Introduction: Plan for It Before It Becomes a Problem
When you’re developing or managing a block of apartments or student accommodation, there are plenty of priorities to consider: heating, hot water, plumbing, maintenance, energy efficiency and the experience of the people living there.
But one issue that can easily be overlooked during the planning and specification stage is limescale.
In hard water areas, limescale can cause problems for boilers, pipework and domestic appliances. And once residents move in, dealing with scale-related issues can become much more disruptive and costly.
That’s why it can make sense to think about limescale prevention at the design and installation stage, rather than waiting for problems to appear.
The challenge of hard water
Hard water contains naturally occurring minerals, including calcium and magnesium. When water is heated, these minerals can contribute to the formation of limescale within hot water systems and appliances.
For individual homes, this can mean scale deposits around taps and appliances. In a development containing hundreds of apartments, the potential maintenance implications can be considerably greater.
That’s exactly the type of challenge faced at Newbury Parkway.
A real-world example: Newbury Parkway
Newbury Parkway is a mixed-use development incorporating a shopping mall and 200 privately owned apartments.
The area has hard water, with calcium carbonate levels measured at up to 295mg/l, described by British Water’s calculations as borderline very high.
Scale-control equipment had originally been installed when the apartments were built. However, it failed to protect the boilers effectively, resulting in all 200 boilers needing replacement just three years later.
Following this experience, the contractor, BGS Plumbing and Heating, selected Combimate as a limescale prevention solution, with the decision supported by M&E consultant Cundall.
The result was a solution that was quick to install and, according to BGS Plumbing and Heating, solved the limescale problem, with no subsequent call-backs from flat owners reported in the case study.
Why consider limescale prevention during a development?
New-build apartment and accommodation projects provide an opportunity to consider limescale protection before the building is occupied.
Getting the right solution specified at the outset can help avoid having to retrofit equipment later or deal with scale-related problems once residents are already living in the building.
Depending on the development, this could help protect:
Cistermiser’s Combimate system uses Combiphos, a polyphosphate compound that is released into the water in small quantities. It works by helping to keep scale-causing minerals in suspension and creating a microscopic protective coating on internal surfaces.
A practical consideration for apartment and student accommodation projects
For developers, contractors and consultants, limescale prevention is one of those considerations that can be much easier to address during the planning and installation stage.
It can be particularly relevant when developing accommodation in areas where water hardness is known to be high.
The Newbury Parkway project demonstrates why this shouldn’t necessarily be treated as an afterthought. The development initially experienced significant boiler replacement requirements before Combimate was selected as the limescale prevention solution.
For those involved in a new apartment, student accommodation or similar residential development, it is worth asking:
What is the water hardness in this location?
What protection is being provided against limescale?
Will the solution protect the hot water system and appliances?
Is limescale prevention being considered as part of the specification, rather than after problems occur?
Think about limescale before the residents move in
Limescale prevention may not be the first thing that comes to mind when planning a new accommodation development, but it can be an important consideration in hard water areas.
By considering the issue early, developers, consultants and contractors have the opportunity to specify an appropriate solution as part of the overall water system.
Combimate is designed to provide limescale prevention for domestic hot water systems and appliances, making it a solution worth considering for apartment and accommodation developments.
Planning an apartment or student accommodation development?
If you’re involved in a new-build or refurbishment project in a hard water area, talk to Cistermiser about Combimate and find out how limescale prevention can be incorporated into your plans.
Contact Cistermiser today and take the first step towards limescale prevention.
