Hard Water Reduces Appliance Efficiency

According to Hardwater.org 80 – 85% of the homes in the US have hard water. Hard water creates limescale build-up (mineral deposits on pipes and heating coils) that restricts water flow and reduces heat-transferring capability in appliances.  A study by Water Quality Association (2004) stated water heaters using untreated hard water consumed almost 26% more energy.  New Mexico State University reports that by reducing and preventing mineral (lime) scale build-up on pipes and appliances, households could experience up to a 30% savings in energy costs and longer life (25 – 40%) for their appliances.

 

Limescale is a significant insulator: just a small coating of limescale of  1.6mm on a heat exchanger in a boiler system can reduce its efficiency by an average of 11%.  The build up of limescale usually results in reduced flow rates, loss of efficiency and early failure of components.

 

Treating limescale ranges from use of bottled water for appliances such as coffee makers, reverse osmosis systems that pushes water through a two stage filtering process, flushing a vinegar and water solution through the system, to the use of a salt based water softener that does not fully manage mineral buildup.  There are also other systems for breaking down scale using magnets and wraps around the pipe that are flow dependant (water needs to be running for system to function).

 

Each solution is expensive over time and with water softeners today, there has been much made of the ecological issues of discharging salinated water into the ground water.  Several communities have begun to ban softeners in a response to the concerns of salt in the ground water supply.  Due to the financial costs, municipalities are ceasing to soften water with salt.  They are warning their customers that they should expect a rise in water hardness which will contribute as noted above to a myriad of issues.  Even restaurants are also looking to reduce the amount of salt they purchase each month to soften their water which can run in the hundreds of dollars. 

 

One product, HydroCare, a technology developed in Europe and now being used in 30 countries world wide in over 600,000 locations, prevents mineral buildup and dissolves existing build-up of limescale by utilizing patented radio wave technology.

 

Test conducted by British Gas states that “The technology is ….. the only device to approach an ideal device for reducing/preventing scale formation on a continuous operational basis at high temperature. This is an essential and unique feature required by water heating appliances.” 

 

 

Comments

[Hard Water Tests]

I didn't know that hard water decreased appliance efficiency by that much. Before you treat your water, make sure you know what you're treating it for. I found this great company called Water Test America that offers water quality testing packages that are affordable and performed by professionals.

[RamonGustav]

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