Hi, I'd be very grateful if someone could answer the following query; Can this scale reducer such as the Fernox Electrolytic (part no 6168v) be installed on the main cold water feed which goes into my combi boiler (Vaillant eco tec 824), or do I have to buy one for each plumbing fitting, such as shower, taps, etc. ? Lastly do they actually work? Many thanks.
1. According to the write up on the Screwfix web site, it is a "whole house" device, and this is confirmed on the Fernox site. 2. I've never seen an incontrovertible proof that these devices work and the concept seems somewhat alien. However, there are reports of their being useful, so, for the price, perhaps worth a punt. 3. So far as I know, the only proven method is the salt based ion exchange water softener, but you are talking the better part of £1,000 with installation, perhaps more.
The manufacturers of "electronic" and "electrolytic" water conditioners all say that the are not water softeners. All they do is "condition" the water so the lime scale does not clump together and stick to the pipe. The water is still as hard as it was without the device. I have been researching this as I have just purchased an electric shower; and the installation instructions say the warranty will not be honoured if the water hardness is over 200ppm and a "water treatment device" is not installed. I contacted the shower manufacturer for advice and got a phone call back. All they would recommend is a whole house water softener. No mention was made of the electronic variety, but I was warned against the inline type (magnetic?) as the often contained one way valves which could get stuck and cause a dangerous pressure increase in the shower unit. I'm still thinking about the "electronic" type, which usually just require some wire to be wrapped round the pipe.
Fernox claim that their device converts Calcite (the normal form of Calcium Carbonate) into Aragonite. They both have the same chemical formula but have different crystaline structure. However the Fernox device is electrolytic so it must use an electrolyte, which is a chemical element to drive the process. The elctrolyte will eventually run out. Some persons have queried the wisdom of introducing another chemical into a potable water supply. A patent was issued in USA for an electronic device to perform the conversion. I have also come across a report in the Journal of Water Process Engineering entitled "Removal and/or prevention of limescale in plumbing tubes by a radio-frequency alternating electric field inductance device" which says that they work, provided the correct voltage qnd frequency are used