softened water with steam heating system

Tony Conner_2

... if you have a little residential steam boiler that is taking SO much make-up water that you're considering a water softener, something is VERY wrong, and the problem needs to be identified, and fixed ASAP. All a water softener will do for small residential boilers is mask the real problem (a BIG freakin' leak...), while your boiler dies an ugly death from oxygen corrosion - LONG before it's time.

wheel

softened water use with steam heating

I installed a water softener system, is it advisable to use softened water in a steam boiler, or should I run a bypass water feed for the boiler??? water supply, city, is extremely hard, however have been using it for years prior to install of softener.. neighbor of mine has been doing this, softened water, for a few years, doesn't seem to have any issues.. I was researching new boilers, I believe that's where I came across this issue, manufacturer recommended no chemically softened water.. Thanks for replies

Unknown

I've read the same thing about not using softened water though I'm not sure why. Big commercial boilers`use distilled water. With the softened water it may have something to do with the residual chloride ions left over from the "softening". The softening might also affect the PH. What I think what I would do is contact the boiler manufacturer and get hold of someone in engineering who can answer your question satisfactorily.

Tony Conner_2

If You...

... have SO much make-up water going to your little heating boiler that scaling is a problem (the reason for using softeners), then you have a serious leak - steam and/or condensate - someplace in your system. Essentially ALL of the steam that leaves a heating boiler should return as condensate. While a softener will prevent scaling from the make-up water, and the boiler will run just fine, softeners do nothing for dissolved oxygen, and your boiler will pit-out in fairly short order. This is over and above having to heat the make-up water from maybe 50*F (or less) instead of condensate at 180*F. There's 130 BTU/lb of water heated of "running start" that you've given-up. With a boiler that's running at 80% efficiency, that's about 163 BTU in extra fuel you're burning for every pound of water you're trying to turn into steam.

For straight heating boilers, all a softener will do is mask a much more serious problem. And the leak, or failed condensate pump, that IS the problem will kill your boiler long before it's time - in spite of the softener - as well as costing you a lot of money on extra fuel.

kevin_60

soft water

I posted the same question a while back. The answer i got was to use hard water because hard water has minerals that coat the inside of boiler. Soft water does not have the minerals. If you do a search on hard or soft water for steam boiler feed you can read Glen Stanton from burnham responce.

nicholas bonham-carter

soft water?

i would say no, because of the residual chlorides, and the possibility of graphitic corrosion [ the leprosy of cast iron]:see below--nbc


http://forums.invision.net/Search_Results.cfm?CFApp=2#Message293218

kevin_60

soft water

Wheel this is the answer i got


Date: October 09, 2007 11:02 AM
Author: Glenn Stanton
Subject: Al



The way I understand it, and I am no chemist, normal water contains certain levels of minerals and other things that provide a protective skin inside the boiler and steam dome. Add softened water to the scenario and you lose that protective skin. A somewhat different but similar analogy would be the copper skin of the Statue of Liberty. The green skin on that copper has protected it all these years from corrosion. There is also the possibility of the softeners backwash cycle going somewhat haywire and introducing water with aggressive chloride levels into the boiler.

Once again, I don't profess to be an expert in water chemistry and metallurgy but I do know that we spent extensive time and money having research done to determine why some steam boilers fail prematurely and others don't. We incorporated the findings of this research into the design of the Megasteam boiler. Water chemistry is the major issue and exposure of the steam dome to hot flue gasses was another. Hope this helps.

Glenn Stanton

Manager of Technical Development

Burnham Hydronics

U.S. Boiler Co., Inc.

Mad Dog_2

Listen to Tony

Save yourself ALOT of $$$$. Wise man.Mad Dog

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Al Letellier_21

softened water

Just went to a training class at Buderus U...yes you can teach an old dog new tricks...and this subject was brought up. Here is the answer as best I can remember it:
Water softeners add an extra ion of oxygen to the water making it more corrosive, thus it should be avoided and only untreated water should be added to the system.

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