Water chemistry and PH

I read the manual on my newly acquired AHS130 coal gun, and I plan on starting the install fairly soon. One thing that struck me was the section on the water chemistry—PH, hardness, etc. I don’t recall reading such detailed information in the manual for my outgoing wood boiler when I installed it 12 years ago, and I simply filled it through the fill valve with my tap water and let it go. It has been fine for 12 years. Anyway, I want to make sure that the 130 lasts for decades and continues to be a reliable source if heat, and to that end want to make sure that I get the water chemistry right. My tap water has a very low PH level. I assume I will want to adjust that somehow. What measure have any of you taken to adjust the chemistry of your boiler water? Once filled, how do you add chemicals to the system to make these adjustments? Do you only concern yourself with PH, or are there other other things to consider? I assume sending a water sample out for an official test would probably be advised, yes?

Acidic water can be hard on metal pipes. I know you can buy treatment systems to get your ph levels neutral and if you have hard water you can treat that too. I am a big believer in never letting that thing get cold ever again after you fire it up the first time. That is the single biggest preventive maintenance thing you can do. The boiler in my mother’s house dates back to the late 40’s and the steel probably looks as good as it did a year after it was installed. It was probably only down for maintenance a half dozen times (or less) in that entire time. I can only think of two in my entire 54 years on earth.

If you are really worried you can purchase a can or two of Fernox or some boiler tabs to treat the boiler water after you fill it and let it run for several hours to let it mix.

It is always good practice that when you are connecting the threaded fittings that you start the pipe dope one thread below the end of the fittings to prevent the pipe dope from entering the water.

Using pipe dope is the recommended way to install probe wells and independent low water cut offs that are direct water contact sensors as it does not interfere with the probe wells ability to transmit temperatures correctly or for a direct water contact low water cut off sensor to correctly detect a low water condition.

outdoor wood boilers are usually open to atmospheric pressure and their chemistry would be different. while hydronic boilers are pressurized equal to a column of water as high as your highest pipe , plus a hair or two more. I suffer from a well water ph that the copper pits from the inside out. If you dont ever have to use make up water it is very good practice to not needless add water and a very important reason why never to have continual leaks.

franpipeman wrote: ↑

Sun. Jun. 16, 2019 2:56 pm

I suffer from a well water ph that the copper pits from the inside out. If you don't ever have to use make up water it is very good practice to not needless add water and a very important reason why never to have continual leaks.

As long as you fill the boiler once, or even once every five years, the minimal damage done by acidic or alkaline water should occur just that once. It's not a continuing damage, because whatever chemical reaction happens will by definition neutralize the imbalance in the water. So as long as it’s not leaking, fill it once and don’t worry about it.

It’s different in your household plumbing, which every day brings in a fresh supply of corrosive water if you are unlucky like franpipeman.