Water treatment
PROTECTING SYSTEMS FROM HARDNESS F
rancine Wickham, global marketing director at Fernox (pictured right) explores how water hardness impacts upon central
heating system efficiency. When encountering a dirty central heating
system, where over time system sludge, scale and debris has been allowed to develop, cleaning and inhibiting the system is the ideal solution. These two steps remove existing debris and prevent further deposit build-up to restore system efficiency and protect against future corrosion. However, the role of water hardness is often
overlooked in maintaining optimum system efficiency. In 2014, the current Building Regulations were implemented which specified that when commissioning a new domestic boiler a scale reducer should be fitted if the water is harder than 200 parts per million (ppm). To comply with the legislation and prevent
limescale formation, either a magnetic or electrolytic scale reducer should be installed. Using magnetic principles, magnetic scale reducers offer single appliance protection while electrolytic scale reducers act as water conditioners to provide whole house protection. Although business owners and householders
are sometimes aware they are located within a hard water region, due to the visible build-up of
limescale in common appliances such as kettles, the impact on the property’s central heating system can hide in plain sight. This is because
when water contains between 200 and 300mg of calcium carbonate per litre,
limescale can develop within the central heating system. Significantly impacting upon the appliance’s efficiency, British Water estimates even a 1.6mm coating of limescale on a heating element will reduce its efficiency by up to 12%. Within a wet central heating system, limescale
can cause pipework blockages, limiting water flow and therefore reducing overall efficiency. This forces the boiler to work harder, using more energy to reach the desired temperature while causing inconsistent heat flows, radiator cold spots and early system components failure. As boiler technology develops and continues to
improve efficiency levels through the miniaturisation of boilers, the internal channels of new compact boilers are also narrower, and therefore more susceptible to blockages as a
owners who are unaware of the importance of effectively treating hard water. It is therefore vital to ensure an inhibitor
package is used within a commercial central heating system that protects against limescale formation. The role of water hardness in maintaining heating system efficiency and lifespan is often overlooked within the commercial environment. By incorporating the effective use of innovative chemical water treatments combined with the latest inline filter technology, , such as those offered by Fernox, limescale formation can be prevented and any debris captured, resulting in an efficient and scale-free system.
result of limescale build-up. So how do you recognise a system suffering with limescale? One of the main indicators is an increase in system- produced noise, known as ‘kettling’, which is a common limescale-related issue. Caused by the heat exchanger’s restricted water flow, trapped water overheats, creating steam and a rumbling kettle-like sound as the boiler tries to start up. A direct cause of a noisy central heating system and increased fuel costs, limescale deposition can lead to the early replacement of expensive system components and the boiler itself. There are thousands of commercial property
www.heatingandventilating.net
August 2017
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