Water Conditioner

A water conditioner normally has to be fitted in properties that are located in certain areas known as ‘Hard Water” areas. These homes tend to suffer from very severe cases of limescale formation and in turn will have problems with blocked pipework. There are a few types of conditioning appliances available like the ones below:


Phosphate:

This softener works in much the same way as the softening tablets that you buy for a dishwasher or even a washing machine. Traces of Phosphate in the water will have a conditioning effect. The thinking behind this is that the water that has been treated with the phosphate will be less likely to have any limescale deposits on the inside of the pipes and therefore not block. This is an expensive piece of equipment, but there success rate is good. The conditioner needs to be dosed on phosphate every so often and fails if the dosing holes are blocked. Stratford Plumbers have the correct tools to fit all appliances.


Electric/Magnetic:

This appliance does not alter the composition of the water chemically, instead it physically conditions the water. This is done by placing the pipework between two electro-magnets. The magnets are then energized and the water in the pipes runs through resultant magnetic field. This changes the minerals in the water so they will not leave that corrosive coating on the pipes. These are cheap and really easy to install. These conditioners will not interfere with boiler filling loops or water filters. They can be quite unreliable. A Stratford Plumber is experienced with all conditioners.


Zinc:

A very similar looking piece of equipment to the magnetic type and can have magnetic fields. Once they are started, they release zinc into the water supply. This zinc will interact with and bind itself to the minerals that are present in the water. The process stops the pipework inner lining from coating again. Ironically, this equipment has a self-destructive element, in that the zinc itself will attract limescale and ultimately fail. They are a lot more expensive than their electro-magnetic counterparts, but have the same for and against points.