Why is Water Quality Important?
Importance of Water Treatment
Water treatment is essential to ensure peak boiler performance and operational efficiency. Up to 15% of thermal loss occurring within the first two years of boiler operation can be attributed to poor water quality. Untreated water inside a boiler can cause the following: overheating, failure to produce hot water, and shortened life expectancy of the system.
Water contains dissolved solids that can cause scale upon evaporation on heat transfer surfaces. The combination of chlorides, magnesium, sulfur, calcium and bicarbonates form hard water. If not removed from the boiler, scale will build up over time and cause blockages in pipes and boiler tubes. Additionally, scale will reduce the heat transfer capacity of the boiler, leading to poor performance and possible boiler tube failure.
Dissolved oxygen and carbon dioxide in water can also cause corrosion of the boiler and piping system. Corrosion will eventually reduce the metal's thickness and could potentially cause ruptures inside of the boiler tubes. Continuous removal of protective oxide layers can cause corrosion in carbon steel pipes due to the high velocity of water flow. A restriction to heat transfer will cause the metals to overheat and fail prematurely.
Proper water treatment can prevent both scale and corrosion while maintaining peak boiler efficiency and performance.
Water Quality Program
Implementing a water quality program that fits your needs will protect your boiler investment while reducing fuel and energy waste.
Patterson-Kelley strongly encourages that a water quality solution be administered by a certified water treatment company. When working with water treatment vendors, it is important to know the water source and understand what problems need to be addressed. A water quality report from your local utility company and onsite water testing should determine quality issues. 
All vendors recommended by P-K (Sentinel, TGWT, and Fernox) will implement a program that includes historical records of success involving multi-metal system treatment. These vendors will control the type of treatment needed based on a water analysis. All treatment procedures and the frequency of testing will also be determined by the certified water treatment company.
Additional considerations, such as filtration equipment, use of a water meter and detailed instructions on best practices, are included in this Water Quality Bundle.
For more information, please contact pkmarketing@harsco.com.
