Go Green : Salt Free Water Softeners

ScaleFreeH20™ Series Salt-Free Hard Water Conditioners

Environmentally-friendly alternative to conventional water softeners to prevent the formation of hard water scale in your plumbing system, water treatment equipment, tankless and traditional water heaters, dishwashers, and more

ScaleFreeH20 salt-free hard water conditioners utilizing FilterSorb SP3 media are an environmentally-friendly alternative to traditional water softeners to prevent hard water mineral scale from coating surfaces inside your plumbing system, water heater, dishwasher, and other appliances. Unlike a traditional water softener, ScaleFreeH20 conditioners do not require regeneration with salt, backwash, or expensive electronic control valves. Accordingly, they require almost no maintenance and are easier to install.

  • Environmentally friendly
  • Simple operation with no day-to-day maintenance
  • No salt, no chemical regeneration, and no brine discharge!
  • No backwash – save thousands of gallons of water per year
  • Does not remove beneficial minerals

What makes ScaleFreeH20 systems better than other salt-free units?

  • Brand-name (Pentek Structural) treatment tank
  • Brand-name Clack in-out valve with bypass and connection fittings included at no extra charge
  • More power! The media is the most critical part of the system, but it is also the most costly so many of our competitors reduce the media volume to cut costs. More media means more performance and longer life. We size the system for your specific water conditions and needs!
  • Third-party validated components for your assurance of material safety and structural integrity
  • Premium tank jacket included

    integrity water softener

Let’s Get Technical For a Moment: How it Works…

Hard water scale always precipitates onto something. It does not readily form on its own in the water stream. The scale has to find a surface (wall of a pipe, a water heater element, etc.) to serve as a nucleation seed to form onto. ScaleFreeH20 salt-free hard water conditioners use a highly specialized media consisting of polymeric beads which serve as a powerful catalyst for the formation of nano-crystals of calcium and magnesium carbonate which remain suspended in solution instead of forming hard mineral scale on surfaces. This process is called Nucleation Assisted Crystalization, or “NAC,” and is widely becoming the most respected form of alternative hard water treatment. The nucleation sites on the NAC media attract calcium, magnesium, and bicarbonate ions. At these template sites, these building blocks of mineral scale combine to form microscopic (nanometer-sized) calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate crystals. However, instead of forming typical calcite crystals (normal mineral scale), the template surface guides the formation of a crystal structure that does not stick to surfaces. As the crystals grow, they break off and become suspended in the water stream and are carried away in a crystal form that is stable and does not easily revert back to its dissolved form or stick to surfaces. Since the minerals are not actually removed, if the water is allowed to evaporate on a surface, such as a glass shower screen, the crystals will be deposited and will leave a spot on the glass, however, it should be easy to wipe away as it will not stick to the surface.

When water begins to flow into the bottom of the treatment tank, the NAC media is lifted and disbursed throughout the treatment tank in a fluidized bed which enhances contact with the calcium and magnesium ions in the water. Since the system is operated in a fluidized upflow configuration, the system will not clog with sediment and no backwashing is required.

During the first few weeks after the installation of an ScaleFreeH20 Water Conditioner, a de-scaling effect whereby existing hard water scale built-up in the plumbing system is released, will often occur. Over time, this added benefit will enhance performance of water heating equipment and restore flow performance of plumbing fixtures.

Does it really work?

NAC technology was first employed as an alternative to conventional water softeners roughly 15 years ago in Germany. It was introduced to the U.S.A. and Canada about 7 years ago and is now gaining widespread acceptance.

Testing performed by the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water (DVGW) according to the Standard W512, determined the NAC media to be 99.6% efficient in preventing hard water mineral build up on the test heating coils and pipes. Standard W512 is considered the most rigorous accreditation standard for certifying water softener alternatives for scale-reduction performance.

A study conducted in 2011 by Arizona State University entitled, “Evaluation of Alternatives to Domestic Ion Exchange Water Softeners,” backed these results. It determined that NAC technology was the most effective of all non-salt water conditioners at preventing mineral scale, with reduction levels consistently in excess of 90%. The results showed that NAC conditioners were far more effective than magnetic and electronic water conditioners at preventing hard water scale formation. This study also used the DVGW Standard W512 test protocol.

Maintenance

ScaleFreeH20 conditioners operate in “upflow,” so they do not trap sediment or suffer from channeling which reduces the effectiveness of competitors’ products. Backwashing is not necessary. The only required maintenance is the replacement of the FilterSorb SP3 media every 5 to 7 years depending on water conditions and annual water consumption.