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W
ATER QUALITY AND BOILER WATER ADDITIVE
S
I
MP
O
RTANT N
O
T
E
This boiler is equipped with an aluminum heat exchan
g
er that can be seriousl
y
dama
g
ed b
y
failure to follow
t
he following guidelines
:
1
)
Flush the system before connecting the boiler
yg
- In a replacement installation, fl ushing the system will remove
r
s
ediment, solder fl ux, and traces of old boiler additives. Even if the s
y
stem is new, do not omit this step - new
s
ystems will contain solder fl ux and may even contain sediment
.
2
)
Make sure that the system is tight
yg
-
t
Th
i
s
i
s the s
i
ngle most
i
mportant gu
i
del
i
ne. Tap water contains dissolved
o
x
yg
en which causes corrosion. In a ti
g
ht s
y
stem, this ox
yg
en comes out of solution and is quickl
y
removed
from the system through the automatic air vent. The system then remains essentially free of oxygen. If the
s
ystem is not tight, however, frequent additions of make-up water can expose the heat exchanger to oxygen on
a continuous basis. In addition, frequent additions of hard make-up water can cause calcium deposits to collect
i
n the heat exchanger, causing severe damage
.
To minimize additions of make-up water:
•
Inspect the s
y
stem thorou
g
hl
y
for leaks before placin
g
it in service
.
•
If the system includes underground piping, or other piping in which a leak might go undetected, conside
r
i
solating the boiler from the system with a heat exchanger. Alternatively, consider installing a water mete
r
i
n the fi ll line to record additions of make-up water.
•
Make sure that the expansion tank is properly sized and in good condition. If it is not, the relief valve may
o
pen frequently, resulting in regular additions of make-up water
.
3
)
Radiant Tubing and Oxygen Barriers
gyg
- Even if the s
y
stem is ti
g
ht, ox
yg
en can be introduced into the s
y
stem
t
hrough some types of non-metallic tubing used in radiant or snow melt systems. Other non-metallic tubing is
e
quipped with an oxygen barrier to prevent migration of oxygen into the water. If the boiler is to be installed in
a s
y
stem containin
g
non-metallic tubin
g
without an ox
yg
en barrier, it must be isolated from the boiler with a
h
eat exchanger as shown in Figure 9.10
.
4
)
A
ntifr
ee
z
e
- Do not use antifreeze unless absolutely necessary. If antifreeze must be used, the only permitted
antrifr
ee
z
es
ar
e:
•
Fernox Al
p
hi-1
1
•
Fernox CHP in virgin propylene glycol (available from U.S. Boiler
)
If either of the above antifreezes are used
,
test the boiler water on an annual basis to ensure that the antifreeze
r
emains non-corrosive. This is done with Fernox test kit I-TK
(
available from U.S. Boiler
).
5)
O
ther Antifreezes and Boiler Additives - Do not add other additives unless they are specifi cally approved in
w
irin
g
b
y
U.S. Boiler for use with this boiler. This includes other “aluminum safe” antifreezes
.
6
)
System PH
y
- Maintain the PH in the system between 6.5 and 8.5.