Electronic Water Conditioners ???

[twincamms]

Do they really work? Just bought a Hydroflow 38b new and boxed from eBay for £30 which I thought was a bargain as they retail for £100. I've been on the Hydroflow web-site and read all the bumpf, but do I believe it? What do you guys think?

Cheers.

 

[Nige F]

Nah....put it back on and let me know when you do.start@ £1.00 Ps. a sidevalve is as good as any twincam

 

[Agile]

The magnetic water treatment units with a strong permanent magnet can give a useful effect.

The electronic units use such a low power that I cannot see that they can have any effect. I have NEVER met anyone who has thought that theirs was doing anything useful !!!

Tony

 

[timbalcombe]

Well,

I've had mine 6 weeks now, and a very slight improvement maybe.Mine is a BayHall model for £40.
Its hard to tell, but the residue on my nice chrome mixer seemed to change consistency.... to less thick

 

[Nige F]

Aw alright .a fiver plus postage ....electronic ones work on emitting radio waves at randomly varying frequencies

 

[Agile]

You really believe all that you read?

Do you have one of those copper bracelets which emit similar signals and prevent all sorts of ailments?

Its illegal to transmit radio waves without a transmitting licence. You need to be prosecuted by the Radiocommunication Agency!

They actually produce a magnetic field at about 40-50 kHz. Its so weak that I cannot see that it can have any significant effect.

Tony

 

[kevplumb]

and i belive they are only effective when the water is moving

 

[ChrisRoberts]

I think the effect (if any) wears off again within 48 hours. So all those people who fit them to incoming mains feeding everything are wasting their time. The magnet ones may help a kettle.

 

[oilman]

Please look for an independent report on them, and tell me where it is.

 

[breezer]

my 2 p worth

People with koi ponds use them, some say they are marvelous some say they are rubbish, personaly i think its physcologial, its a gadget so you will look for things that have happend for "no reason" there probably is a reason, but becuse of the new gadget it must be that.

Are you sure its radio? you can transnit legaly without a licence, since these things are so feeble, and probably on a non licence required frequency* they are ok to use if you really want one, i saw one today, it had a nice sequence of lights, seemed an expensive set of lights to me

*"walkie-talkies, radio remote control toys do not need a licence, if these things did they would cost more

 

[ChrisR]

The makers of (at least one of) the radia frequency ones claim that the effect pervades the whole system. I'm still looking for a report with some science behind it though.
Trouble is, I do come across anecdotal evidence that they do help. One such was in a large hotel, where they use them wholesale. But you never know if the guy who is defending his decision to purchase, is the one who's saying they're marvellous.

I met an MD once, absolutely by chance, at an exhibition, of one of the well known radio-transmitting ones. Better not risk slandering the man I suppose. He couldn't give any evidence that things work the way he says, and just came up with something like "of course you can't actually see it". We discussed, and he went a bit red, asking if I was qualified in RF propagation. I pointed out that I was and he shut up. Funny bunch, plumbers.

I was impressed by the "scale" of some magnetic ones used in industry. About the size of a washing machine. I wonder if they do any good!

 

[Nige F]

I believe very little of what I read and read very little so I guess I know..sweet FA and care even less.

 

[Agile]

I am quite convinced the magnetic ones do have a useful effect.

We use a magnetic water treatment for a launderette where the water is heated by an Ideal CH502 directly. The boiler is a CH type used to directly heat the water which is circulated with a Grunfoss 15-50. Its 34 years old now and has never needed to be descaled yet!

The magnetic treatment is something I put together using a ceramic magnet from a loudspeaker.

I repeat for the disbelievers, this system is heating mains supplied water for the launderette washing machines and heats about 600 litres per day !

Cynthia works there!

Tony

 

[Nige F]

Does Dot Cotton work there