Re: Magnetic Water Softners

Well first of all, everything I have read on this has indicated that some
silica must be present for them to work, so one example of them not working
means nothing without more information.  Was there silica in that
water, and if not then why was it even tried since even the companies that
sell them indicate that a trace of silica is necessary for them to work.

Apparently you are wrong about the report being bogus. It is DOE/EE-0162.  It can be found listed in the retiered documents on the US government web site at http://www.eere.energy.gov/femp/prodtech/retired_pubs.html or do you think they post bogus reports as well?

The original pdf document can be found a number of places on the net, including http://www.space-age.com/magwater/fta/fta_nonchem.pdf

Apparently your research depth is somewhat lacking.  There are a number of other published articles in trade journals that support that these work, at least some of the time such as:

"It was concluded that the magnetic unit used in these tests was very effective in controlling scale and corrosion in water systems ... Significant savings in time, cost and equipment were effected in all cases."
E. Raisen, Ph.D., The Control of Scale and Corrosion in Water Systems Using Magnetic Fields,
Paper #117, Corrosion, 1984

"In 1990 a [magnetic fluid conditioning] device was found  on a home in New Plymouth, Ohio. The device had been installed in 1950, and after 40 years the home was totally scale and corrosion free. The appliances looked like new. The dishwasher and garbage disposal were original, and the water heater (replaced in 1956 for a larger model) was 34 years old. The amazing fact here is this: the well water at this house has over 400 ppm (23gpg) calcium and over 11 ppm iron; and, in spite of these conditions, the [device] prevented the accumulation of scale and corrosion."
 Dennis Sheppard & Ron Van Dyke,
Clash of Technologies

"In 1973 U.S. Government agencies identified an alternative method that has been used for over 37 years in Europe and Asia:
 the magnetic conditioner...After the polarizing process, the water is still very safe to drink...Those scale producing minerals are exactly what people pay extra for when drinking quality mineral water...Because the magnetic conditioning also causes de-gasification of water which naturally releases such gases as sulfur and chlorine, magnetic treatment often improves the taste of drinking water."
 Russell J. Alessi, The Professional Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractor,
Vol. 10, No. 18, August 1987

The studies reported here by the Baylor (University) Water Research Group are unique. For the fist time, researchers in an  American laboratory have been able to conclusively demonstrate that something fundamental does in fact happen when  circulated, not just through a magnetic field, but through an actual magnetic treatment device...In summary the potential  benefits which could be derived from a non-chemical method of conditioning of this type include reduced energy requirements,  reduction or elimination of chemical feed and control requirements, and reduced pollution."

Evaluation of the Principles of Magnetic Water Treatment
American Petroleum Institute, Washington, D.C.
API Publication 960, September 1985

And this one which cannot be checked without contacting Mr Kuivinene himself:

"The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) tested magnetically treated water against chemically treated water for corrosion rates of steel corrosion coupons placed in two water systems. Reported results were excellent with corrosion rates of 1-50 mils per year using chemical inhibitors, with four mils per year considered to be acceptable, while corrosion rates of 0.0 mils per year were recorded for magnetic treatment."
David E. Kuivinen, NASA, Lewis Research Center, Cleveland, 1975

I have no bone in whether they work or not, except I do hope they work, or this GW HVAC system I hooked up may become a maintnance nightmare.  I guess I will know for sure in the next few years.

Marshall
 

REL wrote:

Because it is a bogus report posted on a sales webspace and the
magnets do not work perhaps?

I know they did not work in the application I saw them used in and
there were atleast 100 magnets applied to the system.

the other rich

On Fri, 28 Nov 2003 15:02:56 -0500, Marshall Dudley
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

>In an earlier message a post was made comparing the magnetic water
>softners with the 100 gpm magnets that JC Whitney sells with the
>implication that they do not work.
>
>I was wondering, if they never work, why does the Department of Energy
>contend that they work and write in their Federal Technology Alert
>report on them:
>
>"These technologies can be used as a replacement for most
>water-softening equipment. Specifically, chemical softening (lime or
>lime-soda softening), ion exchange, and reverse osmosis (RO), when used
>for the control of hardness, can be replaced by the non-chemical water
>conditioning technology. This would include applications both to cooling
>water treatment and boiler water treatment, in once-through and
>recirculating systems. Other applications mentioned by the manufacturers
>include use on petroleum pipelines as a means of decreasing fouling
>caused by wax build-up, and the ability to inhibit biofouling and
>corrosion.
>
>The magnetic technology is generally not applicable in situations where
>the hard water contains "appreciable" concentrations of iron. In this
>FTA, appreciable means a concentration requiring iron treatment or
>removal prior to use, on the order of parts per million or mg/L. The
>reason for this precaution is that the action of the magnetic field on
>the hardness-causing ions is very weak. Conversely, the action of the
>magnetic field on the iron ions is very strong, which interferes with
>the water conditioning action.
>
>A search of the Thomas RegisterTM in conjunction with manufacturer
>contact yielded eleven manufacturers of magnetic, electromagnetic or
>electrostatic water conditioning equipment that fell within the scope of
>this investigation. The defined scope includes commercial or
>industrial-type magnetic, electromagnetic or electrostatic devices
>marketed for scale control. Devices intended for home use, as well as
>other  non-chemical means for scale control, such as reverse osmosis,
>are not within the extended scope of this FTA."
>
>.......
>
>This report can be read for free at:
>
>http://www.magnaclean.com/energy_article.html
>
>Marshall
>