Magnetic Water Conditioner

Magnetism is a mysterious phenomenon to most people, and even many of us who have taken a few courses in college physics often don’t feel we really “understand” it. In the 19th century, hucksters and scam artists were taking advantage of the public’s ignorance of magnetism by offering fraudulant magnetic products to treat everything from baldness to impotence, and an even wider variety of magical wonders are being hawked over the Internet nowadays.

There is a long history of the promotion of magnets to alleviate the “hardness” of mineral-containing waters, and particularly to control the deposition of scale in teapots, plumbing systems, evaporators, and boilers. There are now a large variety of devices on the market that claim to reduce scale deposition, and some claim to “soften” the water as well. The earlier devices mostly employed permanent magnets, but many now use alternating magnetic or electrostatic fields. The magnetic field surrounds the pipe at some point and penetrates it from all sides. This obviously limits its use to non-ferrous pipes such as copper or plastic.

Magnetic water conditioners designed for home use are relatively new. Most of what is available for the home can be purchased through independent distributors. Magnetic water conditioning systems are rarely available in home improvement stores or plumbing supply shops.

Conditioning water through a strong, focused magnetic field is a form of magnetically induced ionisation (IMI) known as Magnetohydrodynamics. Without the magnetic field chemical complexes contained within the water break down leaving minerals free to attract and bond to adjacent surfaces. When the complexes are broken down in the magnetic field they take on a charge and act as crystalline centres that allow them to remain in suspension instead of forming crusts on the surfaces.

The theory behind magnetic water conditioner is to pass the flow of water in the pipes through a magnetic field. This allegedly changes the electrical charge of the ions in the hard water so that the minerals cannot form lime scale.

Does magnetic water soften the water? No, the essential natural minerals are still in the water but are held in suspension. It is because of this that most people say the conditioned water ‘feels’ softer. Less detergent and soap is needed and often the film on the water surface is reduced. Although, water that has been treated magnetically is completely drinkable. Traditional methods using salt leave sodium in the water, which makes it unhealthy for people with high blood pressure.

Still, there is no scientific consensus about the mechanism of how magnetic water conditioners might work. This is not surprising; the entire process by which ions form precipitation nuclei is poorly understood. The results have been mixed. Hopefully, the technology will be perfected and in the future, water conditioners will be available that are environmentally friendly and inexpensive.