How facilities managers are saving energy, money and the environment

News

• From members
• Media coverage
• By Made in Britain
• Environmental & Social Value
• Government & Supply Chains
• Exports
• Impact Awards
• View all articles

Newsletter Sign up

Sign up here to receive our regular newsletters to receive new in-depth manufacturing articles from industry leaders.

Email Address

MiBsocial

What if we were to tell you that we guarantee we can solve your issues with hard water and limescale in your heating and hot water systems, and by doing so reduce your energy consumption, maintenance and boiler downtime. Sound too good to be true … ?

Facilities Managers that we talk to tell us time and time again that one of their biggest headaches is the ongoing issue of limescale in heating systems due to hard water. In addition, the need to reduce costs and improve energy efficiency now plays a massive part in the FM role.

It is estimated that limescale accumulates at a rate of approximately 1-3mm per year. Just 1mm of scale increases energy use by up to 10% (average of 6-7%), with 6mm increasing consumption by as much as 40%. This is because scale in heating systems creates an insulating layer, inhibiting heat transfer to the water.  Unfortunately, scale is also more likely to accumulate on the hottest parts of a boiler, so these areas amass the thickest layer of scale, leading to localised overheating and permanent damage to the boiler.  Very often, scale accumulation will not be realised until it is too late.

So, in order that energy savings are maximised and equipment maintenance is greatly reduced, the priority has to be to eliminate limescale permanently from your heating systems.

Traditional salt softeners are one possible method of preventing limescale build-up, but as we discussed in a previous blog, they need to be regularly monitored to ensure that they are topped up and working, not to mention the expense of the salt. The other drawback to salt softeners is that they don’t remove existing scale build-up, so if your softener is fitted to an already scaled system, or if it is not operating as it should for any period, you will have a build-up of scale in your equipment, as well as the resulting costs and breakdowns.

Chemical treatment is often the only answer to remove existing scale build-up from heat exchangers and boilers, but the environmental impact and expense of the chemicals, in addition to the downtime of the equipment, makes this a costly option.

Our solution? The Integro water restructuring technology offers a unique and environmentally friendly way of eliminating limescale. Not only will it prevent all future limescale from forming, but it will also remove any historical build-up from your water system and equipment. It has no wear and tear parts (compared to, for example, cartridges and filters in ion exchange units) and is 100% chemical-free.  It is maintenance-free throughout its lifetime, offering an enormous saving in the time, expense, and increased carbon footprint involved with engineer visits and ordering spare parts and replacement cartridges/filters for water softening systems. In addition, the Integro has a very low energy use – a maximum of 0.039kwh. Contact us today to discuss how this innovative technology can be the cure for your limescale headache!

Find out more about Sidon Water on their member profile page here