Water Treatment Resources

If leaks are suspected, installation of an inexpensive totalizing water meter in the make-up line will provide early detection. Regular testing of the water can also detect leaks.

The fluid in a closed system usually contains a suspension of fine, abrasive particles which are harmful to equipment (i.e. pump seals), and leads to unscheduled shutdowns and increased maintenance. There are various sources of these particles, mostly resulting from corrosion. Side stream filtration and scheduled filter changes are necessary to minimize the risk of damage.

Yes. Boilers manufactured with aluminum or stainless steel heat exchangers are extremely sensitive to the high pH levels used in traditional closed loop treatments. Typical closed loop treatments inhibit corrosion using pH buffering, and it is not uncommon to operate at values from pH 9.0 to 10.5. Aluminum starts to degrade rapidly at pH values above 8.5 and stainless steel at pH values above 9.0. Consult with your Pace Technical Representative for the specific corrosion inhibitor treatment recommended for your heating systems with aluminum or stainless steel metallurgy.

Closed loop water should be almost clear and colourless. Dark brown or black water indicates a serious corrosion problem. There should be very few solid particles collecting at the bottom of the sample container. Consult with a Pace Technical Representative in your area for further analysis to determine the water quality.

No program can guarantee the elimination of Legionella or prevent every potential illness. Consistent treatment, cleaning, monitoring, testing and corrective action help reduce risk.

Testing should be addressed in your site’s risk mitigation program and Water Management Plan. Frequency depends on site risk, operating conditions and applicable owner, regulatory or public health requirements. Pace can help establish an appropriate schedule.

No. Total bacteria counts and Legionella tests measure different things. A low total bacteria count does not confirm that Legionella is absent.

Pace reviews the result with the facility contact and appropriate technical personnel, assesses treatment history and system conditions, and recommends corrective action and follow-up testing. The response also considers applicable site requirements and public health direction.

Yes. Pace provides cooling tower hyperchlorination services using site-appropriate procedures, documented treatment readings and follow-up recommendations.

Hyperchlorination is one part of risk management. Continued treatment, physical cleaning, mechanical maintenance, monitoring and follow-up testing remain essential.

The Pace plan should be reviewed at least annually, after major system changes or significant microbiological findings, and when applicable requirements change.

You may have heard from your Pace Technical Representative that your cooling tower system is bleeding off too much water, or your steam boiler system requires more blowdown. This is all related to the cycles of concentration of the water system.

Cycles of concentration is one of the most important concepts in cooling water and boiler water treatment. It measures the amount of impurities in the makeup water that have cycled up in the recirculating water of your steam boiler or cooling tower. The higher the cycles ratio, the more impurities in the makeup water are being cycled up in the water system.  An easy way to check the cycles of concentration is to divide the conductivity of the system water by the conductivity of the makeup water. The cycles of concentration will increase due to the process evaporation of water, leaving the impurities behind where they will continually increase with the additional impurities that enter the system via the makeup water.

Systems that operate at excessive cycles have the potential for fouling, sludge and scale deposits, which means they require more bleedoff/blowdown. Systems that operate at too low cycles are wasting water and treatment and should reduce the bleedoff/blowdown.

Your Pace Technical Representative will provide the recommended cycles of concentration for your water system based upon the makeup water supply quality and the application at your site.

Yes, absolutely. Water softeners are a great pre-treatment method to remove water hardness (calcium & magnesium) before it enters the boiler system, however, most softeners will allow some leakage of hardness. A well designed treatment program will include additives to prevent this hardness from leading to boiler scale formation. Additionally, water softeners do not remove corrosive dissolved oxygen from the feedwater. Oxygen pitting and general corrosion of metals are accelerated in the presence of softer water, therefore the treatment program must also consist of oxygen scavenging treatments.

Link to the top 10 Q&A on Pace RemoteLink Monitoring

EndoTherm® reduces the surface tension of system water by 60% which increases heat transfer. The increase heat transfer improves system efficiency.

The average payback is 18 months. Results vary based on cost of energy, energy demand, and system design.

Yes, EndoTherm has been independently verified to be safe on all materials used in traditional HVAC systems.

Draining is not required for most systems with good water quality. It is always recommend to have balanced water treatment for peak energy efficiency.

EndoTherm can be used in any type of building including residential, institutional, commercial, industrial, health care, military etc.

Yes, EndoTherm is non-ionic, meaning it can be used in parallel with traditional corrosion inhibitors and glycol.

Yes. EndoTherm impacts the heat transfer capability of the system water therefore will save energy in all types of hydronic boilers. High efficiency boilers specifically benefit from the colder return water found in EndoTherm® treated systems.

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