Be careful | The chemical cleaning industry is rife with chaos and numerous risks

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According to the Publicity, Training and Development Subcommittee of the China Boiler Water Treatment Association, this subgroup recently conducted investigations into the markets for chemical cleaning and boiler water treatment in regions such as Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Shandong, and Henan. It was found that some companies have numerous problems related to chemical cleaning and water treatment, and these issues persist despite repeated attempts to address them. The market for chemical cleaning and water treatment is in a state of chaos, which severely impacts the overall interests of the industry as well as its public image. The committee’s investigation revealed that the main problems in the current market include: companies deceiving clients by using fake qualifications and false test reports, with a serious problem of counterfeiting; low-quality cleaning agents, scale inhibitors, and heat transfer fluids flooding the market; some companies sell toilet cleaning agents as boiler water softeners to clients, and these products not only fail to prevent scale formation but also cause blockages and ruptures in boilers; the practice of using one qualification for multiple purposes, with two or more cleaning companies sharing the same certification under the guise of \"affiliation\"; unlicensed operators selling substandard products, with many cleaning businesses operating as small workshops or family-owned businesses that use aggressive marketing tactics to sell inferior products, passing them off as scale inhibitors to deceive clients; and the use of \"package services\" as an unwritten rule – technicians installing central air conditioning systems, circulating cooling water systems, and boiler equipment often bundle various scale inhibitors and cleaning agents together, despite lacking the necessary professional skills, thereby causing significant losses to clients. Li Qishan, director of the committee, pointed out that the current chaos in the industries of industrial cleaning, chemical cleaning, and water treatment markets reflects the deep-rooted problems resulting from a lack of regulation. Xu Wei, director of the Taizhou branch of the Jiangsu Special Inspection Institute, told reporters that the problems in the industries of industrial cleaning and chemical cleaning stem from both historical factors and issues related to the management system, and it can be said that these problems are deeply entrenched. Some water treatment and cleaning professionals lack the necessary skills; they have not received proper training. They rely on hydrochloric acid for their work, using waste acid at a cost of 180 yuan per ton to clean boilers and equipment. No corrosion inhibitors are added, nor is any passivation process carried out after cleaning, which severely affects the quality and service life of the equipment and creates significant safety hazards. User enterprises also face numerous problems. For example, many small and medium-sized enterprises do not pay any attention to water treatment, fail to keep up with relevant laws and regulations, are unaware of the requirements regarding qualifications for the chemical cleaning of boilers and industrial equipment, nor do they know about the need for product registration certificates and inspection reports. As a result, they make very impulsive decisions when purchasing or selecting water treatment services. Additionally, the lack of dedicated personnel or technical experts in charge of water treatment leads to severe scaling and corrosion of boilers and equipment, resulting in alarming waste of energy and resources. Many small businesses purchase scale-inhibiting and cleaning products by relying on website recommendations, ending up paying high prices for substandard or counterfeit goods. In response to these issues, many industry experts have also pointed out that in China, there is a systemic problem of \"multiple agencies governing the same area\" and \"diverse regulatory frameworks\" in industries such as chemical cleaning, industrial cleaning, boiler water treatment, and organic heat carriers. The leaders of the several existing management organizations, as well as the institutions to which they are affiliated, come from various backgrounds – some have governmental connections, while others come from corporate or institutional settings. The policies, standards, and regulations they establish are not always perfect, and there are even cases of conflicts among them. Xu Wei called for **the introduction of strong measures as soon as possible in areas such as management systems and legal frameworks, in order to strengthen oversight of the chemical cleaning and water treatment industries. Wang Jiaoling, secretary-general of the China Boiler Water Treatment Association, emphasized that enterprises engaged in boiler cleaning and industrial equipment cleaning must have strict qualification certifications. Water treatment products such as boiler scale inhibitors also need to be registered and obtain corresponding certification certificates; only by ensuring strict entry requirements can the market be gradually purified. At the same time, when purchasing products, user enterprises must verify the relevant qualifications and give priority to organic scale inhibitors and cleaning agents.