scale wizard

[matt_w]

Does it work?

[Mudman]

Don't know about scale wizard but the Salamander scale inhibitor which i got from screwfix and fitted last summer does not seem to have had any effect.
http://www.screwfix.com/prods/60422/Plumbing/Water-Treatment/Salamander-Sesi-Electrolytic-Scale-Inhibitor?cm_re=SEARCHPROMO-_-SCALE%20-_-60422
it does not need a power souce and relies on a permanent magnet but, like i say, I have noticed no improvement in scale formation anywhere in the flat- including the cold tap in teh kitchen which is where the water has had the least time since going through the salamander.

[pottsiwebber]

I'm no chemical engineer but I work for a UK water supplier and I know our engineers dismiss these sort of devices. From what they tell me the only thing that works is ion exchange.

[Pat_]

I have had people trying to convince me about these for years, almost to the point where I changed my mind. There seems to be so much pseudo-science 'quoted', that you almost start to think it might be true...

I found this which seems to be fairly unbiased: http://www.chem1.com/CQ/magscams.html

[langstroth2]

We use a ion exchanger and it works very well - no noticeable scaling around taps etc, water feels softer, and when I removed a the old HW cylinder there was very little scaling on the heater coil.

Only pain is remembering to refill with salt occasionally, and the risk of leaks from the recharge mechanism which has a number of moving parts/valves; although i think some modern versions actually sit in the cold water tank.

[Amy]

Gosh, is this de ja vue or something?

I seem to remember asking pretty much the same question regarding magnets and fuel lines a very very long time ago.

Nowts changed then?

[matt_w]

Sorry, I deliberatly did not start with my opinion on this one.  I generally believed they were snake oil science.  Ok then, so without an ion exchange (i.e. proper softner) is there anything (easy) that can be done to de-scale a hot water tank (vented with loft fed tank) perhaps every 1-2 years as a maintenance task?  Is there such thing as a potable lime scale acid (perhaps 1000 juiced lemons!!?)  I've just seen about 3mm of scale in the bottom of the kettle that sits on my stove (present at xmas),and taking the old tank out showed it was almost as heavy empty of water due to the amount of scale, so I'm worrying I really ought to do something more than hope and pray.

I do know a bit about magnets on fuel lines, about the only use they are is if you float your car in a pond and hope to use it as a compass!  I won't bore you with the science of that one.

Thanks everyone

[davebodger]

Sorry, I deliberatly did not start with my opinion on this one.  I generally believed they were snake oil science.  Ok then, so without an ion exchange (i.e. proper softner) is there anything (easy) that can be done to de-scale a hot water tank (vented with loft fed tank) perhaps every 1-2 years as a maintenance task?  Is there such thing as a potable lime scale acid (perhaps 1000 juiced lemons!!?)  I've just seen about 3mm of scale in the bottom of the kettle that sits on my stove (present at xmas),and taking the old tank out showed it was almost as heavy empty of water due to the amount of scale, so I'm worrying I really ought to do something more than hope and pray.

Well I find the descaler stuff they sell in supermarkets works well enough in kettles.
I guess you would have to scale the quantity up quite a bit for a hot water tank but the same principle should apply so I don't see why it wouldn't work.
It works better/quicker the hotter the water is.
It might take a fair bit of water to flush it through afterwards though. 

[matt_w]

hmmmm, I suspect the cost will be prohibitive of pouring those little sachets into the cold tank  Maybe a second hand water softener then connected to the cold water tank only - my water suply is such that the stop tap is in the boiler cupboard and then it all disappears into concrete floor, so very difficult to put in a drinking water tap to the kitchen some way away.  Anyone got one knocking about no longer required?