Lower your gas invoices with softer water for your boiler
Nowadays a typical household is fitted with dozens of automatic appliances and systems to provide homeowners with a convenient life. The point being that if you look after your system it will look after you. We have all heard the advice from the Government and environmental agents telling us to turn off our lights, turn off televisions and not leaving them on standby, and reducing our washing machine temperature and room thermostats. All of these are effective ways of saving energy which will not only help environmentally but also reduce many household energy bills. But how about making your central heating system operate more effectively? The accumulation of gunk and limescale deposits in your central heating system will reduce its efficiency.
If you live in a region where hard water is being supplied, then you should look for water treatment methods to prevent gunk and limescale from damaging your central heating system.
The term ‘water treatment’ is one that is used to describe various methods of taking care of your system. sludge 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.
Your location in the UK caninfluence the extent of your water’s hardness or softness. 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. Limescale not only reduces the efficiency of your system, but also increases your heating bills. A tiny layer of scale inside the cylinder of your hot water can augment your fuel cost by up to 40%. Basically, limescale is just the build up of calcium deposits. 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 water treatment options work by changing water’s molecular structure, it changes the way water behaves. Water treatment works in different ways, it can change the structure or prevent the formation of solid or remove the offending particle altogether.
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.
To begin with, you should make certain that your system has been assembled by a qualified individual, for example it’s important to have the simple knowledge that connecting aluminum and copper or brass triggers a corrosive reaction because that’s what happens when different metals are joined. The service technician fitting your gas connections should possess CORGI certification, this is now called Gas Safe and is a legal requirement.
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 updating your existing system you would be looking at flushing the whole system before adding any water treatment solutions.
The mains water supply provides water to the heating systems, one can fix various other systems with the mains supply in order to deal with the problem of hard water, however these systems that soften the water work only for your household, they don’t do much about the problems associated with 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.
With regards to heating systems, you have to prevent three important things viz,limescale, corrosion and biological growth.
From the very instant your heating system is in place corrosion can begin. The residue from corrosive action causes clogging of the water flow and reduces uniform heat transfer through the radiators. If left as such, it can lead to the formation of pinholes in the radiator, and it will also make the boiler noisy.
Hard water contains magnesium and calcium and these minerals deposit as limescale in the system. 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. The growth enters the system through open tanks in certain types of heating system. After managing to enter the system, it spreads by creating slime and gunk. 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. Take some time to look through this. We recommend starting with the manufacturers themselves. Some well known manufacturers and their popular products are listed in this site, such as Sentinel or Fernox. You can also find a lot of really useful information and tips through forums as well as speaking to suppliers directly with any specific questions that you may have.
So wish you all the best for your water treatment, make sure you chose the one that is effective and at the same time shrinks your household costs by helping you maintain an efficient gas central heating system.