Water treatment is complex. Here’s what consulting engineers need to know.

By Jeff Boldt 

In my latest Engineer’s Notebook column for the ASHRAE Journal, I joined co-author Joshua Ince of DuBois Chemicals in examining the most important items for the HVAC designer to know in order to improve their master specifications for water treatment. 

In HVAC systems the most common goals of water treatment are to maintain peak performance, reduce water consumption and minimize corrosion, scale, and fouling while controlling microbial growth. Even though water treatment is required on many projects, it is complex and remains a mystery to many consulting engineers. 

In our column we look at a variety of methods of water treatment, which vary for each HVAC system due to the many variables of design. These variables include different materials of construction, various water temperatures, water versus glycol systems, steam versus hot water systems, makeup water sources and, of course, whether the system is open loop or closed loop. 

Hydronic systems offer significant energy benefits compared to alternatives, and proper water treatment helps ensure these benefits are fully realized. 

Read our column, “Water Treatment 101,” to learn more.