Government and environmental activists have been telling us to switch off lights, turn TVs completely off instead of leaving them on standby, and lower the temperature of our washing machines as well us the thermostats of our rooms. 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 gunk and limescale starts piling up, the efficiency of the system starts dwindling increasing your energy costs.
It usually happens in areas where hard water is present, you can go for water treatment to avoid these deposits.
The term water treatment encompasses many different remedies for the protection of your system. Various products of water treatment are available like electronic line and magnetic filters, noise reducers, gunk removers, anti-freeze and scale reducers and inhibitors.
You can either get hard or soft water in UK, depending on the area you live in. If you spot limescale formation inside your kettle or bath taps, there is probably hard water running in your taps. Limescale reduces efficiency and adds to heating bills. A thin layer of limescale can increase your fuel bills by 40 percent. Limescale is nothing, but calcium deposits in your central heating system. These problems are not seen in areas that get soft water, however in case of any doubt one should always seek advice.
Many water treatments produce the desired effect by changing how water molecules and the particles inside act through modifications of their structure. 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. The gas connections should be made only by a trades person, who is Gas Safe registered (with CORGI).
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.
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.
Limescale formation, acidic corrosion and bio-chemical gunk are the main causes of heating system damage.
From the very instant your heating system is in place corrosion can begin. Your radiators can suffer from cold spots caused by restricted circulation as a result of gunk created in the system by corrosion. Pinholes can also appear in the radiator and if the problem is not sorted out in good time your boiler could start to make noises.
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. Limescale can again make the gas central heating system noisy.
Biological growth in the system is another one to avoid. This problem occurs when tanks are open as they are in certain types of central heating system. After the biological matter gets into the tank it begins to breed and produces sludge and slime. In addition to the tank, they grow into the pipes and block them; thereby the efficiency of the system is further reduced.
You can find a lot of information and advice on how to deal with these problems on the internet and in this site. Take out time to go through a few pages of free advice. Producers of water treatment products provide detailed data and user references on their websites. Some well known manufacturers and their popular products are listed in this site, such as Sentinel or Fernox. You can also gain additional information and seek advice through different blogs or forums, some may be run by the manufacturers.
Good luck with your water treatment heres to energy efficient heating and hot water with lower household bills of course.