Hi
Please offer me some of your time/expertise in my following learnings if you may. Feel free to correct anything I have written that is not 100% correct and add any further parts if you wish to, to help me:
fresh AIR into a radiator/primary system (brought in with fresh water) is bad, as it will eat away at the inside of steel (ferrous) components, such as radiators, and produce black ferrous oxide (magnetite/rust).
On first fill of a system, if a good corrosion inhibitor is added, this then prevents further action and corrosion of the system. (to a certain degree).
But if not added, this metal that is rusted away, then allows fresh metal to be corroded away, and the process will continue, until eventually the radiators will be so bad that pin holes, etc will appear in them and they will leak bad. A by-product of rust/magnetite build up is Hydrogen. Which accumulates at can be vented from the radiator via the air vent.(as air rises).
If fresh air is entered into the system, either via leaks at rad valve unions, through lockshield valve spindles (micro leaks) this is also bad as fresh air can lead to fresh corrosion over time. This air accumulation is also noticed by frequent cold radiator tops, which then need to be vented.
Pumping over is extremely bad, as fresh air is constantly drawn into the system and the rusting away will occur again and again (but not too badly if a corrosion inhibitor is added)
In soft water areas, the process can be made worse, as electrolytic action will also be present (the soft water being slightly acidic will act as the electrolyte, with the copper pipes rusting away the steel rads, etc).
Even in a good / well looked after system, some Sludge will still build up over the years, and will be noticed by cold spots at the bottom/middle parts of radiators, preventing the water from flowing fully through the radiator. This can be removed using a good chemical cleaner (ie sentinel X400, Fernox, etc) and then the system being re-filled using a corrosion inhibitor again after being treated.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to any help / further info you may be able to offer me
Please offer me some of your time/expertise in my following learnings if you may. Feel free to correct anything I have written that is not 100% correct and add any further parts if you wish to, to help me:
fresh AIR into a radiator/primary system (brought in with fresh water) is bad, as it will eat away at the inside of steel (ferrous) components, such as radiators, and produce black ferrous oxide (magnetite/rust).
On first fill of a system, if a good corrosion inhibitor is added, this then prevents further action and corrosion of the system. (to a certain degree).
But if not added, this metal that is rusted away, then allows fresh metal to be corroded away, and the process will continue, until eventually the radiators will be so bad that pin holes, etc will appear in them and they will leak bad. A by-product of rust/magnetite build up is Hydrogen. Which accumulates at can be vented from the radiator via the air vent.(as air rises).
If fresh air is entered into the system, either via leaks at rad valve unions, through lockshield valve spindles (micro leaks) this is also bad as fresh air can lead to fresh corrosion over time. This air accumulation is also noticed by frequent cold radiator tops, which then need to be vented.
Pumping over is extremely bad, as fresh air is constantly drawn into the system and the rusting away will occur again and again (but not too badly if a corrosion inhibitor is added)
In soft water areas, the process can be made worse, as electrolytic action will also be present (the soft water being slightly acidic will act as the electrolyte, with the copper pipes rusting away the steel rads, etc).
Even in a good / well looked after system, some Sludge will still build up over the years, and will be noticed by cold spots at the bottom/middle parts of radiators, preventing the water from flowing fully through the radiator. This can be removed using a good chemical cleaner (ie sentinel X400, Fernox, etc) and then the system being re-filled using a corrosion inhibitor again after being treated.
Thank you for reading and I look forward to any help / further info you may be able to offer me
