Is It Important To Use Boiler Water Treatment Chemicals?

By Author: Rob Parker
Total Articles: 312
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Industries in which boilers are used to treat water that is used in production, or as an after product before disposal may question whether or not the use of treatment chemicals is necessary. After all, shouldn't pure boiling be enough to rid the water of any major solids or pollutants that may be held in suspension?

The answer to this question is no. Even in cases where the influent water is of high quality, such as that drawn from a deep well, it is likely to be hard water, in need of chemical treatment. Additional chemicals, of course, will be needed depending on the quality grade of the water used in your industry, and its source. There are several reasons why using these chemicals is important:

Particles in solution may prove abrasive in your systems. No matter how small particles in suspended water are, they have the potential to create some major hazards when run through pipes and equipment. Just think about the damage salt water does in a single summer to boat engines and so on; not only through abrasion but also through corrosion, when salt drops out of suspension and erodes the inner workings of the machine. ...
... Any kind of solid can cause the same type of damage to valuable machinery and pipe work in industries, and boiling won't always remove all particles. In many cases, chemicals are needed to bond out the suspended particles.

Contaminated water may lead to contaminated product. Chemical treatment is just another barrier to help avoid any danger of contaminated water. Think of a boiler system as a double wall against water contamination; the first wall is the heated water itself, with the additional defence provided by the chemicals used in the boiler.

When it comes right down to it, the use of boiler water treatment chemicals is good for your company's bottom line. It prevents the degradation of important machinery and piping as well as providing additional protection against contamination.

Chemicals for treating boiler water are available for any problems that you may encounter from your source, from antifoaming agents to scale and corrosion preventatives and anti-bio fouling solutions. Find out which risks come from your influent source and then make sure risks are addressed through the use of the right treatment chemicals.