Alloy water softeners don't work. Salt free water softeners don't work either. They seem to simply be companies that prey on the consumer. For example, these companies put out general sales information such as the following comment that seems consistent with virtually all of these companies.
GENERAL INFORMATION
Their Common Comment: "Unlike salt-based softeners, Salt Free Water Softeners do not remove the healthy minerals in order to soften the water."
They are telling you here that they don't remove the minerals in water, which is absolutely what a water softener is designed for. We see these MAGNET (They sometime call themselves maintenance free) companies make the same claims. But when you test the water after their miracle salt free device, they show the hardness is still there. In other words: If the hardness and T.D.S. shows up when performing laboratory tests it means the hardness is still there. That is when the dog and pony show starts to convince you that verifiable certified laboratory water tests are flawed. They simple are not flawed. The sales pitch these companies make are flawed. Their equipment can't pass ANY tests. Period. Believe the lab results. Not the sales hype.
Here is an easy experiment anyone can perform:
Take water that you know is extremely hard. And then place it in a pot on the stove.
Get another pot that the exact same in every way. But in this pot you put soft water with zero hardness. And then heat the two pots at the same time and temperature. The soft water pot will boil LONG BEFORE the hard water pot.
Now place the water that has gone through the miracle salt free magnet, or alloy, or coil, or electric whatchamacallit device. It will heat at the exact same time as the VERY HARD WATER. The water that is truly soft and passes all lab test will heat far sooner.
Conclusion:
This means that you can save 20% to 40% of the energy you spend to heat the water in your home by simply softening the water in a conventional and ethical fashion. Not to mention that hard water (even the miracle ally and magnet kind) will precipitate the hardness out in the how water heater. Heat precipitates hardness. So no you will have a calcium hardness buildup in your hat water heater that the heat has to go through even before it actually starts heating your water. Think of it like you have a brick built up in the bottom of the heater that has to be heated before the water can be heated. So now it costs even MORE money to heat. And it is bad for hot water heater elements, sinks and fixtures. So believe the actual science, not the sales person's hype. The only people we have found who say these things work, are the people selling them!
These companies can never PROVE they make the water soft. The minerals add weight thus adding more elements to the water to heat up requiring far more energy to heat the water. That alone means that the unit will not be efficient. Our water softeners are ALL capable of virtually zero hard water and you can measure the success at any time and KNOW for sure they work. Even if this technology worked, which is doubtful, how do you test to know it is working. It is just plain silly when you think of it.
They also say:
Alloy Water Softeners and Salt Free Water Softeners
Their ridiculous claims:
Unlike salt-based systems, our units removed existing scale and build-up from plumbing and equipment, resulting in fewer equipment breakdowns and extended service life for ice-making equipment and other water-dependent machinery.
The REAL Truth:
This is entirely untrue. It is a scientific and proven fact that water softeners actually remove scale build up. Even existing scale build up is reduced or removed once the conventional type water softener is added. Feel free to check out the information New Mexico State University has to offer on this subject.
Besides, if it worked, we would likely sell it. We have everything else... If it sounds too good to be true it probably is. We see a lot of people each day that were previously duped by various product claims. Please be careful with your money. Also: Our phones are answered 24/7 by real HUMANS to answer your questions about this sort of silliness. Our friendly water techs are US BASED and will never ask you to buy anything.
Salt Free Claim Companies
There are a number of these companies selling alloy water softeners and salt free water softeners that do not pass ANY of our tests. Here are a few:
GMX Clearwater®
Clearwave®
Magnapak®
Never Scale®
Magnawrap®
These are just a few. None of the magnet-maintenance free gimmicks work at all. Don't waste your money. It will make you feel really stupid.... And then you will have to still spend more money doing it correctly. And if you are worried about the environmental impact of our premium quality water softeners, you can use a water softener salt substitute called potassium chloride. It is environmentally friendly and widely available across the US and Canada. ALL of our softeners work perfectly with potassium chloride as well. And our equipment is so efficient that the average customer tells us the add salt about once per year, when the softener is properly applied.. Some people are more often, and some people are less often.
And Canada has started suing these type of companies for making fraudulent claims. So at least the Canadian government has figured it out!
