Magnetic water softener efficiency test

 

Hard water has an increased content of minerals, which results in the subsequent casting of the water. This results in lower appliance life, reduced water flow, increased heating costs, and many other disadvantages. Various water softeners and scrubbers are used for water treatment. Some say they work great, others say no at all. So I did a simple test to prove the truth.


Methods for removing stones


Water hardness causes a high content of dissolved minerals such as calcium, magnesium and others. These can be removed chemically, so that no water is left after evaporation. Another way is to physically treat water either with a solenoid or a permanent magnet. The chemical composition of the water will not change (the minerals will remain there), but the magnetic field limits the sedimentation of the limestone.
Physical method using magnets
I've been testing a water-repellent using permanent magnets. This is the unmodified product that is on the first photo. The manufacturer claims:


-maintenance-free, unlimited lifetime
-limits the formation of stones by 50%
-nozzle nozzles and perlators will be passable
-on heat-exchange surfaces will limit the formation of water
-treated water retains its properties for 24 hours
-magnetic force 12800 GAUSS


the settled waterstone will dissolve in the pipeline and the flooded areas
can not prevent the formation of the stones where the water is dried
I first examined the magnets a bit. Using the compass in the mobile I found that the inner rounded side of one has the north and the second south pole. Once attached to the pipe, the magnetic silos move parallel from one magnet to another, as is also evident in the pictures of metal sawdust.

 

 

Magnet 35x50x5mm.

 

 

 

The inner rounding of one magnet has a northern magnetic pole.

 

 

 

The inner rounding of the second magnet has a south magnetic pole.


 

 

 

Magnetic field force distribution of two opposite magnets, visible through metallic powder.

 

 

 

Magnetic field force distribution of two magnets in the space, visible using metallic powder

 

 

ferosonda

 

Ferosonda to measure the magnetic field strength.

 

 

 

Between the two magnets I placed the pen so that they were at the same distance as they would on the water pipe. In the middle, I walked through the plastic tube into which I inserted the measuring probe. At the center of the magnet, a value of about 0.6 TESLA was measured, which is 6000 GAUSS.

 

 

meranie sili magnetického poľa

 

On the surface of the magnet where the silos directly descended, a value of 0.96 Tesla was measured, which is 9600 GAUSS. The instrument was not calibrated and the value fluctuated quite a bit. However, it is sufficient for the indicative values.

 

Before the test begins

 

At first I checked the sieve of the pearl on the faucet. After a few months without purification, a coarse layer of stones settled down on it, so that the water flowed through it only with great difficulty. The sieve was immersed halfway into citric acid to dissolve all the water. The second half of the screen remained uncleared for comparison. Sitko was mounted in that state.

 

test účinnosti odstraňovača vodného kameňa

 

On the screen of the prevarator one part was cleaned from the stones.

 

 

 

Detail on a portion of a screen, purified using citric acid.

 

 

 

Detail of the untrained part of the screen.


Using water with a magnet


Half cleaned sieve was inserted into the water tap. Then, magnets were attached to the inlet pipe, one pair for the hot and the other for the cold water pair. On the edges of the magnets, I have added plastic washers to keep the magnets centered. In such an arrangement the magnets remained for 4 months. Water consumption in 4 months was approximately 6m 3 cold and 5m 3 hot water. Most water, however, went to bathtubs, washing machines, and to flush toilet. The watched sieve in the small washbasin could have fallen by an estimated 1m 3 of hot and cold water. The distance of the water flowing from the magnets to the sieve was approximately 2 meters. After testing for 4 months, I rechecked the pellet sieve.

 

 

 

Magnet holding geometry with plastic washers on PVC tubes with an outside diameter of 20mm..

 

 

 

Magnets in the shaft, placed on the water in the stage to the apartment..

 

 

 

Detail of part of a site that was cleaned 4 months ago.

 

 

test zmäkčovača vody

 

Detail na neočistenú časť sitka. Usadeniny sa zjavne pomaly rozpúšťajú.

 

 

 

Detail of the untrained part of the screen. The sediments appear to be slowly dissolving.

 

 

Using water without a magnet

 

Again one part of the sieve was perfectly cleaned and the other left with the original deposits of the stones. I removed the magnets from the pipeline, mounted the sieve back and used the water tap without magnetized water. After 4 months I removed the sieve of the pearl and checked how much of the stones settled on that surface at that time. In Trnava and its surroundings, the water hardness is approximately 20 ° N.

 

 

 

Detail na časť sitka, ktorá bola pred 4 mesiacmi dokonale očistená.

 

 

 

Detail of a part of the site that was perfectly cleaned 4 months ago.

 

 

Second experiment

 

I did the previous tests and comparisons for the same time and water flow, but in different seasons. This means that during a hot summer, water evaporation and scale formation can be many times higher. Over time, the metal sieves of the aerators have already disintegrated. I replaced them with plastic ones. I took a photo at the beginning and after a year of use.

 

 

Clean on start.

 

 

 

After one year.

 

 

 

After two years.

 

 

Conclusion and evaluation of the test


It is clear from the test that the magnet on the water pipe limits the deposition of scale on the surfaces washed with water. It can partially dissolve and wash away limescale that has settled down a long time ago. One of the theories says that hard water after passing through a magnetic field will form small precipitates (crystals) in the volume of water. They then do not settle, but are washed away with the current of water. The formation of precipitates depletes the small area around the precipitates of minerals, which can cause partial dissolution of previously deposited scale. However, if the water stays in the tank for a longer time, the precipitates will start to dissolve again in the water and settle on the walls. And since the chemical composition of the water is not changed by the magnetic field, the evaporated water leaves white spots.

 

From the second experiment, it is clear that the magnet can slow down the scale build-up, but it cannot stop it. This means that it is still necessary to clean the strainers of the aerators, although perhaps less often. It would require a more sophisticated experiment where there would be the same flows under the same conditions, one with a magnet and one without.