Electronic Water "Scale" gadget (from UK)

[Spehro Pefhany]

From another newsgroup:-

http://www.scalewatcher.co.uk/pages/How_does_it_work.asp

Any opinions on this thing? They claim to have sold 100,000 of them.
Here is Ian S's original description of the device:

----------
Hi folks, at my daughters new home today, installing odds & ends & she
asked me to install an "Electronic scale remover". Being a skeptical
person, I had a look at this device ($500.00) & decided not to instal
it until I knew more about it. Hopeing that someone reading this will
be able to prove me wrong & tell me that it really does work. It is
supposed to remove scale & prevent it's reformation in pipes, valves,
plumbing, hot water systems etc. It consists of a plastic box,
plug-pack (Wall Wart?) & some hook up wire to wind around a water
pipe. The wire is wound around a water pipe for 25 turns, then along
the pipe for 100 to 150 mm (4" to 6") then another 25 turns in the
same direction then back to the unit. The plug pack is 12 Vdc @ 500
mA. The box has a well made p.c.b. with a voltage reg. a couple of
LM358N's 2 transistors & a 16 pin I.C. that has had the type No.
removed by abrasive paper & some passive components. Having 2 coils of
wire wrapped around the pipe would seem to me to be using some form of
magnetic field, but the instructions say "Applicable to all pipes,
Copper, Ferrous & Polymer pipes" I would have thought that with the
power levels available, there wouldn't be much of a field inside a
ferrous pipe.

 

[Jim Thompson]

From another newsgroup:-

http://www.scalewatcher.co.uk/pages/How_does_it_work.asp

Any opinions on this thing? They claim to have sold 100,000 of them.
Here is Ian S's original description of the device:

----------
Hi folks, at my daughters new home today, installing odds & ends & she
asked me to install an "Electronic scale remover". Being a skeptical
person, I had a look at this device ($500.00) & decided not to instal
it until I knew more about it. Hopeing that someone reading this will
be able to prove me wrong & tell me that it really does work. It is
supposed to remove scale & prevent it's reformation in pipes, valves,
plumbing, hot water systems etc. It consists of a plastic box,
plug-pack (Wall Wart?) & some hook up wire to wind around a water
pipe. The wire is wound around a water pipe for 25 turns, then along
the pipe for 100 to 150 mm (4" to 6") then another 25 turns in the
same direction then back to the unit. The plug pack is 12 Vdc @ 500
mA. The box has a well made p.c.b. with a voltage reg. a couple of
LM358N's 2 transistors & a 16 pin I.C. that has had the type No.
removed by abrasive paper & some passive components. Having 2 coils of
wire wrapped around the pipe would seem to me to be using some form of
magnetic field, but the instructions say "Applicable to all pipes,
Copper, Ferrous & Polymer pipes" I would have thought that with the
power levels available, there wouldn't be much of a field inside a
ferrous pipe.

Do you *really* need to ask? Does she also have a similar device for
her car to improve its mileage ?

...Jim Thompson

 

[John Popelish]

From another newsgroup:-

http://www.scalewatcher.co.uk/pages/How_does_it_work.asp

Any opinions on this thing? They claim to have sold 100,000 of them.
Here is Ian S's original description of the device:

(snip)

It's bunk.
http://www.chem1.com/CQ/aquacrack.html

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

(snip)

It's bunk.
http://www.chem1.com/CQ/aquacrack.html

Super. Thanks, John, I'll pass that along immediately. (BrE:
"straightaway").

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[Activ8]

I bet they did, too. Friggin' Art Bell advocates the shit. The
websites should have one of those sections like amazon does:

"People who purchased this product also puchased:

The Belly Button Mounted Time Machine
.... "

(snip)

It's bunk.
http://www.chem1.com/CQ/aquacrack.html

Ah. Finally I find something that debunks this Art Bell BS. I
checked the internet and though I don't recall any $500 units, I
never did find any hard info on whether the shit works.

Thanks.

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

Do you *really* need to ask? Does she also have a similar device for
her car to improve its mileage ?

...Jim Thompson

Whaa?? Next thing you'll be telling me that the magnets are not
really helping my blood to circulate. ;-)

http://www.worldofmagnets.co.uk/


The UK seems pretty tolerant to this sort of stuff. A year or two ago
I ran into a fairly slippery Indian fellow in China who was making a
fortune selling a similar kind of snake oil electronic gadget to
consumers in the UK. The surprise to me was that Boots (a huge chain
of retailers/drug stores) was distributing it.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[martin griffith]

(snip)

It's bunk.
http://www.chem1.com/CQ/aquacrack.html

Isnt there a Homeopathic version?




martin

Three things are certain:
Death, taxes and lost data.
Guess which has occurred.

 

[Tim Mitchell]

The UK seems pretty tolerant to this sort of stuff. A year or two ago
I ran into a fairly slippery Indian fellow in China who was making a
fortune selling a similar kind of snake oil electronic gadget to
consumers in the UK. The surprise to me was that Boots (a huge chain
of retailers/drug stores) was distributing it.

I can't understand it. Many plumbers insist on installing one of these
things when they fit new central heating systems or they won't guarantee
the installation.

If you fancy a laugh there are several people in the uk.d-i-y newsgroup
who are almost fanatical supporters of these things.

 

[Robert Baer]

(snip)

It's bunk.
http://www.chem1.com/CQ/aquacrack.html

You mean that the chemical equation for the active ingredient is from
the elements: Boron, Uranium, Nitrogen and Potassium (BUNK).

 

[Frank Bemelman]

Super. Thanks, John, I'll pass that along immediately. (BrE:
"straightaway").

At the end of the first alinea I read: "This does not mean that they don't
work, but that anyone contemplating the purchase of any such device should
be extremely cautious and insist on an ironclad performance guarantee."

I happen to have one of those devices, new, still in the box. My wife
got it for nothing, from a company in the same building where she
works. I never bothered to install it, since our water is pretty soft
here. It's a 'Danamp Kalkloser K20'. There are no instructions with
it. It's a plastic box, two leds, 240V cable and plug, and some
selfadhesive copper strips coming out of the box. Never looked inside
it. They have a website at www.danamp.com

$500? Hmm. Should I put it on Ebay?

 

[sPoNiX]

From another newsgroup:-

http://www.scalewatcher.co.uk/pages/How_does_it_work.asp

Any opinions on this thing?

Taken from uk.legal (Heavily snipped):


"Having had to have yet another new Hot water cylinder fitted 5 yrs
back..was persuaded by...100% money back refund guarantee that adding
an Electronic Scalewatcher device to my water system would prevent the
build up of scale.

Yesterday had to have the mere 5 yr old Hot Water Cylinder removed
because it was leaking ...lo and behold it was full of scale and it
was this that caused the leaking coil just as had happened with all
previous ones..So took back the Scalewatcher for 100% refund because
it clearly did not work ...they tried to argue that the scale could
not possibly have happenedand would only refund 75% of the £300 cost
keeping 25% as a handling charge !!!!!!!!!!!!

Clearly I am not happy with this ...advice anyone"


Draw your own conclusions.

sPoNiX

 

[sPoNiX]

I can't understand it. Many plumbers insist on installing one of these
things when they fit new central heating systems or they won't guarantee
the installation.

It's a bit like buying an "Extended warranty" with a new telly. It
doesn't mean it won't go wrong..all it means is the seller will fix it
if it goes wrong.

sPoNIX

 

[sPoNiX]

If you fancy a laugh there are several people in the uk.d-i-y newsgroup
who are almost fanatical supporters of these things.

Would YOU admit to wasting £300+ on a pile of crap?

sPoNiX

 

[Terry Pinnell]

Super. Thanks, John, I'll pass that along immediately.

As in 'momentarily'?

BTW, how long has that been in the US vocabulary? Always makes me
wince. Oops - I'm probably invoking a catalogue of wince-making UK
words!

 

[Spehro Pefhany]

Would YOU admit to wasting £300+ on a pile of crap?

sPoNiX

Plus the time to install it. It doesn't actually HARM anything. A
placebo. Note the long time indicated before you "begin to see
results". Kind of like the audio flavor of snake oil.

Best regards,
Spehro Pefhany

 

[Richard Henry]

Isnt there a Homeopathic version?

Would that be where you take some water (a few drops should do) that has
been run through the anti-scale gadget, "activate" it, and add it to you
water heater?

Or would that be too strong?

 

[Vadim Borshchev]

Any opinions on this thing? They claim to have sold 100,000 of them.
Here is Ian S's original description of the device:
[snip]

Being a skeptical
person, I had a look at this device ($500.00) ...

Total rip-off. "Psr 8 Computerised Scale Reducer" is less than 40 quid at
B&Q here (UK),
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/product/product.jsp?CATID=175894&PRODID=175900

And there was 'nuff said about how it works (or not works

Vadim

 

[Frithiof Andreas Jensen]

If you fancy a laugh there are several people in the uk.d-i-y newsgroup
who are almost fanatical supporters of these things.

Of course - Having laid down GBP 300 for that sort of thing It Had Better
Work!

People who have laid down money on a foolish "investment" will not willingly
admit that they made a mistake - *a lot* of money can thus be made off those
saps both in the stock market and in the "nigerian money-laundering
business" just by getting the first deposit.

 

[Terry Given]

Of course - Having laid down GBP 300 for that sort of thing It Had Better
Work!

People who have laid down money on a foolish "investment" will not willingly
admit that they made a mistake - *a lot* of money can thus be made off those
saps both in the stock market and in the "nigerian money-laundering
business" just by getting the first deposit.

There was a high-profile "victim" of the nigerian scam in NZ last year - he
was the chief economist (or something like that) for ASB bank, and he got
ripped for NZ$7million (much of which he got from friends). I say "victim"
because the guy is clearly a moron. Kind of makes you wonder how the bank
makes money.....

Cheers
Terry