any hard water treatment foak here?

From a) the amount of noise our hotwater tank makes when you knock it
and b) the amount of time it takes to heat the water up, I'm sure the
pipes are covered in about a foot of limescale.

Before I investigate further and probably replace it, I need to sort the
water out.

I've blagged a water softener (salt based thingy) from ebay and am going
to give it a try.

I don't mind paying for the salt etc. for the softener as I'm pretty
sure it's going to work, but I'm not so sure about the possible slimy
feel of the water - going to try it anyway.

Has anyone any experience of those magnetic jobbies? Do they work? The
interweb appears to be completely divided afaict. Personally I think
they're snake oil up there with those things to improve my mpg and
horsepower.

 

My parents had a softener for years (we moved from Birmingham and couldn't
understand how people down south were able to wash with what came out of the
taps). I can honestly say there was absolutely no problem with the water
feeling like anything other than water.

 

http://www.waterimp.co.uk/report.html

Same institution as TBC - so prace bets now.

--
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| Pete Fisher at Home: |
| Voxan Roadster Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" |
| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

I saw that - seems to be a very short/simple trial, I have my suspicions
about whether it really did come from Bath, or heavily selectively edited.

 

If only we knew a Bath-based academic who'd be able to find out.

 

One that could distinguish between different kinds of liquids?

 

Using the patented Mavis Beacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Simon Wilson

LOL!

 

snigger....

 

It might be interesting to find out exactly what the trial was actually
setting out to do. Some magnetic water softeners do seem to been able to
have a limited effect in a small closed loop, very different from a
mains supply rushing past with a continual supply of fresh water ready
to deposit limerscale everywhere

.... a single trial conducted 9 years ago, no other trials quoted or
conducted anywhere else for what would , it has to be said, a
breakthrough which would be sure to have attracted more attention


"The Water Imps are Electronic Water Conditioners which use very
powerful low frequency signals which effectively treat all conditions of
water and flow rates."

So - a 555 timer

"They transmit these signals asynchronously "

asynchronously with what?


"via an aerial to create a strong magnetic field,"

So - a 555 timer feeding a coil of wire wrapped round a pipe 20 times


"which has the effect of altering the formation of calcium carbonate
crystals (limescale), so that they remain in suspension in small
particles and do not form hard crystalline deposits inside pipes,
boilers and domestic appliances."

snake oil

 

You and your technical explanations ...

 

So what is the "low frequency" it operates at ?

and how big is the signal ?

 

Agreed

 

He's been pointed in this direction.

 

Note that the 'Ion exchange" water softeners add 'salt' to the
water. Too much 'salt' is not good for you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Water_softening
"A person who drinks two litres (2L) of softened, extremely
hard water (assume 30 gpg) will consume about 480 mg
more sodium"

Some random website -
The UK Recommended Nutritional Intake (RNI) whose upper limit for
sodium is 1,600 mg."