On Jul 7, 7:57*pm, Denrael wrote:
I've been looking at the NuvoH2O Saltless Water Softener as an
alternative to a larger brine based system. *Does anyone here have any
experience with them? Thoughts?

To "soften" water is to remove calcium (among other things like iron)
from water, not calcium deposits from pipes, and that is commonly done
by one of two methods.

One method is ion exchange as done by a water softener. A water
softener exchanges either sodium ions (if using NaCl) or potassium
ions (if using KCl as a SALT SUBSTITUTE) for calcium (and other) ions
in the hard water. That's it, no ifs, no ands, no buts, and no sales
double talk. Simple chemistry and physics. Softening water is not
black magic. It is physics and chemistry with a side of mechanics. No
matter how hard sales people try (and want) to they can not violate
the laws of physics or change the nature of chemical actions and
reactions.

The other is by a filter and/or membrane technology or distillation,
but no simple filter will remove calcium. You would need a reverse
osmosis unit large enough to service your entire house. You would not
want to pay for that big an RO nor pay for the service and routine
maintenance it would require and RO water would be very aggressive in
your plumbing and it would waste a lot of water.

NO magnet(ic) gizmo or electronic gizmo or "conditioner" will soften
water but people waste their money on them EVERYDAY.

Check out this URL for one story a href="http://www.nmsr.org/
magnetic.htm" http://www.nmsr.org/magnetic.htm /a and there are
many more on the net if you Google.

Pick the right softener (not a box store brand), size it properly for
your water conditions and usage and the SFR of your plumbing, and get
a competent install and you should get 10-15 years of reliable
service.

The MOST IMPORTANT thing is that water treatment begins with a
comprehensive water test so you know what needs to be treated or
filtered out to get the quality water you want.