wrote:

Larry Stoter wrote:
John McMillan wrote:

snip ....
Well, it might be a "proven item", but I'm extremely sceptical
as to whether the "waterimp" or any other magnetic device can have the
slightest effect on water hardness or calcium carbonate deposition rate.
Please show me some unequivocal evidence, optionally followed up
with a tenable theory to explain why it does.

snip ...

I am highly sceptical of all such gadgets, along with 'the power of
crystals', copper bracelets and similar, not to mention christianity,
crop circles, pyramids and all the rest.

However, a few years ago we moved to an area with very hard water. I saw
an ad for a device to fit to the mains inlet to reduce hadness - as it
cost something like £12, I thought I'd give it a go. Much to my
surprise, it does work. Not 100% or even 90% but scale deposits are
significantly reduced - instead of having to clean the glass shower
screen after every shower, it now needs doing only every couple of
weeks. Interestingly, the heavy scale deposits in the electric kettle
started to dissolve. Again, they didn't disappear but were significantly
reduced.

The device consist of a box which clips onto the water mains inlet. It
has two wires coming out of it which are coiled tightly around the water
pipe. The box plugs into the mains. Two points to note on the
'instructions' were that it supposedly works more effectively with metal
water pipes and the wires should be coiled in opposition, i.e. one coil
clockwise, the other anticlockwise. The explanation as to how it worked
was mumbo jumbo but indicted that it was generating AC over a range of
frequencies.

I haven't any idea as to what it is doing but it is certainly working to
a limited extent. With some research, it could probably be made much
more efficient.

As to the waterimp, I can't see that a static magnetic field is going to
has the slightest effect on water chemistry. But, it doesn't seem
impossible for changing electromagnetic fields to change the chemistry
of the ions in the water.

Did you compare your results with another identical (or at least similar)
house without the magnetic conditioner? How do you know that the water
didn't simply get a little less hard?

Magnetic conditioners do have a small, measureable effect I believe
but I thought it was too small to be significant or noticeable in
domestic usage.

Turned it off for a few days ... Scale problem returned.

It's not a 'magnetic' conditioner (i.e. a permanent magnet). It seems to
be radiating an electromagnetic field of with a constantly changing
range of frequencies (in the range of a few kHz to 20 kHz) and
amplitudes. Scale originates from ionically dissociated compounds in the
water. Varying electromagnetic fields will potentially have a much more
significant and complex effect on the ions than a weak and static
magnetic field, generated by a permanent magnet. The suggestion that it
would work better with copper pipes makes sense as a conducting pipe
could act as a wave guide, extending the effect well beyond the
immediate vicinity of the device.

Its effect, while not 100% was very clear and noticable.

At a guess, I would say it would be most effective with a continuous
flow of water and that there would be an optimum flow rate, so the
situation in domestic premises where flow is very intermittent and
probably not at an optimum rate is not going to result in the maximum
effect.

Might be possible to take some measurements with a pH meter?

But, much to my surprise and disbelief, it does work. If it extends the
life of the heater elements in the washing machine and dishwasher by a
few years and means the shower screen only need cleaning every couple of
weeks, then it was a good 12 quid's worth :-)
--
Larry Stoter