Domestic Water Treatment
Domestic water treatment is the term that covers products and processes which prevent the scaling and corrosion of pipe work and equipment within a heating system. The build up of sludge and lime scale in a heating system restricts heat transfer, while corrosion and scale reduce the system effectiveness by at least 15%.
The pipes that deliver hot water to the radiators are like the main arteries in your body, as the central heating system relies on the pipe work to receive heat. Thereforethey need to be kept free of blockages. The sludge (black iron oxide) prevents heat transfer through the radiator, reduce system flow rates, generate noise and ultimately lose efficiency and increase energy use.
Water treatment products include:
- Chemical inhibitors – these products inhibit the corrosion of metals and the formation of scale in a central heating system. Corrosion remains collect in radiators as sludge.
- Chemical cleaners – these products are used in flushing and cleaning a heating system to remove sludge and scale debris.
- Fluids to clean and protect heat pump, solar and under floor heating systems.
Water Treatment Processes Include:
- Softening: Water Softeners work by ion exchange, so sodium replaces the high levels of dissolved minerals, specifically calcium and magnesium, in the hard water. Hard water does not present any health risk, but usually creates problems due to mineral build-ups in water pipes and heating systems, shorter life of household appliances and poorer performance of soaps and detergents, compared with softened water.
- Filtration: Many water treatment facilities use filtration to remove all particles from the water. Those particles include clays and silts, natural organic matter, precipitates from other treatment processes in the facility, iron and manganese, and microorganisms. Filtration clarifies water and enhances the effectiveness of disinfection.
- Ion Exchange: Ion exchange processes are used to remove inorganic contaminants if they cannot be removed adequately by filtration or sedimentation. Ion exchange can be used to treat hard water. It can also be used to remove arsenic, chromium, excess fluoride, nitrates, radium, and uranium.
- Absorption: Organic contaminants, unwanted coloring, and taste-and-odor-causing compounds can stick to the surface of granular or powder activated carbon and are thus removed from the drinking water.
- Disinfection (chlorination/ozonation): Water is often disinfected before it enters the distribution system to ensure that potentially dangerous microbes are killed. Chlorine, chloramines, or chlorine dioxide are most often used because they are very effective disinfectants, not only at the treatment plant but also in the pipes that distribute water to our homes and businesses. Ozone is a powerful disinfectant, and ultraviolet radiation is an effective disinfectant and treatment for relatively clean source waters, but neither of these are effective in controlling biological contaminants in the distribution pipes.
