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You guys are taking this to a level not seen in hydronic heating.

1. Water does not reach a boiling point in hydronic heating. In certain circumstances there is occasions where water flashes to steam in the eye of the circulator volute . Other wise we are 180 ish down to ambient. Always a moving target.

2. Most particulates are already in the fill water, or pre existing in the system infrastructure. These are solids down to a micron level.

3. The goal here is to capture those particles, and keep the system Fill water clean as possible. In particular ferrous particulates that can foul ECM circulators, and SS, AL HX's of certain designs. Fire tube types are less prone to fouling by design.

4. As far as ECM circs go there may be certain systems that prove to be beyond there use. Such as an all iron pipe gravity system.

5. We can fill flush, purge flush, chemical treat flush, chemical treat. all day long. In something like an all iron system I believe it would be a never ending cycle of treatments, and maintenance. One has to ask is the money saved by an ECM circ taken away from the extra maintenance, and treatment a system needs to gain anything the low watt circ can offer.

6. System variables in particular flow rates. In my mind an initial multi system purge cleaning, and treatment is going to be the highest flow rates the system will ever see once operational. Any contaminates there after still in the system will most likely settle out in the widest parts of the road to stay for ever. I think type of system pumping has an effect. Be it constant circulation verses on off circs, and zoning with valves, or circs. Out of the options I think a,system with varying delta p will kick up a lot more settled out particulates from the initial system cleaning at various times, and certain conditions.

As for Hot Rods system with iron ferrite particulates when none exists in system components. I think you will find that all components can be contaminated during the system build. Whether it be sanding clothes to clean pipe, or wire brushes. To just plain contamination at mills for copper. Via transportation, and handling at distribution sites down to the supplier. The bigger the system build the larger the probable volume could be. Then there is the fluid fill choice be it well,city, distiller, RO water the particulates are there just in different ppm.

Henry's law states that when a fluid is heated it holds less dissolved solids. Bottles law deals states that when the pressure increases, the volume decreases which is why a diaphragm tanks is used in a system to accept the expansion of the water when heated. Check the web for both Henry and Boyles Law. It applies to what we do everyday.

Deionized water is cool and helps tremendously but only helps. Corrosion can still occur. Inhibitors help in addition to but need to be checked at some interval.

So if I wanted to dissolve salt or sugar in water it would go into solution easier if the water was cold? I don't think so.

Cold water is more dense so it cannot dissolve salt or sugar. But when heated to certain temps it can hold more but at some point it starts to come out of solution.

We have all started new systems, purged them thoroughly, prior to air scrubbers, and we would receive a call from our customer saying they hear noise in the baseboard. Where did it come from? We purged it out. It came out of solution in the form of a vapor. Some came out in the form of a solid and when we drain the same system years later we have the awful smelly stuff in black form that comes out. Minerals.

If we take untreated domestic water and place it in an ice cube tray and freeze it usually you'll have ice cubes with a white center. The minerals froze at a different rate then the water. What happens to those same minerals when placed in a hydronic closed loop system? They come out of solution and many settle in the bottom of the system. Others travel with the flow and coat the distribution piping and radiation. Remember we are talking about how these effect an ECM circ in our systems.

General rule of thumb for solids is the higher the temp the more soluble they become and the opposite for gases. Of course when water gets too hot it boils and solids would then crash out. I'm a analytical chemist by trade and I have not come across too many exceptions to these basic rules.

Cool, thanks for the input, but the water in a closed loop hydronic system does reach a boiling point so how is it that the minerals will separate out. Seriously, I never completely understood that or at what temperature they separate out at or how fast. All I know is that they do and settle in the system. All of what you're saying is accurate and I wish I was trained like yourself to better understand it and communicate it accurately.

Getting back to ice makers; agreed that the water gets poured, ran over a cold plate or rods, the water freezes and the minerals run off and when the run off side of the ice maker is not maintained, those minerals reek havoc on the pump, strainers and what ever else is in series with the runoff water. So there are minerals in water and yes they affect our systems and now ECM CIRCS.

There you go.

Now, if you're a true connoisseur of the extract of the java Bean, you make it with bottled water. If you really like quality java, you drink it black, straight up. No cream or sugar. That way, you can drink it hot, cold or any temperature in between. If you are in a hurry, put some ice cubes in it. To cool it off. Not just any ice cubes. You need ice cubes from a dedicated chilled plate ice machine. Not the automated ice cube tray that the give you to take up valuable space in your freezer. The ice will be clear until you notice the white spot in the middle. Water in a ice cube tray freezes from the outside in. As the water freezes, it forced all the dissolved solids and gasses in the water to the middle. Look carefully and notice the little bubbles. On a hot summer day, fill a glass with bottled water and ice cubes from a freezer tray. Take a drink, The first few taste great. After that, the water is undrinkable because of the junk in the middle. When you buy a bag of bagged ice at the Supermarket, the iice is made in machines that pump water over a freezing plate. Water sticks to the grid. Once the slab is thick enough, it "harvests" the slab. All pure water. ever been somewhere and had an adult beverage where they used bagged ice? Finished the beverage and sucked the left over ice until its gone? Bet you never did that with the ice in your ice tray at home. Put bagged ice in your coffee. Enjoy the fine flavor.

So, if you want some third world ionized water, buy bagged ice, let it melt, and pump it into the heating system. I don't know what they get for truly ionized water, but it is about $2.10 per 10# bag at the Publix Supermarket. That's less than $2.00 per gallon. Third World Ionized water. Better than nothing if you have nothing.

Henry's law states that when a fluid is heated it holds less dissolved solids. Bottles law deals states that when the pressure increases, the volume decreases which is why a diaphragm tanks is used in a system to accept the expansion of the water when heated. Check the web for both Henry and Boyles Law. It applies to what we do everyday.

Deionized water is cool and helps tremendously but only helps. Corrosion can still occur. Inhibitors help in addition to but need to be checked at some interval.

So if I wanted to dissolve salt or sugar in water it would go into solution easier if the water was cold? I don't think so.

Cold water is more dense so it cannot dissolve salt or sugar. But when heated to certain temps it can hold more but at some point it starts to come out of solution.

We have all started new systems, purged them thoroughly, prior to air scrubbers, and we would receive a call from our customer saying they hear noise in the baseboard. Where did it come from? We purged it out. It came out of solution in the form of a vapor. Some came out in the form of a solid and when we drain the same system years later we have the awful smelly stuff in black form that comes out. Minerals.

If we take untreated domestic water and place it in an ice cube tray and freeze it usually you'll have ice cubes with a white center. The minerals froze at a different rate then the water. What happens to those same minerals when placed in a hydronic closed loop system? They come out of solution and many settle in the bottom of the system. Others travel with the flow and coat the distribution piping and radiation. Remember we are talking about how these effect an ECM circ in our systems.