Post B53YJsXwPJxNzmqL6u by ryan@bemrose.social
 (DIR) More posts by ryan@bemrose.social
 (DIR) Post #B53KwX50krXtLyqgls by Lars@shitposter.world
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       These are like 5x larger than I thought they’d be
       
 (DIR) Post #B53L8rn3a0jX3pKeUi by Lars@shitposter.world
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       @eriner might appreciate theseI wanted something low-maintenance that I wouldn’t have to think about
       
 (DIR) Post #B53MsIpA0zGXtGXt3I by eriner@noauthority.social
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       @Lars > that I wouldn’t have to think aboutThis post is making me think about how a "water descaler" without rechargable ion-exchange resin beads works.
       
 (DIR) Post #B53MsJ2zBaKCa90vbM by Lars@shitposter.world
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       @eriner I believe this (Waterboss) one used Nucleation Assisted Crystalization. It uses polymeric media beads with nucleation sites on their surface that causes Ca^2 and Mg^2 ions to crystallize into inert micro-crystals of calcium carbonate. Since they're already crystalized they shouldn't attach to pipe walls to form scale but it'll still be in the water.Waterboss advertises 6-year effectiveness before needing to replace it. I just wanted it to help protect my tankless water heater I'm getting.I'm having plumber come and replace my current water heater and do a whole home repipe. Gettin a Rinnai RX199iN and PEX piping.
       
 (DIR) Post #B53Psr8ClGoY9ePPV2 by eriner@noauthority.social
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       @Lars Apparently there are a lot of new-age ways to "condition" the water to reduce scaling.I don't buy it.We can know an ion-exchange water softener works because you can measure the hardness of water going in and coming out and calculate a differential.Unless and until I see some kind of empirical testing of these methodologies, I'm concluding that they're all scams.RT: https://noauthority.social/@eriner/116363871580205635http://www.mntap.umn.edu/wp-content/uploads/simple-file-list/Resources/Tools-and-Calculators/Chloride-Water-Conditioning-Alternatives.pdfRT: https://noauthority.social/users/eriner/statuses/116363871580205635
       
 (DIR) Post #B53PsrjQWsaY15p8W8 by Lars@shitposter.world
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       @eriner Those over-the-pipe things do look scammy. They looks like MAG systems based on that document. The doc does say the TAC/NAC system has comparable scale reduction as ion-exchange systems which is what I was aiming for. Replacing every 3-4 years as opposed to 6 isn't so bad. I don't know how I'd be able to tell when It'd need repalced though except for maybe checking the water heater for buildup.
       
 (DIR) Post #B53YJsXwPJxNzmqL6u by ryan@bemrose.social
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       @eriner @Lars What sorcery is this?I live somewhere that has very soft water, so I admit I'm uneducated about water systems.  But "Hard water is water that has a high mineral content," according to the very first sentence of the wikipedia article.  Those images all depict a wire wrapped around a sealed pipe.  I'm quite certain they're not removing any minerals at all.  At best, they're dropping the minerals out of solution and into the pipe at that location.  After that, one of two things is happening: The minerals are being deposited into that small section of pipe (how often will you have to redo your plumbing there?), or the minerals are being washed into your appliances and drinking water anyway.What am I missing here?
       
 (DIR) Post #B53YJsmTXHaCirdwlU by Lars@shitposter.world
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       @ryan @eriner the doc shows multiple different systems. The one with the wrapped wire is for the MAG system. The issue I’m trying to solve with the TAC system is scale buildup in appliances, not filtering the minerals. The TAC system causes the minerals to crystalize before reaching the appliances in smaller clusters that can pass through.
       
 (DIR) Post #B53anfI0SdjzTXikYy by eriner@noauthority.social
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       @Lars @ryanhttps://www.idahowatersolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/water-study-water-softener-study-at-asu-by-peter-fox.pdf
       
 (DIR) Post #B53anfV7fsEU8DrE0W by eriner@noauthority.social
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       @Lars @ryan thanks @Lars, I learn something new every day.More resources for the curious: https://www.waterboards.ca.gov/water_issues/programs/grants_loans/water_recycling/research/ion_exchange_water_softeners.pdf