EFFICIENT HEATING SYSTEMS
THE MOST EFFECTIVE PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE FOR ANY COMMERCIAL OR DOMESTIC HEATING SYSTEM IS TO PREVENT DIRT AND AIR FROM ACCUMULATING. MARK MOGEY, HEAD OF OEM SALES AND ROI AT ALTECNIC, EXPLORES SOME OF THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY TO HELP KEEP THE HEATING SYSTEM CLEAN…
Preventative maintenance for commercial and domestic systems
M odern heating systems regardless of size are becoming more and more dependent upon clean, suitable water quality. Materials used in the construction of expensive components such as boilers, fan coils, heat pumps and cylinders mean that having a clean, filtered, or flushed supply is paramount to maintain the efficiency of the system. Research from the Energy and Utilities Alliance suggests that 80% of all central heating system issues are related directly or indirectly to sludge/debris in the system, so it makes sense to not only clean it thoroughly but to also take preventative action. While many domestic and commercial heating systems will have some sort of dirt and air removal, the technology has moved on considerably in the last few years, so it is important to ensure that all systems are reaping the benefits. This can be addressed by taking a whole system
approach to preventative maintenance whilst conducting the annual servicing and safety check of the boiler. POTENTIAL ISSUES Air and dirt are serious issues in a heating system and need to be removed. Air will cause noise in the pipes, low flow rates or even total circulation blocks, and inefficient heat transfer to the environment, resulting in cold rooms and greater heating costs. It can also cause corrosion of the system, resulting in weakening and even the breaking of pipes, radiators, or boiler heat exchangers. THE RIGHT SOLUTION To reduce air in a system you can fit valves that automatically vent air as it accumulates in a riser, as well as standard and automatic air vents in radiators. The advantage of having automatic valves is that the air build
up is managed on an ongoing basis rather than at its annual inspection, or worse when it breaks down. The Altecnic DISCALSLIM® is designed for continuous venting of air, down to the level of micro-bubbles (gradual and continuous degassing) and may be installed on either a vertical or horizontal pipe. For debris removal, older systems may well have filters or strainers fitted, which will remove larger particles. However, smaller particles such as fine sand, rust and magnetite will not get trapped and the strainer will cause a loss in water pressure in the system, which is only made worse as it gets clogged up. Whilst strainers need to be regularly removed and cleaned, modern dirt separators exploit gravity to remove even very small particles down to 5µm by reducing the speed of the water passing through them, minimising any
“The Altecnic DISCALSLIM® is designed for continuous venting of air, down to the level of micro-bubbles.”
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