Your gas boiler wants its water system to be treated
Your gas boiler wants its water system to be treated
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. Regardless, a gas central heating systems that’s given proper care will work for you smoothly. 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. By doing all this, you not only cut down on the electricity bill, but also protect the environment. But what about getting your gas central heating system to work more efficiently? The build up of gunk and limescale deposits in your central heating system will cause it to run less efficiently.
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 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.
If you are living in UK, you should first ascertain the hardness of the water you are getting. Living in a hard water area means that you are prone to limescale your kettle probably being the first place that you will notice limescale deposits as well as on your showerhead and taps. Heating bills grow as a result of efficiency reduction caused by limescale. A thin layer of limescale can increase your fuel bills by 40 percent. These are basically calcium deposits solidifying from the water. 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.
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.
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. Before using a water treatment remedy on your present system, ensure that the entire heating system is completely flushed out.
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. They do not alter the efficiency of your system, they only allow soaps and detergents to produce more lather when washing clothes.
Limescale formation, acidic corrosion and bio-chemical gunk are the main causes of heating system damage.
The first problem that you may have to face is corrosion, it can start as soon as the system is installed and filled with water. The residue from corrosive action causes clogging of the water flow and reduces uniform heat transfer through the radiators. Pinholes can develop in the radiators which can make the boiler noisy when heating up.
Limescale results from the presence of calcium and magnesium in water, hard water regions have these elements more than the rest of the country. The deposits thicken when the water is heated, this leads to formation of a hard crust over a period which eventually blocks pipes etc. This can be another cause of the heating boiler making strange noises.
The next problem to deal with is the biological growth. This problem occurs when tanks are open as they are in certain types of central heating system. After entering into the system, they starts breeding and produce slime and gunk. If the growth occurs in pipework, it can decrease the efficacy of the entire system.
A lot of free advice is available on the internet on how to get rid of biological growth. Please spare some time and go through this or read the other informative articles in this web site. It is recommended that you begin with the manufacturers of the various systems. You can see below a list of some of the most popular products and their manufacturers. 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 reduced, find out the best water treatment method and apply the recommended treatments annually.