What Are The Effects Of Hard Water On Boilers

Hard / Salty water, which contains minerals such as calcium and magnesium, can corrode the tubes of water boilers. If these elements are present in the boiler installer’s water supply, they can cause limescale to build on the tubes’ surfaces, resulting in overheating and tube collapse. The efficiency of a boiler might be affected by hard water. Hard scaling, caused by calcium and magnesium, will affect heat transfer inside the boiler. A thin layer of hard scaling on boiler tubes as thin as 1/8 inch can reduce efficiency by around 25%. The boiler then wastes more Electricity and works harder to meet your heating requirements.

Hard water can cause numerous issues with your heater and your entire central heating system. This happens as the dissolving ions are left behind when water heats to steam. Calcium carbonate, often known as lime scale, is formed when the remaining ions link together. Limescale coatings pipes cover the heating element, and even clog your radiator!

Limescale deposits inside the pipes can cause problems with thermal conduction and block the pipes and prevent the seamless flow of steam and water. Again, this means that your boiler will have to work more, which will result in higher electricity expenditures. Calcium carbonate can also accumulate inside the radiator. As a result, your radiators will form cold spots, making your home feel cooler.

How to determine if your water is Salty/hard

Water hardness is caused by compounds of calcium, magnesium, and certain metals. Hardness minerals interfere with the lathering action of soaps and detergents, reducing their effectiveness. They also accumulate on surfaces in the plumbing system and heating elements, reducing efficiency and flow performance and causing pre-mature equipment failure. Most of us are familiar with the hard, crusty white scale that forms when hard water deposits build up on a shower head or faucet. The formation of hard water mineral scale is accelerated when temperature increases. For this reason, hard water scale formation is a significant problem for water heaters (tankless/on demand, and tank type water heaters).

What to do to Prevent all this Problems

A water softener that works in tandem with your boiler installer is a solution to these possible issues. Water softeners incorporate sodium particles into the boiler’s water supply, effectively eliminating the presence of calcium and magnesium and alleviating the hard water issue. A water softener will help your boiler avoid failures or damage that could shorten its lifespan. It does this by reducing the possibility of hard scaling within the boiler, improving the flow of water, ensuring maximum levels of efficiency, and preventing failures or damage that could shorten its lifespan.

At Water Heaters Kenya we provides high-quality boiler service Nairobi and helps you maintain your home’s water quality.

Benefits of Hard Water Treatment:

  • Protects the investment in your new water heater
  • Ensures optimal energy efficiency
  • Maintains water pressure and flow rates
  • Prevents pre-mature heating element / heat exchanger failure
  • Maintains status of manufacturer warranty

There are number of technologies available to treat hard water, including conventional water softeners, Template Assisted Crystallization (TAC), electronic/magnetic water conditioners, polyphosphate filters, and reverse osmosis. Some of these technologies, including conventional water softeners and polyphosphate ( Siliphos ) filters are not very environmentally friendly, and others are either not very effective or not practical for this type of application (electronic/magnetic water conditioners and reverse osmosis). Accordingly, we recommend Template Assisted Crystallization (TAC) technology as the preferred method of hard water treatment to protect a tankless water heater.

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