Knowledge base
What is a boiler scale and why destroy steam boilers?
Boiler scale is a sediment of hardness salt on hot boiler surfaces. It acts as an insulator, increases fuel consumption and threatens to overheat the pipes.
How is the boiler scale formed?
The heated water loses its ability to maintain dissolved calcium and magnesium salts. They pounce on the hottest surfaces, forming a hard shell.
How does the scale affect fuel bills?
Now. 1 mm scale can increase fuel consumption by about 10%, because heat is more difficult to penetrate into water.
How to remove the boiler scale?
- Chemical descaling of the selected treatment product
- Rinse and passivation of surfaces
- Implementation of conditioning so that the scale does not return
Information gain: In the implementation of Fako after implementation of KCAQUA the cleaning cycle extended from 3 to 12 months (example data).
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers to questions that most often appear on this topic.
How often should a boiler be descaled?
Depends on the quality of water, load and sediment history. With proper conditioning, the need for cleaning clearly decreases.
Can boiler water be conditioned without shutting down the boiler?
Yes, the conditioning itself is carried out during work. We're planning to decontaminate depending on the state of the system.
How can you tell that scale is building up inside a boiler?
Typical symptoms include rising fuel consumption, poorer heat exchange, more frequent alarms, sediment in water and problems with maintaining stable parameters.
Does 1 mm of scale really matter?
Yes. Even a thin layer of sediment acts like heat insulation. The boiler must use more fuel to pass the same amount of energy into the water.
How can scale be prevented from returning after cleaning?
After descaling, it is worth to implement constant control of hardness, conductivity and pH and choose the KCAQUA program for the work of a particular boiler room.
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