Do electronic limescale inhibitors work?
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?
352 Comments
I live in the Reading area of berkshire and the water is really hard, everything is full of limescale. My wife likes lots of holidays as she says it is worth the money to wash her hair in soft water – still don’t know what she means there! Well I know hard water is a problem and have toyed fro years with getting a water softner but could not afford the space. So quite by chance I was in a local store in Wokingham and saw a device on display called ‘Little Plumber’ which as I can see is an electronic device, it took less than 10 minutes to install under the kitchen sink and has been in for about 7 months now. well I would say i noticed improvements in the water in about 2 months, easiest way to see is the new kettle 5 months old is still scale free, not sure on the boilers, washing machines, central heating, etc. I knew when i bought it recommendations were to install another close to the water cyliner and have only just purchased another slightly different one a Hydroflow HS38a. hope it works well to
Reading reviews it is clear that the descalers are not as effective as the dazzling scientific marketing claims – and which i was completely convinced by. As K Moorman points out – if they really did work 100% then the water company would simply install a large one in at source.
I live in Stafford. Hard water area. Purchased a Salamander Water Wave scale inhibitor for a 2 bed property. Noticed big difference straight away. Shower head never had scale. Kettle was easier to clean. Water felt slightly softer meaning less soap was needed when washing.
We then moved house 2 months ago, still in Stafford and have noticed its not working aswell. I have noticed the water pressure is a lot higher than our previous property. Is this because the water is flowing to fast for the device to do its job?
Interesting reading, one and all!
I moved to just south of Salisbury Plain a few years ago (v.v.hard water!!) and did a bit of research on how to prevent the white stuff as cheaply as reasonable. Eventually I invested in an electronic conditioner, and it’s probably improved things about 10% by making the stuff more manageable.
But.
I overheard an article on BBC Radio a few months ago, saying that Limescale doesn’t form at very high temperatures. Therefore (the implication was,) remove all water from said kettle WHILE IT’S STILL HOT!
Since then I’ve religiously emptied the kettle after using the water, and (amazingly?) the thing is still clean as a whistle after several months. This tip may be no use for your plumbing system, but is worth bearing in mind. [A secondary environmental benefit is that I use less water and electricity by filling the kettle more thoughtfully.]
So, does Scale only form at lower temperatures? Or is it simply that by emptying the kettle I am giving the stuff less time to settle and solidify?
Like everybody else who have been perusing and corresponding on this forum I too have very hard water and limescale buildup. I have read all the reports and visited all the web sites and must state that I am still not convinced about the effectivness of electronic descalers.
However, I did find this site – http://www.cntv.org.uk/environment.html
which decribes and gives details on a build it yourself electronic descaler – all for around £25. This in my mind is an acceptable outlay for doing some trials as some of the commercial units cost from £150 upwards and probably contain circuitry very simlar to the kit.
I will probably buy one and if the results are encouraging will post again.
yes – we were considering either ECOFlow units or an electronic de-scaler but they do seem very pricey, for essentially a box with no moving parts
Surely they must be made more cheaply somewhere????? so one can try them at less financial cost
Loved the back-an-forth on this site. I purchased a “Super Imp” today, will be
sure and provide results when appropriate. I live in Utah, can’t say for sure,
but I suspect my water is not nearly as hard as many who have posted. Issue here
in the states has become the environmental aspect of softeners. Many areas have
banned them. Praying my new purchase helps.
Thank you Rich.
The test concerning scale and the increase in fuel consumption are not in dispute since they have been carried out many times by independent test laboratories. Scale is an insulator and it will slow the heating up time of any hot water cylinder affected by it. The result is wasteful on off boiler cycling.
What is being questioned here is whether electronic sale devices are effective. My report states that I fitted one and it helped reduce scale build up and softened scale around the shower head. The devices have been used in industry to good effect and there are countless tests to back up findings.
I do not sell scale devices and have no axe to grind.
The bottom line is that if you find the device doesn’t work (and there are factors which affect performance) then Scalewatcher will refund your money in full. I do not know of any instance where Scalewatcher has not honoured this promise. In short you do not need evidence from others because you can try it yourself in your home with your plumbing system which is what I did. My comments are based upon my experience and only mine and they formed part of an editorial review not a puff piece.
Hi All,
great chat and has now absolutely convinced me that I am no clearer on whether the electronic units work. What I do know is that I do not intend to spend any money on a system that may or not work, even if there is potential for a refund. Hassle factor makes this option a non starter.
As far as I can see, the traditional salt water softeners are the only way to go to truely get rid of limescale. There are 2 reasons why I won’t do this either … one being the cost and the other being the health inplications of filling up my family with sodium etc….
I have devised a simple way to resolve the issue for me once and for all.
Work out how much the softener would cost over a 10 year period. I reckon on £1000 to buy, £250 to install and then £100 a year to upkeep = £2250.
I have 2 showers using the hot water from the tank (not electric)but both using pumps and obviously one boiler. I also have a dishwasher and a washing machine. If by some amazing fluke everything packed up at the same time could I repair/replace everything for less than £2250? YES is the answer.
Over a 10 year period, would any of those appliances break anyway even with soft water? I think the answer is yes, especially the dishwasher/washing machine. Mine work pretty hard with a family of 4 using them.
I don’t know how long the water softener lasts, maybe 20 years but on the other hand I do not expect to be in the same house for 20 years so i will have to buy a new one. I figure 10 years is a reasonable time to base this on.
I think you can see where I am heading.
In terms of limescale, use a bottle of FERNOX in the heating system every 2 years, Industry standard, proven technology over the last umpteen years. £10 a bottle. It dissolves all limescale if used regularly and will keep the boiler running efficiently without problems.
All of my taps have spouts that unscrew and so every 6 months/1 year I soak the whole lot in Viakal or something similar to get rid of the limescale.
Net result is I deal with the limescale as best I can. Ongoing maintenance costs are £30 – £40 per year as a absolute maximum. I have lived in my house in Camberley Surrey (HARD WATER) for 8 years and so far replaced on shower pump which may or may not have failed as a result of limescale…..
My advice ……. don’t bother with water softeners at all.
To Mark (above) I’d say be careful what you put into your heating system. It looks like you know what to do and what not to do, but if anyone adds a ‘descaler’ which is acid-based then it will corrode your heating system away within a few months. Not joking. Always make sure it says “Corrosion Inhibitor” on the label, or it’s an additive that can safely be left in.
Inhibitors like Fernox MB1 and Sentinel X100 stop radiators from corroding inside, and they should be renewed every 4-5 years. However, it’s important not to confuse magnetite sludge (which you get in your central heating system) with limescale (which you generally don’t). Limescale affects mains water (fresh water) units. The only reason you’d get limescale in your CH system is if you have a fairly major water leak on it somewhere. Even then, it’s more likely to generate magnetite sludge that will affect the boiler before limescale does.
On a separate note, someone above says about water companies stopping limescale at source. There’s two reasons why they don’t. The first is cost. The second is the same principle which applies to magnetic units – that the effect is temporary. That is, by the time the water got to your house the magnetic inhibiting effect on it will have been lost.
It’s been interesting reading the comments. My career is limescale. I dissolve it using acid from combination boilers and thermal store heaters.
I have found that water softeners are not too popular as a means of preventing it. Many consumers are put off by the purchase and installation costs, and also put off by advice from friends that they forget to refill them with fresh salt!
We manufacture a magnetic limescale inhibitor which is proving popular with our customers simply because we offer a money-back guarantee with it. That and the fact that it’s only £39!
The one piece of advice I’d give is to cure dripping (or running) taps. I’ve seen a brand new boiler, here in Reading, ‘scaled-up’ in three months because of this.
To Reply 54, I’d say that limescale drops out of the water even at low temperatures (look in your loo cistern). However, limescale forms rapidly above 63 degrees C. Washing the kettle out each time definitely helps, by the way. And when it does scale up, use lemon juice, not vinegar.
I have asked Cambridge Water who is supplies water to my house and got a reply ;
Dear Mr Doh
Thank you for your query about water hardness treating.
I am afraid that I am not going to be able to give you a definitive answer. Cambridge Water is indeed “HARD” as it is abstracted from chalk aquifers.
Using an ion-exchange will soften the water but you are advised to have a drinking water tap which bypasses the softener. As a chemical change has taken place it is possible to measure the effectiveness of the device.
Using an electro-magnetic scale inhibitor does not change the chemistry and so the only way of measuring effectiveness is over a period of time. If you carry out further investigations you will almost certainly find that some people think they are very effective, others do not think they work at all. In my opinion inhibitors fitted immediately befor a heating device are more likely to work better than those fitted at the inlet to the property but I have no data to back this up. As the chemistry is not changed there is no need to have a special drinking water tap.
I am sorry that I cannot be of more help to you.
Regards
Valerie Miller
Water Quality Officer
let’s have a look at this article;
I installed a wicks unit five years ago on the rising main
cost about £40
All i seem to get from it is a flashing light to say its on
and costing money
limescale still about on taps
i have not turned it off yet as like every one i hope its doing something in the pipes
would not recomend
we are going to put a magnet ball in the washing machine to see if it works but thats only £5.50 down the drain
I’m glad I came across this page because I’m thinking of installing an electronic conditioner. All the comments have been extremely useful. Thank you.
I would say to K Moorman (5/8/07/that my own experience of Thames Water is that they are a completely unhelpful organisation and are utterly clueless. As to them investing in a conditioner upstream in the water mains itself, your water supplier is only interested in profit at minimum investment. So I wouldn’t use their absence from the game as a measure of the effectiveness of this gadget.
The advice that seems to ring true for me is Gavin’s (9/8/07/ that a second unit should be installed near the water boiler cold water inlet.
I am impressed that the MoD and industry use electronic descalers.
Has anybody got any data as to which is the most powerful (ie best value for money that really works)?
Do not be impressed that the MoD or Local Gov use magnetic conditioners. The MoD buy loads of stuff that doesn’t work – I know, I work for them. They probably just bought a job lot in the hope they might work, and it would cost too much money to remove them all now.
I am tempted to get a kit from magenta2000 for £23 just to see if will help my home in Winchester – a very hard water area. If it works I’ll let you know. I did buy a time share once though…..
Electronic descalers DO work but only under certain circumstances. I live in East Kent a very hard water area. I fitted a Water King ‘Sentry’ unit at the inlet to my copper cylinder (about a year after it was installed) some 8 years ago. I did notice an immediate improvement to the kettle which used to scale up terribly with the very hard damaging crusty limescale. In that period we did get scale build up around taps etc but not as bad as before.
In the last couple of weeks we have just replaced our old conventional boiler and cylinder with a new condensing Combi boiler. The plumbing was obviously all ripped out and the ‘water king’ disconnected and removed. In just 10 days I noticed the kettle had become very badly scaled again. Totally descaled it and refitted the ‘water king’ sentry at the inlet to the new combi. Since I did this, a few days ago, the kettle has remained totally scale free. I shall continue to monitor it!
I work for a well known shipping company and several years ago we dispensed with the conventional water softening plant on my ship and fitted the industrial ‘Water King’ plant at the main potable water inlet prior to calorifiers. Also WK ‘Sentry’ units were fitted to all three main calorifier inlets and to all galley ‘combi’ ovens. It proved a disaster. Although the scaling in the combi oven calorifiers was reduced to a soft type scale, elsewhere (EG industrial dishwashers in galleys) scale became a nightmare. It was only when we returned to softening type plant that the problems disappeared.
Am convinced that the effect of electronic conditioners is not good where stored water is involved.
Gary – I would love to hear an update from you as I also live in the states.
57 Gary Williams Says:
December 3rd, 2007 at 9:31 pm
Loved the back-an-forth on this site. I purchased a “Super Imp†today, will be
sure and provide results when appropriate. I live in Utah, can’t say for sure,
but I suspect my water is not nearly as hard as many who have posted. Issue here
in the states has become the environmental aspect of softeners. Many areas have
banned them. Praying my new purchase helps.
Hi, I’ve found it fascinating reading through the different opinions on this subject. I have been a plumber for 20+ years and we have fitted many of these devises as a low cost alternative to installing Water Softners. The proof is in the pudding so it may help if I said that I have two ‘Electronic Water Conditioner’, very important to stress there is a difference, in my home. With our customers we have seen the positive effects and maybe a few ‘not sure’ but all in all we think they work.
The main reasons for expensive plumbing repairs often points to limescale build up of some kind or another, so to do nothing is fine if you can afford the consequences. Apart from needing a safe electrical supply and about an hour of spare time to connect each unit (we always recommend one on the incoming main and one on the hot water storage), that’s you protected. If they had no effect, they would not still be selling 15years on by major manufacturers’ as well as small independents. If a plumber cares about you as a customer as well as the newly fitted appliances he would always recommend some kind of water conditioning.
Ive read this , very interesting, thx
Ive just bought a this unit from screwfix
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/13487/Plumbing/Water-Treatment/Electronic-Scale-Inhibitor
Its fitted to pastic pipe (HEP20)
ive cleaned the kettle out , cleaned all taps and shower fittings ,
will update this in a few weeks
I installed a Scalewatcher about a year ago, after using a Kinetico salt softener for several years. I let the two run together for a couple of months, until the salt ran out, then left the Scalewatcher on its own. The water reverted to its hard state and remained that way. I made sure that the installation was absolutely correct, but after a total of eight months the water still had that sticky feel. So I went back to using the salt softener and now the soap lathers well and hair washing is a pleasure again.
Update from my last post !!!
Ok after couple of weeks use of my Electronic descaler I have notice the following
1.Water seems softer when being drank, especially Tea
2.The Kettle,s element is still shiny with only very minor discolouring
on small parts , the kettles internal sides are silky smooth still
3.Shower taps still shiny, some areas have what I can only describe as
like a film of dust on the hot pipe only !! it comes off with wipe
easily
4.When I pour cold water from the tap it has small particles in it ,
im thinking this
is existing lime being removed by the device ? or just dirty water?
5.I notice the water in the bottom of the kettle doesnt appear cloudy
now ,but has more visible particles of what must be small clumps of lime ,
it seems to have lost its stickyness i guess ?
So with only a couple of weeks use , there does seem to be a difference
whether this is long lasting effect I dont know.
WIll give another update a few weeks time,
regards
I have read dozens of reports very few of which I find persuasive with respect to acquiring an electronic descaler. In particular the US Army field tests, although limited ie they could not test every device on the market; found no measurable benefit.
I have been retired for some years but was employed for a number of years as a design engineer in the field of signal processing. I too live in a hard water area and have a pressing problem with limescale causing very poor thermal transfer in the coil of a heatstore.
I know little about the effects of an electromagnetic field on chemical compounds in suspension, other than a dc field will cause ions to migrate to the positive pole, so perhaps an ac field does have some effect. I have read that a “digital” as distinct from analogue waveform is beneficial (in this context I believe the word digital is misleading), what surely is meant is an analogue square wave. This waveform according to M.Fourier is made of the fundamental frequency and its harmonic frequencie. If the effects in question are based on “resonance” then the ions may be resonated by one or more of the harmonics.
None of this says why the compound becomes “less sticky” and stays in suspension, if that indeed is the case.
Chemist needed!
found this worth a read of customers views , i can certainly relate to
most of their of conclusions myself !!!!!
http://www.eddy.uk.com/index.htm
and here too
http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/dealing_hard_water.htm
I have read the various “technical” publication by such as by Eddy, which I regard as no more than advertising.
Until a definitive explanation of how an EM wave can cause the calcium and magnesium salt to remain in suspension, is offered, I remain unconvinced. If these various manufacturers do have a detailed theory of the mechanism then why is it not published?
The limited information offered by the water authorities suggest that no chemical changes take place when EM waves even up to microwave frequencies are used. CaCO3 remains as CACO3 so if nothing chemically changes these is no action!
I tried to have an open minded approach to this but now believe such solutions should be categorised along with homeopathy, reflexology, tarot cards and reading tea leaves.
As a final comment, anyone who is still a “believer” should visit http://www.chem1.com/CQ/magscams.html
This link references magnetic systems. I believe most of the comments have been about electronic systems. Obviously, magnetic systems won’t work on Calcium and Magnesium.
Taken from your link JohnH
” This suggests that electromagnetic water treatment can be effective under the right conditions, but what these conditions might be is still unclear. But comprehensive engineering studies of actual industrial installations of these devices (such as those outlined above) sometimes fail to support their utility.
I really enjoyed John’s link, and it reinforced my opinion these things are likely to be no more than snake oil.
The scientist in me is happy to base judgement only on things that can be observed, and to reserve judgement on what cannot. If I’m reserving judgement, then the case is unproven, so I don’t want to part with any cash.
Surely, if these products are actually doing anything that’s measurably useful, then rather than offering an emotive and irrelevant money back guarantee, the manufacturers need only point to independent, scientific, peer reviewed tests, then sit back and count the money.
The fact that they haven’t, is therefore rather suspect.
Tests carried out independently by Professor Peter Dobson of Oxford University 2006
Read the results yourself , but i guess there will always be sceptics
http://www.waterking.co.uk/PDFs/Softerwater.pdf
I have enjoyed reading the discussion here. I must start by admitting that I don’t own, or intend to own, any electronic softening device.
If these devices do actually work, I would be very interested in learning how.
My observations are,
firstly, with regard to electrical pulses affecting the water in the pipes. A copper pipe should have a similar effect to that of a Faraday cage. This would prevent the electrical field interacting with the water.
Secondly, I am not aware that magnetism will excite electrons or make any persistent changes to atoms. It can alter nuclear spin under very specific circumstances. An MMR machine is designed to do this momentarily. If you are familiar with these devices you can appreciate the size of magnet that is required to do this. Incidentally the technique only effects a very small percentage of the atoms present as the normal isotope of an element is unaffected.
So lets assume that there is something going on that we don’t understand; a pseudo-science of sorts. But this still doesn’t explain why no quantitative experimental data exists.
Hard water effects detergents by replacing the sodium ions in detergent molecules for calcium or magnesium, reducing the solubility of the molecule and precipitating it as scum. This is physical, therefore the mechanism is measureable using analytical chemistry, and quantifiable.
The literature pointed to in Pablo’s post is suspect. I have not been able to locate most of the document’s references – (ie. Neither John Crowther & Sons or TFW Associates are registered companies. If TFW Associates do exist, why a Forensic Engineering firm is carrying out the research beggars belief – such a company would analyse train crashes and bridge failures. Surely a Forensic Chemist would be more appropriate). I find the whole document unduly vague.
Claims that the Water-King gives less dissolved calcium in hot water are misleading. There is less dissolved calcium in hot water anyway. It precipitates in hot water and gives us limescale. This is the problem we are trying to address!
In conclusion, I would be interested in any valid research carried out in this area, but at this time remain very sceptical. I don’t now any scientist who, when asked to carry out research on chemical behaviour, would turn their back on proven analytical techniques capable of identification, quantification and speciation, and opt instead for a kitchen sink and a bottle of fairy. Let alone an Oxford don.
I have an electronic background mainly marine electronics. I fail to see how anything with such a small power supply and thin windings round the pipe could manage to induce any sort of power level into the water passing through it. To produce a magnetic field of the strength comparable to the strontium magnets would require cables like car battery leads.
I know permanent magnetic conditioners work on diesel bugs, but that is a bacteria, or asphaline, and the results are scientifically repeatable.
Reading the responses here there are too many variables to convince me to rush out and buy one.
I was always dismissive of the claims made by manufacturers of these items.
However, a few years ago I became concerned that the limescale build up in my shower head, was indicitive of build up in other parts of the water system in my house. As I have a Boilermate (heat exchange system) fitted, this could become very expensive. I had experience of another house having to have its Boilermete replaced evry 2-3 years or so from scale build up, and at £1,000 a time it was pretty scary.
So after some convincing sales pitch from my local plumbing store (I am a builder), I bought a Water King.
Within a month, pieces of limescale were being flushed out through the shower head, and within a couple more months I never saw any more evidence of scale build up.
I have fitted other makes for other people, and they seem to have similar experiences. Do they work? The Water King certainly did for me.
Bryan Billau
I’m trying the Scale Master from Biophysica soon. It is the electronic type with the wires wrapped around the pipe. It costs $2000 (£1000). I’ll update this page soon.
Does anyone have experience with the AquaKing by Carribean Clear or the Sofpac system. They have the new triangular wave technology.
For a cheap and affective limescale remover from kettles, toilets, etc. I use
citric acid (all citrates are soluble). A 50g will cost about 50p from the
pharmacy. pour the whole packet down the toilet and leave as long as possible
(while you’re on holiday is a good idea).
Vinegar is nearly as effective – use the colourless variety as the brown caramel
colour can stain.
For kettles, do remember to rinse out thoroughly afterwards – otherwise the tea
tastes awful!!
I bought a Water King (now Little Plumber?)about 15 years ago, possibly longer. Our kettle and shower head used to fur up, but no longer, and we have progressively used less & less soap/detergent/washing up liquid otherwise we get too much foam. All we get in the kettle now is a few very thin flakes of scale which detach themselves and can be emptied out.
My son lives in Hemel Hempstead and in 2000 requested one as a wedding present having over the years seen the improvement in our water. I bought him a Scalewatcher. At the time his kettle was always badly furred and after boiling water there was always a white scum on the surface.
The kettle is no longer furred up and the scum had disappeared forever after a couple of months of use. One can only guess what changes have occurred within the water pipes and radiators, but his water is noticeably softer.
My experience of two similar, but different products, which I would recommend
Hi I have just bought an electronic descaler for 20 odd quid on the strength of noting that my friends toilet cistern had a small amount of scale which was very soft, and was easy to remove, he has an electronic descaler, and lives half a mile away from me so we should have a similar water supply. i will keep you posted.
Don’t waste your money on these things if you live in an area
where hard water is a real problem. We live in Norfolk and the
water is awful here. We got one of these things installed 8
years ago and it made not one jot of difference. All that appears
to be happening is that the little meter flashes away in the
cupboard under the sink, whilst the salesman who sold me this
piece of junk counts his wad on a yacht in the Bahamas or
somewhere. We quite literally p*ssed £300 down the drain!
since there is to date no independent research,I rang ‘WHICH’ MAGAZINE and even they have not tackled electronic water descalers yet. Please request that they do so. All requests add to pressure for them to investigate an area vital for energy saving and cost.
01992 822 800
http://www.which.co.uk
i made a similar electric devise for under €10, very cheap i hear you say. i fitted it to my under the sink inlet pipe.3 weeks later clean kettle.it worked.how though?lets manufacture these cheaper call me 0034686295203 investers welcome, lets talk.
gary williams! please report on your observations!
I live in Utah too!
I’ve been reading this discussion with interest.
It seems the electronic descalers work, but only
under certain conditions, and we have yet to
identify what those conditions might be.
I can’t remember how long ago it was that I posted an article with you guys but since that time I have been busy making and selling our Little Plumber water descalers. We have sold more this year than ever before and continue to wonder why people are still asking the question “do they really work?” We offer a 12 month no quibble guarantee so if our customers are not happy then they can send the unit back for a full refund. We have had one back in 10 years because the customer said it didn’t work. In fact it didn’t work because although the lights flashed the microchip that generates the range of frequencies we use was flawed. Anyway the customer got his money back immediately.
I am sure that there are many of our competitiors products out there that are not properly treating the house because it is really important to find out whether you have a “vented” or “unvented” plumbing system. If you have a vented system with a loft tank then you will need TWO units. One to treat the mains cold pipe and one to treat the cold down pipe into the hot water cylinder. We have a diagram on the site which explains all this. http://www.littleplumber.com
So to all those doubting Thomas’s out there…the answer is YES, if you get the right unit/units and fit them properly you will be scale free and your water will seem softer and more importantly you will save a fortune on your heating bills.
Thanks Rich to opening this topic, this forum helped with my decision.
I think it is clear that there are two groups on this forum, it is like with every forum on internet.
One group of spammers and sales individuals trying hard to promote “their” great products (guess why), posting links to companies they are affiliated etc.
Other group of independent users of the products. It is sometimes difficult to distinguish the second from the first but since there are so many unsatisfied users it is quite clear.
Why there is no such doubt whether salt conditioners work?
Unfortunately the electro-magnetic gadgets only work on their manufacturers sites, maybe there are many people not so good in physics that would accept the nonsense about polarised water and altering molecular structure by subtle electro-magnetic field, but to alter molecules you need much much stronger EM radiation. These devices simply belong to snake-oil ezoteric show-case.
Save your money and time by listening to the right group.
Well, we’re all trying to make a living! Each of us must stand by our product and offer a gurantee of its effectiveness. NO ONE should buy a limescale inhibitor unless it has a cast-iron guarantee that it works – or your money back. We do! What good is a year’s guarantee? This is pointless. Most combination (combi) boilers take 2-4 years to ‘scale-up’ even in hard water areas. If you buy a inhibitor that only comes with a year’s guarantee on its performance then you must question is effectiveness. We’ve been carrying out descaling for over 30 years and never found an electronic unit that actually worked – despite what the manufacturers say. That’s why we invented our own using silicate-polyphosphate. We KNOW it works – that’s why we can give a guarantee of your money back, even in 10 years time! http://www.limestop.co.uk
Water softeners work, of course, but they are expensive, need maintaining with salt (you wouldn’t believe how many people forget), and require servicing. You also usually lose a cupboard.
You can read about water hardness on our website http://www.scalgon.co.uk
I was the VP of R&D for a company in St. Louis involved with a doc at Vanderbilt ni with a University using magnets to treat pain in cancer patients. I have degrees in
chemistry and physics. We experimented with very strong magnets in efforts
to remove hardness in water for use in Zamboni machines. The goal was to make
the hockey rink ice smoother. ALL EXPERIMENTS FAILED MISERABLY.
In addition, experiments were conducted using static magnets for relief of pain.
The theory was that a strong magnet would polarize the positive and negative
charges along a nerve cell and prevent the passage of a pain impulse. Immediately
the physicists debunked the theory. The only way to polarize a nerve cell is
with an electric current ie. a tens unit. An electric current can only be
generated by an oscillating magnetic field. Static magnets don’t work.
End of story…
We called in physicists from Washington University.
It’s all very easy for me to sit here and come up with nice things to say about our products the Little Plumbers http://www.littleplumber.com and to assure you that they work and do get rid of limescale and do prevent it returning. BUT I also get some great feedback from customers like this one from Bill in Arizona who bought one of our LP Solo’s, the battery operated model. He says:
“We are VERY impressed with our new LP Solo! I was concerned since the only access I had for installation was around the flexible copper tubing leading to our hot water heater, but overnight we had softer, sudsier and better tasting water. If our decorative fountains are an
accurate indication of how fast the minerals build up in pipes, Lord only knows how ANY water is getting through our 20 year old plumbing.
I know it will take time, but I’m anxious to see the difference.”
So while there are still people out there saying these products don’t work then ask Bill.
Of course we know static magnets don’t work because the water has to be passing the magnet for even a weak field to be generated in the water (Flemings Right Hand Rule) but our units use an electromagnet to put the current and the frequencies into the water. Even static water. And they do work. 10 years and only one back !!!
I saw an electronic scale inhibitor for very little money in Maplin. Bought and installed it. Distant memories of school chemistry 50 years back suggested I could demonstrate a difference in the water hardness by testing samples of untreated tapwater, boiled water from a kettle and treated water from a bathroom tap with drops of soap solution. (All at same temperature, same quantity, same soap solution etc – detergent doesn’t work so well). The more drops of soap solution it took to produce a lather, the harder the water. This rough test showed that the treated water did appear to be softer than untreated but not as soft as boiled water. Which shouldn’t happen, because the scale inhibitor doesn’t remove the calcium. Anyway, two years later we still have limescale round the taps, on the shower head etc……
Gavin (LittlePlumber) – Will you offer more than your 12-month guarantee then? Because that’s all you are giving on your website. You state that you have only had one back in ten years, but that’s no surprise when you only offer a 1-year guarantee!!! Think about it. We now give a NEVER-ENDING guarantee OF PERFORMANCE on our LimeStop – and we’ve never had a one back since we’ve been manufacturing Siliphos-filled limescale inhibitors from 2003. If something works then the manufacturers should have the courage to back it with a money-back guarantee that lasts for ever…we do! Gavin, every week of the year we remove a magnetic or electronic scale inhibitor to fit a LimeStop in place of it. We are doing that AFTER descaling the boiler. The boiler had ‘scaled-up’ despite the magical bit of magnetism or electrickery! Today we removed another HydroFlow that hadn’t worked. Sorry Gavin, we’ve been in this for many, many years. We’ve tried them all, and only Siliphos works. And that’s why LimeStop comes with its ‘For-ever’ guarantee.
Cheers,
Barry Foster, Scalgon
Thank you to all the contributers to this subject. I have only just commenced researching and looking at the electronic options of scale free water – but am more confused now. Surely there must have been some formal research done on this subject? If not then I would strongly recommned that one of the manufacturers, or several of them, jointly fund some independent analysis if they so strongly believe their marketing text.
Up until I had found this site I was going to purchase but am now totally reconsidering my decision – thank you all! As I have several friends who are also looking at this type of product I will share this link to the site with them.
Hello Jacqui. I completely agree. As a manufacturer of something that I know works then far from being afraid of a test I would welcome it very much. In fact, we’ve been waiting for a call from Which? magazine saying that they would like one of our units to test. Anytime they’re ready we’ll personally deliver it to them. Ours works – that’s why we guarantee it ‘For-ever’. I see you are looking for an ‘electronic option’. Then I’m afraid you’ll be disappointed. There are times when our LimeStop (small as it is) just won’t fit on the available pipework (if the plumber has made lots of joints). So I contacted the managing director of a particularly very well-known company to ask if we could buy 50 of his product to install where ours wasn’t possible. He and I got on well in the conversation until it came to the point that I stated we would want a money-back guarantee for our customers if it didn’t work. Immediately he refused. He made it plain that it was not a condition that his company would enter in to. That said it all for us and no more correspondence took place.