Anti-Limescale System

[catholic]

I live in a really hard water area & have just seen an advert for an anti-limescale system. Seems to be too good to be true (special offer £14.99 + pp) so perhaps it is. Two magnetic 'shells' that you clip onto the main water pipe. These create a powerful magnetic field which gently dissolves limescale & helps prevent build up in pipes. Has anyone tried similar?

[beegeebee]

Having moved from the Midlands ( a very soft water area) some 16 years ago, we were horrified by the amount of limescale produced in kettles etc.. So we invested in one of the electrical gizmos where you wrap a copper cable around the inlet copper pipe and connect that to the Mains via a transformer. It doesn't stop the limescale but by golly it reduces it by a significant amount! Instead of a weekly descale, it's now once a month! B.

[buildersmate]

No, no, no. If this organisation is claiming that it 'dissolves limescale' then report it to Trading Standards.
These magnets have been shown to change the chemical shape of the calcium ions so that they are less likely to stick to surfaces inside the hot water system. I tried them over 10 years in a very hard water area in central southern England and they appeared to have SOME effect, but I do not think they are worth the money. The showerheads still get blocked up with scale, but we noticed less build-up in the loo pan (where water trickles down at the back) and it seemed easier to remove.
The only thing that takes the calcium ions out of the water is a proper catalytic ion-exchange softener.

[catholic]

Thanks very much for your advice. The gizmo I saw was advertised in one of those little magazines that fall out of your Sunday paper, full of useful stuff you didn't know you needed. Meanwhile I think I'll carry on with Calgon in the washing machine & descaling the kettle every other week!!