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Corrosion is the most common cause of heating system failures. It is responsible for reduced heating efficiency, leaks and water loss, component failures, and a shorter lifespan of the entire system. Learn how to effectively combat corrosion in heating systems.
Why is corrosion so dangerous? The corrosion process damages the metal construction materials of heating systems and leads to a range of problems. It initially attacks and degrades the surface of materials, but gradually penetrates deeper, potentially creating a crack or hole in the heating system or compromising joints. This results in the dangerous leakage of the operating fluid.
Rust also flakes off and releases into the operating fluid. Rust particles clog the system, which reduces flow and thermal performance of the heating and can destroy the moving parts of the system.
There are several types of metal corrosion. In heating systems, you may encounter the following:
Oxygen Corrosion: occurs when oxygen in the heating system reacts with metal (aerated radiators).
Galvanic Corrosion: is an electrochemical phenomenon that occurs due to the reaction of different metals connected by an electrically conductive solution.
Bacterial Corrosion: results from the metabolism of microorganisms in the water within the heating system.
Galvanic corrosion is also known as bimetallic or electrolytic corrosion. Simply put, it is the formation of rust due to the mutual interaction of different metals. Galvanic corrosion occurs under the condition that:
two or more different types of metals are connected by an electrically conductive solution (e.g., ordinary water, but often moisture is sufficient),
these metals have different corrosion potentials and are not isolated.
Such connected metals are called a galvanic cell.
And how does galvanic corrosion occur? When the above conditions are met, one metal (the less noble one) becomes the anode and the other the cathode. The conductive solution then transfers electrons from the anode to the cathode, which significantly accelerates the corrosion of the anode. The cathode remains intact, or its corrosion is slowed down in proportion to how much the anode's corrosion is accelerated.
Galvanic corrosion - the silent killer of heating systems.
In practice, this phenomenon can be encountered in heating systems made from several different metallic materials. This is undesirable, and a good designer should always consider galvanic corrosion and design the entire system, including all components, from a single metallic material without admixtures, or from materials with the same or similar corrosion potential. If this is not possible, it is necessary to properly insulate individual materials that could together form a galvanic cell.
Even the boiler and other parts of the heating system can form a galvanic cell, so their corrosion potential within the entire system must also be considered when selecting them.
Rust in heating is dangerous for two reasons:
It damages the surface of construction materials, leading to various leaks. Operating fluid may leak from radiators, and the overall lifespan of the heating system is significantly shortened.
Rust particles release into the operating fluid and circulate in the heating system. They gradually clog the heating and individual components, often leading to the seizing of moving parts of the system (especially pumps) and other failures.
You can prevent the negative consequences of corrosion processes with proper maintenance of the heating system.
Prevention must correspond to the causes of different types of corrosion:
Against oxygen corrosion, you can simply defend by regularly bleeding the heating system. Bleeding is also very important for optimal heating performance.
Galvanic corrosion is the result of an unsuitable combination of construction materials in the system; in this case, only a qualified designer and a quality heating project can help.
Microbial corrosion can be prevented by proper disinfection of the water before filling the system (if the water is drawn from a well or borehole).
With the help of a magnetic filter, you can effectively and easily remove all released rust particles from the operating fluid. Magnetic filters are now installed automatically on modern heating systems, but their use is also highly recommended for older systems.
Sediment trap with filter and magnet Caleffi.
Why are magnetic filters essential today? Modern heating systems are much less energy-intensive than older ones, but they are more complex. They generally consist of many parts and components, which results in the use of several construction materials with different corrosion potentials. As mentioned above, these can easily form an undesirable galvanic cell.
Modern systems also use pumps with a strong magnet, which increases the efficiency of the pump operation but also attracts magnetic metal fragments and sludge, potentially leading to reduced functionality or even seizing.
The solution to these problems is the installation of a magnetic filter for heating. This device very effectively removes all metals, metal sludge, and rust from the operating fluid. It simply captures them using a strong magnet, which then only needs to be cleaned about once a year. Since the magnetic filter for heating operates solely on the basis of physical laws, its operation is one hundred percent effective, yet it won't cost you a penny.
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