# Water Quality and Nitrite Test ( Need Help)



## jimdeq (Feb 23, 2011)

Hi all,  I have been burning a Solo 60 with 1200 gallons of pressurised storage for about 3 months and today I wanted to check my water quality.  I dont have any exprience with water testing.  A friend with a Central Boiler let me use his Nitrite Test Kit.  I started by checking the PH ,which was between 7 and 7.5. I dont have any corrosion inhibiter in the system yet.  Second, I did the Nitrite test which included putting 25 drops of sulfuric acid into the water sample out of the system.  Next , I added Permanganate Reagent (p/n 403) with a dropper one drop at a time.  I was supposed to add one at a time until the water sample went from colorless to a faint pink.  The problem was after I put one drop in, the entire vial turned dark pink or purple and stayed that color.  The directions say it should take between 20 and 30 drops to achieve a pink sample.  After a little more investigating I realized that my auto fill and backflow are tied into my soft water line instead of my hard water.  The system runs off of a well water. 
  I am in the process of draining the entire system.  The same friend that gave me the test kit gave me 2 gallons of Central boiler Corrosion Inhibitor (p/n 165). So how do I know if I damaged my system?  Should my system be filled with hard water or soft water or doesnt it matter?  Is the Central boiler Corrosion Inhibitor ok to use in my Tarm?  Please respond.


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## DaveBP (Feb 23, 2011)

What was your dealer's advice regarding water treatment and testing?


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## jimdeq (Feb 23, 2011)

Tarm said they dont usually test for nitrates as long as the PH is normal.  I was very alarmed by the test and concerned about the water quality.  I have one leaky female adapter and with a few weeks the entire fitting was covered in white crusty calcified mess.  Is that normal?


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## jebatty (Feb 23, 2011)

I agree, follow dealer/mfr recommendations. I know nothing about Central Boiler chemicals, and I don't know whether a chemical mix for an OWB is the right choice for a sealed and pressurized system as is your Tarm.

When I bought my Tarm in 2007, I don't recall the manual saying anything of substance about water quality, testing, etc. I did lots of reading, then adjusted my pH into the 8-9 range using lye (hydrochloric acid), and added sodium sulfite as an O2 scavenger. Did this for two heating seasons, then had the water tested by Mike at Precision Chem. Report was "ok" but could be better, so I went with the Precision Chem treatment program in season three and now season four. As shown by the recent corrosion post regarding a Garn, we're all a little in a crap shoot on water. I think as an overall minimum that pH into a good range, an O2 scavenger, and a sealed and pressurized high temperature system, things likely will be good except in some unusual circumstance. Good luck with your boiler.


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## DaveBP (Feb 23, 2011)

Typo, Jim. 

lye is sodium hydroxide. Hydrochloric acid would do the opposite of lye and actually lower the Ph.


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## jimdeq (Feb 23, 2011)

Jebatty and BP , I thought that PH in the 7 range was ideal.  Why did you want it in the 8-9 range?  Excuse me if this is a stupid question?  Also what is your thought on using soft water on the autofill?


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## twitch (Feb 23, 2011)

I've read quite a bit in these forums about PH level in wood boilers.  Is the same concern true about oil boilers?  Unless the metals used in the oil boilers are different why is the water not treated in them?


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