Do electronic water descalers work?

[datzc]

The plumber was out the other day to replace the temperature control cartridge in our shower faucet. We had to replace the same thing in our other bathroom a year or so ago (house is 13 years old). This time the plumber recommended a Flowtech descaler system that supposedly treats hard water so that minerals don't build up in fixtures and appliances.

http://flowtechhome.com/

Since I'd never heard of this before, I did some Internet searching and seems like there's no real proof that it works. I could only find testimonials on websites from companies that sell this or similar brands (EasyWater, Enigma). On the Complaintsboard site some people say it's a scam. The plumber wants about $1600 to install one and will have to drill through my walls near the hot water heater to tap into an electrical outlet.

So this is peripherally related to shaving since it involves hard vs. soft water (grin)...anyone out there have one of these? Or are traditional water softeners the way to go? Or simply live with hard water and not worry about it? Thanks as always.

 

[bberg100]

Lots of big words on their web site. Sounds like baffelment by b.s.

I think a couple magnets duck taped to your water line would be a cheaper alternative. And probably just as effective.

 

[jamesspo]

I don't know if it works within the pipes or not... it's possible, but I doubt it. In any case, what they claim to be happening with dissolved metallic ions in the water is going to be ineffective once the water leaves the electric field. As such, it's not going to have any effect at all on shaving. The problem with hard water and shaving is that the metallic ions in the water aggressively bind with the soap (which is mildly polar). This diminishes the ability of the soap to free float through the water and thus provide lather (and slickness). This system does not remove the ions, so would have no effect on shaving. Get a regular softener. The ion exchange resin in those systems actually removes the ions from the water (well, most of them).

 

[shimsham]

Junk science. I tried to paste a link, but it's not letting me do it on my phone. Just Google it.

 

[Argonaut]

As a plumber who purchased and installed one in his own house to see if they worked... They don't. The supply houses here started peddling them to us about 5-6 years ago, and they swore they were best thing since sliced bread. I purchased one, at a considerable cost even at wholesale, and installed it in my own house. This "gadget" did not do one detectable thing the manufacturer promised, my shower heads still scaled up, it didn't remove the existing scale from any faucets or appliances. It's a huge scam IMO, your plumber may not think so, or he may believe the hype about them. Most likely he believes in the commission he's getting if he sells the job. Get a water softener if things are that bad, but a faucet repair every 13 years doesn't fall in that category IMO.

 

[datzc]

You've confirmed my suspicions, gentlemen. Thanks for the feedback.