You heating boiler may like you to live somewhere else
You heating boiler may like you to live somewhere else
There are many optional products that are available to add to your central heating system to keep it running on a regular basis, and there are others that you can install and let them do the work for you day by day. In either case, your system will be well-prepared to work efficiently if you take the time to maintain it. 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 energy saving tips are not only good for the environment, but also great for keeping your costs down at times of high energy costs. 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.
It usually happens in areas where hard water is present, you can go for water treatment to avoid these deposits.
Water treatment is a term used to cover many different ways of looking after your system. Magnetic/electronic lime fighters, scale reducers/inhibitors, sludge reducers, noise reducers and anti-freeze are examples of the type of water treatment products that are available to you.
If you are living in UK, you should first ascertain the hardness of the water you are getting. If you find a build up of limescale in your kettle and on your shower head you probable live in a hard water area. Limescale not only reduces the efficiency of your system, but also increases your heating bills. 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. When calcium carbonate precipitates out of the hard water, it forms limescale inside the boiler. If you live in a soft water region, then you need not worry about limescale that much; however, if you are uncertain about the water quality, then without any wavering seek advice.
A majority of water treatment methods alter the molecular structure of water and the associated particles, and thereby changes the way water behaves. One way of modification is to convert a structure completely to another, another is to take out the mischievous component, and yet another way is to prevent the structure from becoming solid, thus leaving its normal process unrealized.
There are chemical test kits which will measure the ph and chloride levels and also the iron and copper levels so that you can measure the probable corrosion potential and rate.
Your system must be installed by a professional, never connect brass or copper to aluminum as this can lead to corrosion through the interaction of these metals. All gas connections must be made by a CORGI registered tradesperson.
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. However in case you are just updating your existing one, you can start with flushing the system and then think of any water treatment, there are chemicals you can add to your central heating system to reduce corrosion and gunk build up.
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.
You basically need to prevent your system from three things, limescale deposits, biological growth and corrosion.
Corrosion can begin immediately after the water starts to fill up the system from the main source after installation. Corrosion causes gunk in the system which can restrict the circulation causing cold spots on your radiators. Pinholes can develop in the radiators which can make the boiler noisy when heating up.
In hard water areas the calcium and magnesium in the water causes limescale. Heat causes these minerals to precipitate and step by step encrust the inner lining of pipes, leading to obstruction. Again, the symptom of this can be a heating system that makes noise.
Biological growth in the system is another one to avoid. This tends to get into the system by open tanks. 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. These resources cover product details as well as user feedback. Lets first have a look at the manufacturers. This site contains a list of manufacturers, and the products that they produce and sell to help maintain your central heating. Blogs are another great source of free advice and information or contact a supplier with any queries that you may have.
In order to ensure that your central heating system works efficiently and your home bills are also cut, find out the best water treatment method and apply the recommended treatments every year.