Many people will think about the physical size of the water softener, but it is the water softening capacity of the water softener (the amount of soft water created between regenerations) that really determines its suitability for the home. A timed controlled water softener goes through the regeneration process at specific intervals – it could be daily or weekly. Some tank-based systems can slow down water flow so much that appliances struggle to operate at the same time, but an electronic descaler won’t cause this issue. Installation Location The big downside here is that you’ll often waste sizable quantities of water and sodium in the process. After all, the system simply replaces the resin beads at specific times. However, these softeners rarely consider how much water you need or are actually using daily. So there’s a good chance you’ll flush perfectly fine soft water. And as you probably guessed, this is really bad when you forget to shut off your electronic water softener when you go on a vacation for a couple weeks. If you want to see the biggest benefits of an electronic water descaler, be sure to install it before your heater so as to improve this appliance’s efficiency and help you save money.

In 1985, Alleman of Purdue University , in “Quantitative Assessment of the Effectiveness of Permanent Magnet Water Conditioning Devices,” tested treated water from six different magnetic water treatment units for a number of measures, including temperature, conductivity, boiling point, pH level, alkalinity, hardness, calcium composition, and scaling effect. In 2001, the Water Quality Association established a task-force that reviewed over 100 electromagnetic water softening studies. Only 34 met their criteria for scientific validity. They ultimately stated that there’s very little evidence supporting their efficacy. Just like the name implies, water softeners actually “soften” water. Cox explains, “A water softener is a device that removes minerals, primarily calcium and magnesium, from the water supply, making it ‘soft’ by reducing the hardness. It does so through a process called ion exchange, where the calcium and magnesium ions are replaced with sodium or potassium ions, effectively softening the water.”Their reasoning is simple: They desire an alternative to salt-based water softeners, which replace healthy minerals like magnesium and calcium with unhealthy minerals like sodium, which many Americans are already consuming too much of . Salt-based water softener salesmen usually don’t stop there, either; they’ll convince you that you need to buy a reverse osmosis system for the kitchen so that you can get rid of the sodium that they put there . If you have a natural aversion to chemical water treatment, the promises of electromagnetic water softening might appeal to you. We know it certainly sounds better than some of the alternatives. A water softener is a filtration system that attaches to a household water supply to soften hard water through an ion exchange process. It may be off-putting to you that salt-free water descalers can’t actually remove calcium and magnesium, especially as there’s little evidence to support the fact that these systems work. That doesn’t, by the way, mean that these systems don’t work – rather that you’ll have to judge their efficacy by their ability to reduce the effects of hard water, and not by whether they remove calcium and magnesium from your water supply. Warranty

If you are among the estimated 16 million people in the UK who live in a hard water area, our guide to the best water softener might just have the answers you're looking for. From chalky white deposits leaking from your best steam iron to smelly laundry in your washer dryer that even the best laundry detergent can't fix, hard water minerals can wreak havoc in your home and on your appliances. Signs include pesky tidemarks on bathroom fittings, stiff, rough clothes in your tumble dryer, clogged showerheads and smeary glassware. It gets worse: hard water can aggravate and even cause skin conditions such as eczema. Non Electric Water Softeners use the same ion-exchange technology to soften your water, but the valve is powered by kinetic energy, using water pressure alone without the need for electricity. The valves use a similar water meter principle as our electric water softeners, measuring the amount of water you use and regenerating when capacity is reached. Water-King is a market leading physical water conditioner manufactured by water treatment specialists Lifescience Products Ltd. Designed as an environmentally friendly alternative to salt softeners, Water-King emits a signal into hard water that helps prevent the build-up of encrusted limescale whilst removing existing scale deposits without using chemicals.You may find that certain benefits, such as better lather with soap and reduced damage to skin and hair, are less obvious with a salt-free magnetic water system than they would be with a traditional softening system. Requires Flowing Water You may need to wait as long as three months to see an improvement in your water, depending on water hardness and whether you have existing limescale. Salt-based water softeners can often cost hundreds of dollars to operate per year, while salt-free descalers cost nothing. This makes electronic water descalers ideal for people with smaller budgets who are looking to pay less upfront and in the long run for an effective water softener alternative. Simple Installation Calcium and magnesium ions in water cause hardness so a water softener extracts them and replaces them with sodium ions. Water-King is easy to install, requires no plumbing, benefits from a 25 years design life and is completely maintenance free!

Now, as far as function goes, these softeners only start a cleaning cycle after you use a preset amount of water. However, this also means you’ll need to know the exact hardness of your water to obtain maximum efficiency here. But it’s definitely worth it with all the water you save in the long run! We don’t use water in our homes 24/7, but we do need the reassurance that softened water will be available on demand. Electric Water Softeners feature highly programmable electronic valves that can be set to your specific water hardness (to the exact parts per million). Our versions use a water meter to measure how much water you use and only begin the regeneration process when necessary, which helps to lower running costs, save water and reduce the amount of salt your softener uses. These ‘metered’ electronic valves learn how much water you use per day and predict whether or not there is enough remaining capacity in the softener for the next day – if there is not, regeneration will occur at 2am when no one is likely to be using any water (this time can be altered to suit the needs of your household). If you just want to prevent mineral scale buildup, a conditioning unit is all you need. But for high-quality water, you should consider buying a filter to use alongside your salt-free system for conditioning and filtering benefits. ❔ Frequently Asked Questions What’s the difference between a salt-free water conditioner with tanks and a salt-free water descaler? You may have seen another type of salt-free softener alternative on the market: salt-free conditioners. These whole house water treatment systems look more like salt-based systems, as they have a tank that water must run in and out of for treatment.Obviously, electric softeners are powered by electricity. But don’t worry about this impacting your power bill. These usually plug into a 12-volt transformer and consume 1 single amp of energy. So any changes in your electric bill will be unnoticeable. If you have water hardness of more than 25 GPG (grains per gallon), you might not be impressed with the capabilities of a descaler. Some descalers are even less effective, and can only treat a hardness of around 15 GPG. The efficacy of an electronic water descaler depends on a number of factors. First and foremost, the more hard water minerals a water conditioner is capable of removing, the more effective it is. The best water descalers can remove up to 25 GPG of minerals in the water in your home. Electromagnetic descalers are the most common water descaling option. They’re attached onto your water pipe at your home’s point of entry. This type of descaler prevents a buildup of limescale by altering the behavior of the hard water minerals with the magnetic field it produces. Capacitive Electronic The fact of the matter: There are decades of third-party evidence that argues against the effectiveness of electromagnetic water softeners. Sometimes the most effective argumentative strategy is to simply overwhelm the opposition with cold, hard data. We could ramble on and on about the logical fallacies that magnetic water softener companies knowingly or unknowingly use to try to sell their products, but in this case it doesn’t really matter.

When you’re looking for the best electronic water descaler, you’ll likely come across two types: electromagnetic and capacitive electronic. Though these system types are identical in what they do, they have their differences when it comes to design. Electromagnetic For a meter controlled water softener to calculate when the resin has been exhausted it needs to know the hardness of the water and the amount of water that has been used. Therefore, a water softener set to the exact hardness of the water is going to be more efficient than a softener that uses a pre-set hardness range. Will yours use salt?: Most do and those that don’t aren’t technically water softeners – they condition the water to inhibit limescale, as opposed to softening it, and are generally less efficient than their salt-consuming counterparts. Aside from investing in a water softener, there are several other ways to deal with the negative impact of hard water.

The best water softeners: at a glance

Like all types of water softening systems, electronic descaler systems come with their pros and cons. Consider the following when deciding whether an electronic water descaler is for you: Doesn’t Actually Soften Water Your water flow is also relatively important when considering an electronic descaler, as these units need to be installed at an area where water is constantly on the move. In 1996, researchers from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory evaluated a magnetic water treatment device, the “Descal-A-Matic,” and found that there was “no beneficial effect when using the magnetic device” in comparison with no water treatment device at all.