If you have problems with your household water quality, you’d expect them to adversely affect its taste or your home’s plumbing and water heater. However, the quality of your water supply can also impact portions of the HVAC, such as the components of a hydronic heating system.
Why Water Quality Affects HVAC
The common quality issue with a home’s water supply that affects the HVAC equipment is hardness, which is a high content of the minerals calcium and magnesium. Problems develop because these suspended minerals form into solids when water is heated, and the resulting scale particles can collect inside the heating system and wreak havoc on the equipment in various ways.
Effects of Water Quality on a Hydronic Heating System
Mineral scale resulting from hard water can directly affect the performance and longevity of your hydronic heating system and impact its:
- Energy efficiency. Scale accumulation on the different components of your heating system can create an insulating effect that makes it more difficult to heat water. To reach the necessary temperature, the system will have to run more frequently and cycle for longer periods, which increases its energy consumption and your utility bills.
- Reliability. If the effects of water quality issues are impacting your heating equipment and they’re not addressed, the components are more prone to breakdowns and repairs. A build up of mineral scale over the long term can even ruin various components, and leave you facing an unexpected, premature equipment replacement.
- Maintenance. If your home has a hard water supply and you have hydronic heating, it’s vital to ask a reputable heating contractor whether mineral scale is a concern and what steps are necessary to keep everything operating efficiently and reliably. The system may need extra routine maintenance such as a periodic flush out to keep mineral scale build up under control, or your contractor may recommend taking other proactive measures to limit scale formation.
If you have concerns about the effects of water quality on the HVAC system in your Lorain area home and need expert advice, contact us at Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning today.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Lorain, Ohio about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Guide or call us at 440-201-2959.
Energy 1 Heating & Air Conditioning
1 (440) 246-5440
Serving the Lorain, OH Area