Descaling system yes/no, experiences?

Hello Tobi,

very interesting post, thank you.

...please, you’re welcome :-)

There is still something on my mind, namely I would like to put two frequently propagated sales arguments for descaling or scale conversion devices into perspective:

1.
Energy savings with electric boilers ??

What applies for gas or oil boilers, namely that a system without scale deposits can save about 20-40% energy, does not apply to electric boilers.
While with gas or oil boilers more heat is lost unused up the chimney when the heat flow is impaired by the scale layer, the heat of an electric heating coil, which is surrounded by water all around, cannot go anywhere else but into the surrounding water. The heating process takes somewhat longer with scaling, but due to the higher core temperature in the heating coil, the electrical resistance also increases, which leads to a reduced power consumption. You have to imagine it like this: the atomic lattice structure, through which the electrons rush to conduct electricity, experiences more intense back and forth movements with increasing temperature. Thus, the electrons collide more often with the lattice structure, and therefore the electric current flow is slowed down, which in the end means less power consumption. 1 kilowatt for 2 hours = 2 kilowatt-hours = 40 cents / 2 kilowatts for 1 hour = 2 kilowatt-hours = 40 cents. The heat that dissipates through the suspension of the heating coil is negligibly small.

2.

Detergent savings = environmental protection ??

It is repeatedly claimed that by reducing detergent consumption with water softened by ion exchange processes (salt), the environment is protected.
However, the following study by BUWAL shows that the salt released into the water by ion exchanger water softening systems pollutes the environment and also us humans many times more than washing with detergents using the modular principle (detergent powder and the necessary amount of softening powder used together).

The four columns from left to right stand for:
1. Washing with hard water using only detergent powder
2. Washing with soft rainwater
3. Washing with soft water softened by ion exchanger system
4. Washing with hard water using detergents with the modular principle

Hello Lt12,

Lime conversion systems are not just for convenience; in my post above, I stated that from a certain water hardness (from 3.8 mmol/l or corresponding 30°fH) desalination systems are technically necessary.

If I have researched correctly, 3.8 mmol/l corresponds to a French hardness degree of 38.033°fH and not 30. If you consider the information sheet, desalination is not recommended below 38°fH, because the aggressive water from ion exchangers also brings technical disadvantages. The SVGW recommendation to consider softening only from 30°fH is therefore set rather low.

Hello Tobi, your invoice is correct; I had taken the values from an information sheet and did not verify them.

By the way, the silver resin content of 2% required in Switzerland for ion exchanger water softening systems is not permitted in Germany because the limit value for silver in drinking water is set 10 times lower in the local drinking water regulations, which would result in exceeding the limit by two to five times... but luckily silver is not so toxic for us Swiss :confused:

It is advised to avoid any additional silver intake, as we already consume that amount through daily food intake, the exceeding of which can have serious consequences according to the WHO. It is also discouraged to use it widely in the home environment in order not to promote the development of multi-resistant bacteria, which would blunt one of the last effective weapons against bacteria in hospitals.