This question is one of the more difficult ones to explain properly. Some people like to think that if a descaler prevents scale build-up, it must be doing the same job as a water softener. But they are not at all the same.
Simply put, they are designed to do just what they sound like they do.
So what is the difference between a water softener and a descaler? A water softener removes the hardness that is found in water and provides soft water that is free of minerals that make it considered to be hard. A water descaler does not remove any minerals from the water but changes the hard minerals form to make them less likely to collect on surfaces.
So why bother getting a water softener that you have to add salt to over and over again. And nobody wants to have to go out and buy those heavy and bulky bags of salt and carry them down to the softener.
So is a descaler a better alternative to a water softener?
This is simply not the case, a water softener and a water descaler are very different things, so let’s get down to understanding what they do and why they are very different.
It really boils down to what you want to accomplish in treating your water and what is in it to start with. A water softener can remove hard minerals like calcium and magnesium from water and is very good at removing small levels of iron as well.
So if your goal is to have completely soft and iron-free water then a water softener is the way to go.
Why would I want a water descaler?
But if your water is not very hard, and does not have iron in it, and all you are concerned with accomplishing is to reduce the build-up of scaling inside your hot water heater and on your water fixtures, then you may want to consider just using a water descaler.
Many wells provide water that has hard minerals in it that can build up in pipes, the coils inside your hot water heater, on the outside of your water fixtures throughout the house and they can clog showerheads and sink aerators.
But I want to get rid of the hardness in my water.
The most commonly found hard minerals found in water are calcium and magnesium.
A water softener contains water softening resin which attracts these minerals and pulls them out of the water and they collect on this resin leaving the water free of these hard minerals or in other words, water that is considered soft.
The hardness that has collected on the resin is later rinsed away from the softener. This means that a water softener does actually eliminate the hardness in the water so there is none to build-up on any surfaces that the water may come in contact with.
This soft water that is produced by a water softener has many benefits besides just eliminating unsightly hard water stains. Soft water allows soap to work and clean better because it lacks hard minerals that combine with the soap and make it less effective.
Hair comes out cleaner and with more body when washed in soft water and skin stays better hydrated after being cleaned in soft water since there are no hard minerals in it that can settle in the skin’s pores.
A descaler, on the other hand, chemically changes the form of the calcium and magnesium minerals which causes them to be not as likely to collect on the surfaces of your plumbing fixtures or clog showerheads.
Will a descaler stop water spots on my fixtures?
Although the descaler has changed the hard minerals, it has not removed any hardness from the water and the crystallized clumps of hardness particles can still collect on surfaces, just less often and with a slower build-up of the hard water.
Water that has gone through a descaler still has the hard minerals in it just in a different form.
The hardness will still inhibit soaps ability to clean, requiring more soap to get the same level of cleaning. The hardness will not leave hair as clean and full as softened water and skin will tend to be more dry and irritated than if it had been cleaned with truly softened water.
But a descaler certainly has its benefits and uses. A descaler may be used when the amount of hardness is relatively low and you just want to help eliminate hardness build up but are not concerned with removing all the hardness in the water.
A descaler may be beneficial when used before an ultraviolet purifier when the hardness is minimal to help prevent hardness from collecting on the acrylic sleeve that encases the ultraviolet bulb, which can reduce the effectiveness of the bulbs ultraviolet light that disinfects the water passing by it.
Also, a descaler is sometimes used for the hot water only to protect the furnace and hot water heater holding tank from corrosion caused by hard water.
Some people even use a descaler just for outdoor hose spigots for washing their cars as the larger sized hardness clumps may leave less spotting when they dry. And there is no need to use completely soft water when your watering plants or flowers or simply power washing the outside of the house or swimming pool area.
So how well will a descaler work?
How well a descaler works, and if it actually permanently changes the charge of the hard particles in the water is a matter of opinion. Most water treatment specialists do not believe that a descaler has any substantial benefit to the final product water.
Scientifically speaking, the hardness particles may become charged when they enter the magnetic field that is created by the descaler but as soon as the minerals leave the field, they should return to their original state.
What this means is that any potential benefit that the magnetic field may have, is lost once the water has left the field and finally gotten to the point of use (your faucet, shower, etc.).
If you are considering getting a descaler, do your homework and decide for yourself. I do not recommend them as I have found no proof that they do what they claim to do.
What is a water descaling conditioner?
Another type of water descaling system is called a water conditioner. A water conditioner doesn’t actually remove any hardness or iron from the water and I do not recommend them for water with medium to high hardness in it.
When water goes through a water conditioner, the conditioner changes the form of the hardness. By changing the hardness structure into a crystallized form, the hard minerals are less likely to collect on surfaces that the water will make contact with.
This changing of the structure of the mineral is called Template Assisted Crystallization or (TAC). As the water passes through a catalytic media in the water conditioners tank, it chemically changes the composition of the mineral into the new crystal form.
A water conditioner will do nothing to remove iron in the water. If iron is present in your water, you should get a water softener to remove the iron along with any hardness.
So I hope this gives you a better understanding of exactly what a water softener does compare to what a descaler claims to do. They have some similarities but as you can see, they do very different things and are quite a bit different.
I am still confused mainly because some call theirs water conditioner and some call the descalers but they look like the same thing and they both use an electromagnetic field.
Am I all wet in my understanding. Sorry about the pun.
Hello Curt and thank you for the question.
The term “Water Conditioner” has been overused for many different things. But a traditional water conditioner is more commonly called a salt free water softener. It works similarly to a water softener as it collects hard minerals on a resin, but instead of regenerating the resin through ion exchange, the minerals build up into a larger particle until it falls off the resin.
Because this hard particle is now larger, it is less likely to adhere to surfaces and therefore will not leave hardness build-up.
A water descaler uses a magnetic charge to reduce its ability to cling to surfaces but once the hard mineral leaves the magnetic field, the mineral will start to lose its charge. Many people believe that a descaler does little to reduce hard mineral build-up.
I hope this helped.
Paul