Can you service your central heating system with softer water

You can find a number of products that can be added to your central heating system to help it run smoother as well as some products that can take care of themselves. Either way, a well looked after heating system will run more efficiently for you. 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. All these habits will result in lower household bills in addition to protecting the environment through energy saving. Are you paying the same attention to your central heating system? The heating system is also prone to reduced efficiency caused by corrosion, limescale formation and gunk buildup.

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 looks after your system in more than one way. gunk extractors, limescale inhibitors, electronic and magnetic lime reducers, anti-freeze compounds and noise reducing agents are some of the extensive water treatment products sold in the market today.

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 deposits inside boiler parts, pipework and radiators increases energy consumption and can lead to banging and bumping in the pipework. A thin layer of limescale can increase your fuel bills by 40 percent. Limescale is simply calcium deposits in your system. These problems are not seen in areas that get soft water, however in case of any doubt one should always 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 methods change one structure into another; a few others, remove the interfering structure; and the remaining, prevent the formation of limescale.

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. The gas connections should be made only by a trades person, who is Gas Safe registered (with CORGI).

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. If you are revamping the old system, you should rinse out the whole system before adding the water treatment method.

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. They will not have any effect on how efficiently your system works, but they will make detergents and soaps lather up more easily.

With regards to heating systems, you have to prevent three important things viz,limescale, corrosion and biological growth.

Corrosion can begin immediately after the water starts to fill up the system from the main source after installation. Corrosion causes sludge in the system which can restrict the circulation causing cold spots on your radiators. Pinholes can appear in the radiators and if untreated the boiler can start making noises.

In hard water areas the calcium and magnesium in the water causes limescale. 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 central heating system noisy.

Biological growth is another thing that should be avoided at all costs. Minute organisms can enter through the vents and storage tanks of the boiler. After entering into the system, they starts breeding and produce slime and sludge. In addition to the tank, they grow into the pipes and block them; thereby the efficiency of the system is further reduced.

Plenty of free help is available on the internet. It would be wise to take time to go through some of this information. Kick-start with the manufacturers and their web sites. You can see below a list of some of the most popular products and their manufacturers. Forums and Blogs are another good source of free advice and wholesome information; you can also use these to directly get in touch with the suppliers.

All the best with your water treatment, let energy conserving central heating and hot water with lower home bills rule.

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