Limescale Reduction and Removal

HydroFLOW can assist with the eradication of hard, encrusted limescale, as well as with the prevention of further scale accumulation.

Hot water for residential heating – either individual homes or as part of a complex – can be produced in a number of ways such as combination boilers, hot water cylinders heated by boilers or electric heaters, or by new alternatives such as solar panels or heat pumps. All of these suffer from accumulation of limescale on the heating surfaces, particularly in hard water areas.

Limescale accumulation blocks heat transfer across the heating surface, making the system significantly less efficient (20% for around 1.5mm of limescale). Limescale can also cause boilers and heaters to break down, entailing expensive labour and replacement costs for the homeowner or companies who maintain such systems.

The image below shows a complex of holiday homes where the HydroFLOW has removed large amounts of existing limescale on their residential heaters. Electric “immersion” or “resistance” heaters fitted inside hot water cylinders can quickly accumulate limescale on their heating elements, particularly in large residential complexes where water is being heated and cooled throughout the day. Prior to the trial installation of the HydroFLOW, four hot water heaters in a complex of holiday homes accumulated around 200kg of hard, encrusted limescale every year. The thickness of the scale was such that the heating elements regularly became damaged and stopped working – the maintenance company was replacing around five sets of heaters every year. Four months after installation, the HydroFLOW had reduced the amount of scale by more than 95% and any remaining scale was in powdered form and easy to wipe away. The company responsible for maintaining the heaters estimated annual savings of 50% on maintenance costs and saving of approximately 1,750 euro per year on replacement costs which were no longer necessary.