Live in a soft water system region and get lower energy bills
Live in a soft water system region and get lower energy bills
There are countless products available in the market that you can add to your central heating system to ensure that it runs properly, and there are several other products that can do work for you even in standalone mode. In either case, your system will be well-prepared to work efficiently if you take the time to maintain it. Our Government and environmental activists have been telling us to switch off lights, turn televisions 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 of these are effective ways of saving energy which will not only help environmentally but also reduce many household energy bills. 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.
The term ‘water treatment’ is one that is used to describe various methods of taking care of your system. 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.
The UK has water types ranging from hard to soft based on the region where you live. 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. These deposits decrease the efficiency of your system which in turn increases your household bills. Your fuel bills can increase by 40% even with small deposits of limescale in your cylinder. When calcium carbonate precipitates out of the hard water, it forms limescale inside the boiler. Soft water area residents should not worry too much, but it doesn’t hurt to ask for help if you are not so sure.
Most water treatments act by altering the molecular structure of the water and the particles therein and changing the way it behaves. Some will change one structure for another, others remove the offending structure and another will stop them from being able to make a solid leaving them in suspension.
There are different types of chemical test kits available that can help you to ascertain the corrosion potential of water by measuring the pH, chloride, iron and copper levels.
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. By law, only CORGI registered tradespeople can deal with gas connections, this scheme is now known as Gas Safe.
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.
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. They will not have any effect on how efficiently your system works, but they will make detergents and soaps lather up more easily.
You basically need to prevent your system from three things, limescale deposits, biological growth and corrosion.
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 appear in the radiators and if untreated the boiler can start making noises.
Hard water contains magnesium and calcium and these minerals deposit as limescale in the system. Deposits of these minerals leave hard crusts in the system when the water is heated. Limescale can again make the gas 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 managing to enter the system, it spreads by creating slime and sludge. This material can really make your system under perform by clogging up the pipework.
You can find a lot of information and advice on how to deal with these problems on the internet and in this site. It would be wise to take time to go through some of this information. Lets first have a look at the manufacturers. Below is a list of manufacturers and some of the popular products they have available. You can also gain additional information and seek advice through different blogs or forums, some may be run by the manufacturers.
All the best with your water treatment, let energy conserving heating and hot water with lower household bills rule.