Depending on how they work, hard water treatment methods are divided into four different categories. They all reduce or inhibit limescale, but each method has its pros and cons. Here is a brief summary of how each of four categories work. It includes what they do, how it happens, and their respective advantages and disadvantages Best Water Distillers.
1). Physical Water Conditioners
Physical Water Conditioners (so-called because they physically alter water’s properties to reduce limescale formation) come in three varieties: electronic, electromagnetic, and magnetic.
1a. Electronic water conditioners (also known as electronic descalers, or limescale inhibitors) generally include a small container of electronics and one or several coils wrapped around pipes.
Their purpose: The electronic conditioners transmit a radio or audio frequency signal into water using induction coils. These coils are placed around the pipework. This prevents limescale accumulation in water pipes and helps to reduce existing scale. The softer scale is harder to remove, although it may still form on faucets and shower heads.
Features Electronic descalers offer an economical solution to limescale problems. Because they do not require plumbing, they are extremely easy to set up. Healthy minerals are preserved and water is safe to drink because they are not added or removed from the water.
Negatives
1b – Electrolytic water conditioning is an inline device that must be plugged into the system. They come in a variety of sizes, including 15mm, 22, or 28mm connectors.
Their function. An electrolytic conditioning contains two dissimilar metals that act as a catalyst and an anode. The electrolytic potential that flows between the anode and the cathode causes small amounts of metalions to dissolve in water. The positively charged scale then becomes unstable because the metalions create particles which don’t clump together and become scale.