Hard water, whether from a well or the mains, can be costly—without countermeasures, limescale buildup is unavoidable.
The harder the water, the more scale deposits on the warmest parts of the water system. Boilers, instantaneous water heaters, washing machines, and heating boilers scale up, resulting in high energy costs and expensive repairs.
How can the formation of boiler scale and limescale be reliably prevented?
By removing the scale-forming minerals (calcium and magnesium salts) from the water. This is achieved using water softening or desalination systems.
One thing is clear: if there are no calcium salts left in the water, no scale can form.
Only softening or desalination systems physically remove these salts from the water and are therefore always effective.
The systems exchange calcium salts for sodium salts using an ion exchanger (softening) or simply bind all ions (desalination).
Sodium salts cannot form a coating (limescale deposits) even at high temperatures due to their extremely high water solubility.
Once the water softener’s ion exchanger is saturated with calcium salts (limescale), it is regenerated with concentrated saline solution; this saline solution is pumped through the system and then discharged into the sewer. Regeneration is fully automatic!
When the desalination ion exchanger is exhausted, the resin must be replaced; the saturated resin is returned and recycled by specialist companies.
For use as drinking water, the softened water is blended (mixed) with the raw water to achieve a hardness of 8°dH, because this is required by the Austrian Drinking Water Ordinance 2001 and the Austrian Food Code.
Corrosivity as a companion to water treatment
Naturally soft or subsequently softened/(partially) demineralized water is, however, always corrosive – the flip side of the coin. Therefore, it is essential to add a suitable corrosion inhibitor after the water softener using a proportional dosing pump; it is also crucial to maintain the pH value within the correct range.
Even with complete desalination, the corrosiveness of the water remains; at low pH values, the OH– and H+ ions in the water continue the corrosion process. Therefore, treatment with an approved corrosion inhibitor is still recommended. However, according to the Drinking Water Ordinance, complete desalination is not permitted for drinking water anyway.
Only the removal of limescale-forming substances (calcium salts) reliably prevents the formation of limescale deposits. Therefore, installing a water softening or desalination system is always successful. And depending on the condition of the treated water, appropriate measures to prevent corrosion must also be taken.
To fully cover the area of water treatment, you should therefore familiarize yourself with the following topics:
- Water softening
- Iron removal
- Demineralization incl. RO systems
- Scale removal and/or descaling for consequential damage remediation including appropriate
- Scale removal technology and
- Corrosion protection for sustainable damage minimization
Dr. Ing. Franz Böhm GmbH – Your expert for water treatment systems
Why you can rely on our expertise
With over 70 years of experience, we offer customized solutions for all water treatment needs, from heating and steam boiler systems to drinking water systems.
Our innovative renovation methods minimize operational disruptions and ensure long-lasting protection of your water systems, while conserving resources.
We offer a wide range of chemical additives, cleaning agents and protective agents that meet the highest quality standards and are suitable for a variety of applications.
Our experienced team is on hand to provide expert advice and individual service to optimally meet your specific requirements.
