Water Conditioners: Limescale Protection

In hard water areas, scale accumulation blocks pipes, nozzles, causes pumps to fail, and elements to burn out. Built up scale deposits can damage water heaters within a matter of months.

Scale acts as an insulator, as it builds up it takes more energy to heat or cool water, making appliances less efficient and increasing energy consumption. For every 0.005’’ of scale energy demand will increase by 5%, as shown on the graph below.

Source: Association of Water Technologies

The Building Regulations Part L – Domestic Heating Compliance Guide

These regulations are concerned with the conservation of fuel and power for space heating systems and hot water systems. The regulations state:

“Where the mains water hardness exceeds 200 parts per million provisions should be made to treat the feed water to water heaters and the hot water circuit of combination boilers to reduce the rate of accumulation of limescale”.

Salamander Pumps’ catalytic water conditioners can be used to control limescale and meet the recommended minimum standards set out in the Building Regulations Part L – Domestic Heating Compliance Guide.

What Does a Water Conditioner Do?

Salamander Pumps’ catalytic water conditioners treat hard water and prevent scale build-up. They use an alloy core to create turbulence and a catalytic reaction, which changes the calcium carbonate found in the water, from calcite to aragonite. There are no chemicals or salt used in this process, the calcium carbonate is still present but can pass through the system without depositing as scale. Nothing is added or removed from the water, so the water is safe to drink.

The treated water also has a greater capacity for absorbing scale, so pre-existing deposits are gradually broken down and absorbed.

Are Water Conditioners Any Good?

The water conditioners are an effective solution for hard water problems.

They work by altering the physical structure of the calcium carbonate in the water. This process does not remove any minerals, but rather prevents them from adhering to surfaces and forming a hard scale.

The benefits are not just limited to the prevention of limescale, but the Salamander Pumps water conditioners also improve the efficiency of appliances and heating systems, reducing energy costs, and prolonging the life of appliances.

How Long Does a Water Conditioner Last?

Our catalytic water conditioners have a warranty of 10 years with life expectancy of over 15 years.

How to Choose a Water Conditioner?

It’s vital to choose the right water conditioner, click here to learn how to choose the correct water conditioner based on flow rates.