BIOCAT

When it rains, raindrops absorb carbon dioxide from the air. This enriched rainwater seeps into the ground and dissolves minerals like calcium and magnesium, the two constituents of limescale, as it flows through the soil layers.

The amount of limescale able to enrich the water in a natural environment is determined by the limescale-carbonic acid equilibrium. In building services, this equilibrium determines the amount of limescale that can deposit in your drinking water installation.

• High temperatures
• Low flow velocities of the drinking water (if the pipes are oversized)
• Rough surfaces on pipes and equipment
• Excessive flow velocities lead to turbulence and pressure fluctuations in elbows and T-pieces of pipes. This causes carbon dioxide to be emitted and limescale to build up.

The expression 'water hardness' describes the amount of calcium and magnesium compounds the water contains and hence its degree of hardness. The higher the limescale content, the harder the water. In Switzerland, half of all households have hard or calciferous tap water. This is why standard household detergents contain a softening agent.

Most of the population limits the limescale problem to everyday tasks such as cleaning, washing, coffee machines and tea makers. Calcified heating elements, ugly limescale stains on bathroom fittings and tiles bother many consumers. The well-known advertisement with the "calcified washing machine" compounds the feeling. The cause is clearly the hard water.

You descale your kettle at more or less regular intervals because you see limescale as a nuisance. These deposits also occur in the pipes of your drinking water installations. But household remedies such as lemon or vinegar will not help. Cleaning calcified pipes is extremely time-consuming and a task that calls for specialized companies. This is why you should use tried and tested limescale protection devices to prevent limescale deposits in your drinking water installation.

Microorganisms are an important constituent of water occurring in nature and play a key role in the purification of water in soil and surface water. The processes of water extraction and treatment do not aim to eliminate all microorganisms.

Good, high-quality drinking water therefore also contains a certain quantity of microbiological germs. So it is necessary to take technical measures in the treatment and distribution of drinking water to prevent the unacceptable proliferation of microorganisms.

Limescale deposits in pipes and hot water storage tanks are one of the reasons why microorganisms colonize permanently, proliferate to unacceptable levels and form a strong biofilm.

For hygiene reasons, then, limescale deposits must be prevented.

Private households are the largest energy consumers, ahead of transportation and industry. Together with heating, hot water is by far the largest consumer in the building.

To protect against legionella, you heat your hot water to a continuous temperature of at least 60°C. But after just a short time, your water heater will take longer and longer to reach the water temperature you want.

The reason: Depending on the design of the heat exchanger, calcareous water has formed a layer of limescale on or in the heat exchangers, significantly impairing the heat transfer from the heat exchanger to the drinking water.

This scenario often goes unnoticed for a long time, because other components in your drinking water installation (mixer tap, pumps) compensate for the poor performance. Also, this incurs additional costs due to increased power usage, faster wear and tear and so on.

The result: When heated in boilers, instantaneous water heaters and plate heat exchangers, calcareous water causes the heat transfer surfaces to calcify. Limescale is a very good insulator. The thicker the deposits, the more it impedes energy transfer and reduces the efficiency of the water heating system. More heating energy is now needed to heat the water. This also increases carbon dioxide emissions from all fossil fuels.