Innovative new tracer chemical simplifies Closed Water System maintenance

Maintaining closed-loop water systems has never been easier, with our innovative tracer chemical service. By providing accurate measurements of system volume and applying a tailored maintenance program, we help you keep your water systems healthy, efficient, and sustainable.

What is a closed system?

Heating and cooling water circuits that operate in a closed loop or closed system are sealed, meaning that the water inside is not exposed to the atmosphere. In other words, the system contains a fixed volume of water that recirculates and usually doesn’t lose any water. This makes closed-loop systems more efficient, as they tend to only suffer negligible water losses.

What happens if my closed water system is not maintained properly?

When the closed water system is compromised, either due to high microbiological growth, corrosion or poor water chemistry, it can result in several issues. These issues may include system blockages, poor water circulation, leaks, and eventual equipment failures in pumps and valves. Furthermore, it may lead to inefficient running, increased energy consumption, and higher running costs. These costs may include maintenance expenses and expensive remedial work.

Read more here…Closed water system testing

Before you develop your maintenance program… measure the system volume!

“Before we embark on a treatment plan, it’s so important to know what the system volume is to ensure we dose the correct amount of chemical into the system. Dosing the system incorrectly can make the situation worse rather than better,” says David Randlesome, Swiftclean’s National Sales Manager for Legionella Services.

The treatment plan needs to be in place to keep the system free from rust, corrosion, sludge, and bacteria.  If any of these are allowed to build up, it could cause blockages in pipes or leaks which could cause costly damage and be expensive to repair or replace.
So, before developing your maintenance program, you will need to know how much water is in your closed system.  

• If you underdose a system, the chemicals could be detrimental to the system’s health. This could encourage bacteria to grow or become immune to the biocide and then grow.
• If you overdose a system, you will waste money and chemicals and can also aid corrosion within the system.

To save both time and money, it’s imperative to dose systems correctly, to keep them healthy.

The new service explained

We dose a tracer chemical into the system via injection pump or dosing pot, which is allowed to circulate, for a fixed time (depending on the size of the system and the efficiency of the system pumps).

Once this process is complete, a test is conducted with a specialised testing kit, which measures the level of tracer chemical in the system, and from this we can calculate an accurate system volume.

We can then accurately advise the correct dose rates specific to the system. Usually, this would be a combination of corrosion inhibitors and biocide to build an effective treatment plan. It is also key that regular chemical parameter analysis is performed to ensure the system continues to run as efficiently as possible.

Other methods of estimating system volumes can be time-consuming and often inaccurate. Using this new tracer chemical provides fast and accurate results helping to ensure an effective treatment plan can be implemented quickly to prevent costly maintenance and repairs.

Get in touch for a quote to find out the volume of water in your closed systems.