Home Appliance Warranty Drinking Water Problems Scale Formation Corrosion

Have you read your warranty on that new $ 1500.00 appliance or $ 5000.00 boiler ?

GUESS WHAT?   If you water quality violates the terms of you manufactures warranty, the Warranty on that NEW Water Appliance may mean nothing and may be invalid on day one.    The same goes for the water heater, other heat exchange devices, dishwashers, clothes washers, and other water related appliances.

We suggest you get a copy of critical warranties and review !

When you review your warranty, the warranty will usually list circumstances that not covered, and “scale buildup due to water quality” is typically found on that list. Read the fine print (Source – https://homewateradvisor.com/hard-water-appliance-warranty/) .

We reviewed a warranty for a boiler as part of a water quality assessment and we found the following:   “Water conditions that have caused deterioration or unusual deposits on the heat exchanger”.  We asked one water quality professional and they said this could be a number of conditions, but the most common are corrosive conditions and  scale forming water.   In a few rare cases, the problem may be associated with a high total dissolved solids associated with salts (chloride) or potentially water with high levels of metal oxides like iron and manganese that could create an oxidized residual or coating or a lot of suspended particles in the water that contribute to physical corrosion.

During an energy expo focusing on renewable energy, one of the professionals and guest speakers indicated the following:  “The local groundwater or drinking water quality is a significant factor in ensuring the long-term performance and efficiency of any water related appliance.   One significant problem is water that is classified as very hard with a high alkalinity.  When this water is heated, a portion of the carbonates are converted to CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas and the water becomes supersaturated with calcium and magnesium carbonate.  The calcium and magnesium come out of solution as a solid particle and then this particle becomes a coating or scale in the water piping and appliance components that are in contact with the water.  As the scale accumulates, the pipes become clogged and the efficiency of the appliance is reduced.  This is very common with boilers, on-demand tankless water heaters, and storage water heaters that use gas for fuel or high temperature units. ”

An independent study (pdf)  commissioned by the Water Quality Association showed that “water heaters operated on softened water maintained the original factory efficiency rating over a 15-year lifetime. On the other hand, hard water can lead to as much as a 48% loss of efficiency in water heaters.”

One common question  is why is the hot water appliances more vulnerable to corrosion?

“Corrosion is more likely and more rapid at higher water temperatures. The rate of corrosion triples or quadruples as water temperature rises from 60°F to 140°F. Above 140°F, the rate of corrosion doubles for every 20°F increase.” (Source (pdf) )

At an Eastern Regional Water Quality Conference, I meet Kris Toomey from LH Brubaker Water Conditioning.  He told me a bit about his business.

“Appliances and water treatment go hand in hand. The benefits of soft water for appliances are plentiful.  It is a perfect marriage between providing an appliance that improves the quality of life for a family and offering  water treatment equipment to ensure the long-term reliability of the state-of-the-art appliances and at the same time providing a barrier to protect the family.  Providing the appropriate water quality treatment of the household water is like offering an additional “insurance policy” for the house, family, and the appliance. 

Not only are you protecting their investment, but you are helping with soap savings, skin and hair benefits as well as protecting the plumbing system, water heater, and plumbing fixtures.   In many cases, this action is necessary to protect the warranty on the new equipment.  There is no better feeling than ensuring that the family walking through your door making an investment in their home is given the right information to ensure the reliability of the appliances. Every fridge that leaves the store has an opportunity for an RO system to provide the highest available purified water option and this additional barrier protects not only the appliance, but also the family.”

For example:  Depending on the hardness of your drinking water, the concentration of the total hardness or  hard water  or the corrosiveness of the water may void or invalidate the manufacturer’s warranty, the HOME Warranty,  and any extended warranty of your water related appliances, such as: dishwasher, refrigerator, washing machine or water heater due to its corrosive nature of the drinking water.  A typical water heater warranty could state that the heater is covered for anywhere between 6 -12 years. If you read the warranty, it will likely list specific water quality parameters that should not be exceed or water conditions, such as scale formation due to water quality or corrosive water.

Therefore, if you buying a water appliance from a business that does not recommend getting your water tested and you are on a private well or on city water that has occasional problems or you have not had your water properly tested, you should ask about the terms of the warranty and get your drinking water tested (City TApWater  / Well Water).   Regarding basic treatment, the Know Your H20 team recommends the installation of a whole house particle filter (Well Water Particle Filter) or (City Drinking Water Filter (basic approach / advanced approach) to protect home water appliance from corrosion related to the presence of particles in the water that could damage piping.

Impact of Water Quality on Water Heating Equipment     “The local water quality is one of the factors that contributes most significantly to the long-term performance and longevity of water heating equipment. Specifically, highly alkaline water will lead to the accumulation of scale, which will impact the efficiency of tankless and gas storage water heaters and can lead to decreased equipment life.”

The Know Your H20 Team recently reviewed a Warranty for a boiler.  The warranty did not list specific water criteria for specific parameters, but the warranty stated that the warranty was not valid if these conditions were present: “Water conditions that have caused deterioration or unusual deposits on the heat exchanger”.  This condition could include a number of situations that could include corrosive water, scale forming water, water with high salts, especially chloride, and/or drinking water with a high concentration of metal oxides like iron and manganese that could create an oxidized residual or coating.

Your Potential Problem- Is it Corrosion or Scale Formation?

Corrosion

Corrosion is where the water reacts with the household metal plumbing piping and fixtures  and these reactions are typically associated with the release of copper, lead, nickel, chromium, and zinc.  The common problems associated with Corrosion include:  water that has a bitter taste, intermittent discolored water, coatings that may be blue, bluish green and sometime brown, low water pH, high water acidity, low hardness and low alkalinity, discolored laundry, deterioration to piping, fixtures, and appliances, and ultimately the failure of equipment.   For this condition, we recommend the Corrosion Check Kit.

Scale Formation

Water can contain two general types of hardness, i.e., temporary hardness and permanent hardness.  Scale formation in water appliances is typically associated with temporary hardness, because the scale is normally formed after the water has been heated.   The scale is normally composed of calcium and magnesium carbonate that has a white to gray appearance.    If the water company adds a sequestering chemical like phosphate to the water, the scale may include other metals such as copper, lead, zinc, aluminum, nickel,  arsenic, iron, and manganese.  The initial scale coating if uniform on the pipe may protect the piping from localized corrosion or physical damage, but as the scale increases the user may experience problems with the system.   Scale formation can reduce efficiency of hot water related appliance, reduce pipe diameter and pressure, reduce the water flow, block intakes to water appliances, and cause valves to not properly or completely close.  For this condition, we recommend the Corrosion Check Kit or the Problem Checker (if you suspect a nuisance bacterial problem and have an iron or manganese potential problem) . 

One engineering calculation based on water quality testing can be used to conduct a preliminary assessment for the potential for corrosion or scale formation is the Saturation Index (SI) calculation.

High TDS and Salts

High Iron and Manganese

Note:

Learn about the warranty when purchasing a water related appliance and Get Your Water Tested (Well Water or City Water) Requires Different Testing!   You may not need a whole house filtration system just a water treatment system on the water going to the on-demand water system or a POU Water device, especially on city water that may contain water treatment chemicals that create chemical scales.

Written by: Mr. Brian Oram, PG/ Soil Scientist – Know Your H20 Program

Manager for Keystone Clean Water Team