Do anti-scale devices ACTUALLY work?

[Murdochcat]

We fitted a water softener when we refurbished our house over 10 years ago.

Here in Surrey the water is really hard so not having one isn’t an option really.

Soft water is also very good for your car windscreen wiper reservoir as they never block up

 

[Brigadier]

Hyde Lea residents for ya.

I'm not familiar with the place.

Please elaborate

 

[noseall]

I'm not familiar with the place.

Please elaborate

Posh part of Stafford.

 

[Brigadier]

Posh part of Stafford.

Call me thick, but I'm not following.

He uses descaled water.

Which water is the salty water?
Such that he's going to let the salt run out?

 

[noseall]

Call me thick, but I'm not following.

He uses descaled water.

Which water is the salty water?
Such that he's going to let the salt run out?

The descaled water is salty (apparently). It encourages rust. And kills his plants.

 

[Brigadier]

The descaled water is salty (apparently). It encourages rust. And kills his plants.

Iirc, it's the softened water that is salty.
The salt is added, as part of the process to remove other minerals.

Descalers operate on a different principle, something electrical or magnetic.

 

[JohnD]

Water softeners work.

The softened water is not salty. Salt is used to regenerate the resin beads that absorb calcium from the water. It is rinsed down the drain.

 

[Exedon]

As above
The process in a water softener is called ion exchange
I live / work in a area where the water is described as aggressively hard
Only thing that works 100% is a proper ion exchange water softener do need setting up correctly.

 

[fixitflav]

Water softeners work.

The softened water is not salty. Salt is used to regenerate the resin beads that absorb calcium from the water. It is rinsed down the drain.

Exactly
Anyway softening isn't I think what the OP is asking about. I think he means the devices that fit on the pipe and are supposed to condition the water or dissolved salts in some way to prevent scaling. I don't believe there's any scientific basis for that.

 

[JohnD]

I don't believe there's any scientific basis for that.

They work the same way as homeopathy.

How does Homeopathy Work?

Get the facts about how homeopathy works

www.howdoeshomeopathywork.com

 

[Alec_t]

I don't believe there's any scientific basis for that.

Nor do I. I suspect that those who have invested heavily in the gizmos swear by them (the Emperor's New Clothes syndrome), whereas others swear at them.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

We have soft water, with a little dissolved limestone. It doesn't cause much of a problem here, just collects on tap outlets, and in the kettle. I heard about a stainless steel mesh, you put into a kettle, which helps prevent it forming. I had some SS pan scrubbers in the cupboard, and so tried one in the kettle. It certainly helps considerably.

 

[Mister Banks]

We have soft water, with a little dissolved limestone. It doesn't cause much of a problem here, just collects on tap outlets, and in the kettle. I heard about a stainless steel mesh, you put into a kettle, which helps prevent it forming. I had some SS pan scrubbers in the cupboard, and so tried one in the kettle. It certainly helps considerably.

I remember many years ago when i was a child my mother always had a stainless steel ball of mesh in the kettle. Seemed to work.

 

[Stivino]

dissolved limestone

That is what causes hardness in water.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

I remember many years ago when i was a child my mother always had a stainless steel ball of mesh in the kettle. Seemed to work.

It does work, not 100%, but very little scale forms in our electric kettle - I've not needed to use descaler, since using the SS.