On 24/04/2021 20:31, pinnerite wrote:

I am shortly to move to a bungalow that needs a lot of TLC.
I want to ensure that we do sometghing to counteract hard water.

It is either a water softener or an inhibitor,

Do the latter actually work?

Depends on what you mean by "inhibitor", and "work"!

If you actually want soft water, then an ion exchange softener (or
possibly a RO one - but IIUC they are not common in domestic use) are
the only ways you will remove the hardness salts from the water.

If all you want to do is stop it depositing on heating elements in
combi's and cylinders etc, then a phosphate dosing system will do that
to some extent. However it does not actually soften the water, and it
will still deposit scale on evaporation - so does not do much to help
shower surfaces or taps etc.

The magnetic/electronic ones seem to have little or no effect.

(probably for completeness ought to mention CH system inhibitor - again
does not soften water, but does protect the CH system components from
corrosion)


--
Cheers,

John.

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