Testing for inhibitor level

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I think he's too young to remember Fernox including this method in their instructions.

Of course, that was before the 'net

If they did, I am far too young to remember it.

I'd think you'd be better off with a test kit to measure the concentration of the oxygen scavenger component of the inhibitor, don't you?
 
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seco youre pis sin me off. :LOL:

I dont have to account for anything I post.

;)


get over it.... :LOL:
 
same here if you got something to say say then.

obviously got a problem about something
 
water straight from loch katrine

sewage processed at shieldhall and dumped just over a wee wall at carlisle :LOL: :LOL: :LOL:
 
Th jar with the nails used to be on every fernox stand in merchants they even used to boast about being able to drink one of there products cant remember which now.
Too much inhibitor in a system can cause foaming and stops pumps working properly so it not just a case of tipping more in.

Glasgowgas a trip around shieldhall works was part of what my granda classed as learning where your tollies go but was interesting
 
Too much inhibitor in a system can cause foaming and stops pumps working properly so it not just a case of tipping more in.

Sentinel website: Can I overdose my system with Sentinel X100?
It is not necessary to add more than 1 litre of Sentinel X100 to a typical domestic system of 8 to 10 radiator panels (which is a system volume of about 70L). However, exceeding this dose, by even as much as several percent will have no negative effect on the system... only on the purse!!

Fernox website: Can I overdose with Protector?
Answer
No! Overdosing is not detrimental and it is important to ensure that there is always sufficient treatment present. There is a test kit and a postal testing service available to check your Protector concentration. See Protector Test Kit product data sheet.

Salamander Corrosion Guard website:
As overdosing is not detrimental, it is good practice to add a new bottle of System Inhibitor every one to three years.
 
The jar with the nails used to be on every fernox stand in merchants they even used to boast about being able to drink one of there products cant remember which now.
Too much inhibitor in a system can cause foaming and stops pumps working properly so it not just a case of tipping more in.

But it is not a reliable or representative test for inhibitor concentration. There are chemicals in the inhibitors which combine with dissolved oxygen before the oxygen corrodes the ferrous components. In a sealed jar, the oxygen scavenger will remove the dissolved oxygen and the water is then inert. The nail will not corrode.

Similarly with untreated mains water there will be slight corrosion until the dissolved oxygen is consumed and then there will be no further corrosion.

One of the routes by which oxygen gets into a system is by electrolysis, i.e., steel and copper in a suitable electrolyte.

So what does a nail in a sealed jar prove? It was an unethical sales scam to con the ignorant and the gullible. If you want to do a nail-in-water type test, you'd use a corrosion coupon in a coupon rack; go forth and Google.

Testing the concentration of the oxygen scavenger will indicate the rate at which oxygen is entering the system and the scavenger chemical can be topped up as required (e.g., sodium sulphite at 300 ppm; I'm working from memory so this may be wrong). In a good system, the rate of depletion will be negligible; the system will not corrode, it will never need power-flushing.

A rapid loss of scavenger indicates a problem which must be resolved. Magnetite sludge is the corrosion product from lack of inhibitor and/or an oxygen absorption problem. A need for power flushing indicates a history of corrosion problems.

Sentinel website: Can I overdose my system with Sentinel X100?
It is not necessary to add more than 1 litre of Sentinel X100 to a typical domestic system of 8 to 10 radiator panels (which is a system volume of about 70L). However, exceeding this dose, by even as much as several percent will have no negative effect on the system... only on the purse!!

I think that is called being disingenuous. We aren't talking about overdosing by "even as much as several percent". If you are tipping a fresh dose every few years into a sound system, then we're talking about overdosing by several hundred percent. Overdosing is detrimental and unnecessary. It is not detrimental to the sales of the inhibitor.
 
are you saying the inhibitor works by absorbing dissolved oxygen?

so when it has absorbed (a certain amount) does it get "used up"?

I believe so, but I'm not a chemist and I don't know what is in the mixtures being offered by the likes of Fernox, Sentinel, etc., so I can't comment on how their systems are meant to work. There are also other components, e.g., to prevent electrolysis by making the water alkaline. These other components can also get used up.

On commercial heating systems the chemical components may be supplied separately and you'd test the concentration of the scavenger and top it up as necessary. If there's no oxygen ingress, it doesn't get used up.

Sodium molybdate is used in the Sentinel mixture ( but not in the Fernox one) and I understand that this works by making an inert coating on the inner walls of the pipes or radiators. You can also get test kits for molybdate concentration.
 
I think that is called being disingenuous. We aren't talking about overdosing by "even as much as several percent". If you are tipping a fresh dose every few years into a sound system, then we're talking about overdosing by several hundred percent. Overdosing is detrimental and unnecessary. It is not detrimental to the sales of the inhibitor.

1L of inhibitor in 170L is approx. 0.6%.
2L is therefore 1.2%
3L 1.8%
etc.

I think what they are saying is that as a % of the entire water content...
 

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