Tags: Questions, Science
Do electronic limescale inhibitors work?
June 22nd, 2005, by Rich.
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I’ve been intermittently toying with the idea of fitting an Anti-Limescale device to the water supply in our home.
Today, with the delivery of a new phone book, I got a flyer describing a product called ScaleWatcher which reminded me of my occasional curiosity with the subject. It’s a nice convincing-looking flyer, with a money back guarantee, so I’m tempted to give it a go.
We have a nice glass sided kettle so it’ll be really obvious if it actually works.
I may be forced to try a little experiment and take daily pictures of my kettle, so please spare me from the madness and give me some definite answers:
- Has anyone I know actually used a household electric water softener?
- Was the experience worthwhile?
- Are they any better than the magnetic or salt based ones?
April 3rd, 2006 at 10:37 pm
Don’t know if you care anymore, but…
http://www.waterimp.co.uk/report.html
April 6th, 2006 at 3:18 pm
Thanks for that link Nick, it’s a good example of why things get ambiguous when science and marketing hold hands. I have a couple of minor observations.
Firstly, the actual report is unpublished, so although I can be certain that the Water-Imp was tested (because I checked with the Bath Uni. CE Dept.), it’s not possible for other people to repeat the experiments (e.g. on different water supplies with different mineral composition) or to understand exactly what was tested. It’s also impossible to re-interpret the results as more is learned about the subject area.
Secondly, I notice that the page calls the device a “Super Imp Limescale remover” when it’s apparent, even from the limited text on the page, that the tests were only conducted to discover whether the device would inhibit the formation of limescale - the tests do not seek to prove whether the device can or cannot remove limescale.
The second thing is a small but vital point. It illustrates how the tests for this product do not reflect the way it is being marketed by the company. There are very specific claims on the front page of the website as follows:
“Extensive trials and laboratory testing [i.e. "the report"] … has shown the Water Imp system to excel at …[reversing] the damage caused by furring up and blocking of water pipes, while also increasing the water flow throughout the entire household”
The tests do not appear to show this at all.
The good news, therefore, is that for inhibiting limescale, this particular product has been proven.
The bad news is that the product was altered a year later and the tests have not been repeated - and what’s more - because the report wasn’t published, nobody else can repeat the tests.
April 13th, 2006 at 12:42 pm
I’ve got a Scalewatcher, one of the electronic things where you wrap the wires round the pipes so there’s no plumbing involved. If it does anything at all then I have to say that either it’s minimal or our water has got much harder since it’s been installed as we still have bad limescale problems.
This thing cost £300 odd and to be honest, I wouldn’t bother again.
July 9th, 2006 at 8:17 am
I decided to look on the internet for information about these electronic water conditioners after watching a very convincing commercial on that Ideal World satellite channel. I think the general concensus is that they don`t work, its just a good marketing ploy. I live in a hard water area and about four years ago, I replaced the hot water tank. It had been in the house for at least 30 years and the limescale build up inside was nowhere near the ludicrous amount that was inside the one on the TV commercial. Until there is concrete scientific evidence to support these claims, I would recommend that you give them a wide berth.
July 19th, 2006 at 2:55 pm
I am a distributor of the Ecoflow h2flow product. I sell by mail order from my website into hardwater areas. H2flow is easily fitted using cable ties to the incoming mains pipe. It features a patented design of strontium ceramic magnet with six polarity changes along its length. No power is needed, no chemicals and no cutting. The product is guaranteed ten years and comes with a 90-day 100% money back performance guarantee. The magnet is guaranteed not to lose more than 1% of its magnetism in 100 years. This product works - I promise.
August 8th, 2006 at 11:45 pm
As a provider of technical training to the plumbing industry one of the questions we are often asked is, Do the wire wrap lime sacle inhibitor work? My answer has always been - I don’t know.
The reason that I do not know is that there is very little hard scientific evidence to suggest HOW they might work.
For example, there is good evidence that if you heat up hard water (ie water with disolved Calicium Carbonate CaCO3 & Magnesium Carbonate MgCO3) above about 63C it will start to percipitate out and lead to limescale build-up. This by the way is one of the reasons for keeping the water temp in your hot water storage cylinder between 55C and 60c.
Using a salt (NaCl) based water softener results in the Ca & Mg ions being ‘exchanged’ for Na ions in Zeolite filter inside the water softener. The Resulting NaCO3 (Sodium Carbonate) remains soluable in the water at higher temp thus preventing the build up of lime scale and the water feels softer. Over time the Zeolite filter becomes full or clogged with CaCl and MgCl which must be removed and replenished with NaCl - this is done during the regeneration cylce. So there are clearly understood chemical and physical changes taking place in the water and scientific evidence to back it up.
I would VERY much like to see - as I am really interested to know - the scientific explanation as to how passing an EMF or a permanent magnetic field through the water changes the chemical and physical properties of the Ca & Mg carbonates so that they do not percipitate out at 63C. To the best of my knowledge (and I’m happy to be proved wrong) CaCO3 and MgCO3 are only very, very, very weakly magnetic - unlike many ferric and colbolt compounds.
Your very curious - Jim
October 3rd, 2006 at 6:13 am
Comment - I bought and installed a water imp about a year ago. fitted it to the rising main in the kitchen. We have an aluminium saucepan that has been our ‘egg boiling’ pan for years. It had a considerable amount of limescale inside (we live in kent and have very hard water) built up over the years and large bits would flake off as I was boiling eggs. Since I fitted the water imp about a year ago the saucepan appears to have cleaned itself somewhat of scale to the extent that I never see a bit floating round in the water. I think our kettle is cleaner but wife is not so sure. Our shower cabinet (that I have just finished regrouting and descaling) showed no benefits.
As I understand the claims for water conditioners it is the high frequency radio wave action on the structure of the calcium particules that allegedy inhibits the propensity of the calcium particles to form scale.
However I am still not sure - I would like to believe it because the hassle and cost of a water softener is not attractive - any one else comment???
October 18th, 2006 at 1:10 pm
I had a shower that required the head to be dismantled every other day to flush out the crud. I saw these magnets being advertised on e-bay and decided at that price it would be worth a trial. I purchased and fitted one. 2 weeks later there is no need to dismantle the shower head. It worked, but how I still don’t know.
January 3rd, 2007 at 12:58 pm
I am researching this myself. There is not much information online other than marketing material, but this article looks useful.
January 4th, 2007 at 5:56 pm
Looking for a limescale remover for the cold water supply. asked the same question myself “do these filters work” very interesting text from Jim. Hope we get an accurate answer from somewon in the know?. Eddy