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Hercules boiler cleaner with 8 way

CGeorge
CGeorge Member Posts: 4
My local heating supply house suggested I clean our boiler with Hercules boiler cleaner , yellowish product , which I di twice and then flushed both zones and the boiler drain for over an hour before refilling with 1/2 a qt of 8 way boiler treatment , roughly a 12 gal system. 
The question is that now after running for a few days I drew off a sample to see how blue the 8 way was. Well the color of the boiler water is purpleish . I assume the yellow Hercules with the Blue 8 way. 
I find it hard to believe there was that much Hercules still in the system. Now I wish Id just stayed with the Hercules as Im concerned the mixture could be harmfull to the system.  
Any input greatly appreciated
Thanks , Rod

Comments

  • ethicalpaul
    ethicalpaul Member Posts: 6,670
    I have used 8-way a lot in my steam boiler and I have never seen it blue in the gauge glass. It's always a purple-pink.

    NJ Steam Homeowner.
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  • WMno57
    WMno57 Member Posts: 1,408
    @cgeorge For a hot water heating system, usually you should not add anything, and flush as little as possible. Minimal flushing at the start of the season for the pressure relief valve, and boiler drain. There are exceptions to this for bad water, risk of freezing, and high drama mod con heat exchangers.
    Its not an automotive cooling system where corrosion inhibitors in the antifreeze wear out in 2 - 5 years. Its a closed system and shouldn't get dirty, so no need for a cleaner. Hydronic heating systems benefit from as little oxygen as possible. Adding fresh water adds oxygen.
    If your system has large amounts of dirt or corrosion, check out the Caleffi Dirtmag.
    https://www.caleffi.com/en-us/air-&-dirt-separator-with-magnet-546-caleffi-546196a
    Steam boilers are a different situation.
  • SuperTech
    SuperTech Member Posts: 2,430
    I've used 8 way in my boiler and in several Energy Kinetics boilers. It's always purple, nothing to worry about.  
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 23,405
    One thing to remember with hydronic glycols or hydronic conditioners. They need to be blended with good quality water. I know Dow give you the water spec. I imagine the conditioner manufacturers do also

    If you blend with hard, high TDS, high iron water you use up or compromise the inhibitor package right away. The conditioner does little to nothing, worse case ph drops and metals get attacked

    I have never asked about blending with softened water. Generally they ask for DI, DM, ir RO water. Water that has  been stripped of both the positive and negative ions

    Softening removes the scaling minerals but is an ion exchange adding more  of the opposite ions

    The conditioner chemical would need to deal with that increase
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream