Central Heating Query

dab43

Anyone got one of these gizmos that clip onto your water pipe to get rid of limescale, by magnetic means?. Do they work?.
Also do I need to add anything to central heating system to cure problem, and how would I add stuff to central heating?
Answers appreciated thanks.

davester

There is no scientific journals to say they work. The only claims they work are on the company promotional material and talk about closely related scientific fact to make their product plausable, bit like saying my desk fan can blow a house down cause in creates an air current (wind) because a hurricane is basically the same thing.

Harryo

What type of conditioner had you in mind exactly?

The domestic wrap around type are electro-magnetic units and the units which are installed within the pipe lines are either permanant magnetic type or electro-magnetic type. I don't know what you are referring to by clip on type.

There are lots of these units on the market. Some are bound to be better than others. Some claim falsely that the units soften water but that is just not the case - I would steer clear of those. Water can only be softened by a change of chemical composition.

Problem is, very little independant research has been carried out on these conditioners and there is no benchmark on which you can judge the effectiveness of the units.

My own view is that the electro magnetic type should be more effective than the permanant magnetic type - but I have no scientific evidence on this. It is my experience that they usually work but sometimes they do not and the reason is not always evident. Some manufacturers offer a money refund guarantee. Those that intend to honour the guarantee obviously have great faith in their own units and are therefore probably the ones to go for.

Variations in water flow (which will occur) affects the effectiveness. Also a break in the water supply, such as a cold water storage cistern, will prevent the downstream water from that break retaining the magnetic charge. Therefore if you have a cold water storage cistern you will need at least two units. Also the charge is lost over a period of time (say 24 hours) and therefore water systems which are used only infrequently may not benefit very much.

The central heating is a sealed system and does not require a conditioner as raw water is not continuously entering the system. A poorly designed electro-mangnetic water conditioner could actually do more harm than good in heating systems as there is usualy a mixture of metals, which can be adversley affected by stray electrical currents.

For central heating just make sure the system has been adequately chemically flushed prior to being put in use, a corrosion inhibitor and biocide have been added to the correct concerntration and the chemical(s) are checked at least annually to ensure they are still active and in the correct concerntrations. Chemicals are added either into F&E cistern or a radiator air vent.

kwikbreaks

Are you talking about the radiator system?

If so then search for inhibitor for central heating - this thread covers the topic (but I haven't read it through to see if it comes up with a good answer on how to add it to a sealed system).
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/586676

Inhibitor doesn't tackle limescale it prevents the electrolytic reaction between the steel rads and copper pipes which cause the black sludge that clogs up the works and eventually leaks.

If you are talking about the hot water side of things search for snake oil.

dab43

Thanks for info people, :appreciated

knightstyle

It is good practice to put an inhibitor in the central heating system, helps stop sludge build up etc. to put it into a traditional system first tie up the ball-valve over the heating header tank in the loft, usually the small one. then drain some water out, about 10 litres will usually do, then pour the inhibitor into the header tank and untie the ball-valve. You may need to bleed a few upstairs rads.
If there is an expansion balloon instead of the header tank it is a bit more complicated but still a DIY job. First make sure the valve that feeds the flexible top up pipe is off, then open the bleed on the uppermost radiator and drain some water off, leave this open and check the system pressure is down to zero.
Then get a garden sprayer, the type with a tank and pump on the tank, put the inhibitor into the sprayer and remove the jet bit from the hose. Remove a bleed valve from a downstairs radiator and quickly, as water will be coming out, jam the hose from the sprayer into the rad. now pump the inhibitor into the system, water will come out of the bleed valve upstairs. When finished, replace bleed valve, close upstairs valve and repressurise using the flexible feed. Sounds complicated but worked for me.