Gas Boilers Information

Are you damaging your heating boiler with an inappropriate water

You can find a number of products that can be added to your heating system to help it run smoother as well as some products that can take care of themselves. The point being that if you look after your system it will look after you. 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 environmentally conscious steps not only save the greenery on our planet, but also save the pound notes in our wallet. 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 sludge buildup.

Whether your water is hard or soft can play a crucial role in the life of your central heating system and water treatment can help here – to extend the healthy working of your system with products such as Fernox.

Water treatment looks after your system in more than one way. A wide range of water treatment products including scale reducers and inhibitors, magnetic and electronic lime fighters, sludge removers, noise reducers and anti-freeze are available.

The UK has water types ranging from hard to soft based on the region where you live. Limescale deposits are common in areas that get hard water, and these deposits are first seen on kettles, taps and shower heads. Any accumulation of limescale will make your system run less economically and therefore increase your heating bill. Just a small, thin layer of scale in your hot water cylinder can increase your fuel bills by as much as 40%. Limescale is nothing, but calcium deposits in your central heating system. These problems are not seen in areas that get soft water, however in case of any doubt one should always seek advice.

Many water treatments produce the desired effect by changing how water molecules and the particles inside act through modifications of their structure. 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.

The first thing that you need to do is to determine whether your system has been installed by a competent person or not; if different metals like aluminum and copper or brass are connected together, corrosion will set in immediately. 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. If you are upgrading your current system, you must cleanse your whole system before any water treatment chemicals are added.

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. They will help make detergents and soaps lather more readily but do not help in the fight to get your heating system working efficiently.

Corrosion, limescale and biological growth are the three prominent things you need to stop.

Right from the time the system is installed and commissioned, internal conditions can cause corrosion to set in. Due to corrosion gunk is produced, which in its turn creates cold spots in the radiator and stops circulation. Gradual pitting can perforate the metal piping, causing the boiler or radiators to rattle.

Limescale is caused by calcium and magnesium which is present in the water hard water areas having far more of these minerals than other parts of the country. When the water is heated, these minerals deposit, forming a hard crust that grows with time and blocks the pipes. This can be another cause of the gas boiler making strange noises.

Biological growth in the system is another one to avoid. This is usually introduced into the system through open tanks. After entering into the system, they starts breeding and produce slime and sludge. This gunk stagnates in the plumbing and slows down the flow of hot water.

There is a lot of free advice on the internet. Take a look at this for a few minutes to improve your awareness. It is recommended that you begin with the producers of the various systems. Some well known manufacturers and their popular products are listed in this site, such as Sentinel or Fernox. Blogs also offer ample source of free help and information or you can contact the companies with any questions.

All the best with your treatment and let’s hope you can get your heating systems working as efficiently as possible to save you some hard cash.