Scalemaster unit. Need some help from those in the know!

[Stonedofmoo]

My combi boiler appears to have a 'Scalemaster' unit on the cold water pipe that supplys water into the combi before it's comes out as hot water.

The boiler itself is a Worcester 28i RSF Boiler and the flow rate of the hot tap has always been quite slow compared to the cold which blasts out water. It takes about 10 minutes to fill a bath, but that being said what does come out is always scalding hot.

Now this scalemaster has probably been there since the day the combi is installed, that makes it at least 4 years old as it was all in place when I bought the house, more likely it 6-8 years old now.

Questions
1) Does this unit need replacing after a certain amount of time?
2) If I do replace it, should I replace it with a magnetic scalemaster or a electrolytic scalemaster?
3) Could it be the scalemaster that causes the slow flow of hot water? It's a 28kW combi boiler and the water is just too hot for me to think it's the combi boiler that is the issue.

Any ideas or pointers for me on the subject of scalemasters. If it helps it's an inline unit. I've taken a picture.

 

[Dan Robinson]

10 minutes is not too bad - but hardly a definitive measurement of flow.

Expect 11 l/mins or so.

That Scalemaster probably does naff all anyway, but I think they last forever.

 

[oilman]

I agree with Dan, no one knows how, or even if, electric and magnetic descaling units work. Unless their function was to remove money from customers' pockets. No manufacturer gives any test data, so there's only anecdotes.

You know the sort of thing when you ask how effective something is, the reply is "Don't ask us" ('cos we don't know), "ask our customers" ('cos they have paid money and don't want to look daft).

 

[kevplumb]

have come across them fitted to combis scaled up solid

according to the bumph ive read FWIW the effect only lasts 10 mins

all thats in the casing is a magnet

 

[Stonedofmoo]

Ah I see, should I just leave it alone then and not replace it?

With that being the case is there anything I should be doing with my combi boiler to descale it or is it best to leave these things well alone?

 

[oilman]

I would replace it, but with a combimate. They work, and they do descale, but only slowly..