Applications
Residential
- Homes
- Condos & Apartments
- Pipes and boilers
- Pre-treatment for RO membranes
- Cooling towers
- Beverage Industry
- Municipal Systems
- Hotels
Advantages
- 100% scale removal for pipes and hardware
- Scale prevention
- Long Lifetime
- Highly Efficient
- No salt brine chemicals required
- No chemicals required
- Effective in high water temperatures
Technical Data
- Surface: Ceramic
- Matrix: Polyacryl
- Size: 0.4-1.2 mm
- Color: light yellow
- Bulk Density: 50 lbs per cu. Ft.
ETW s SP (Scale protect) is a catalytically working filter media and has been developed to remove first the already existing scale from pipes and heat exchanger surfaces (Descaling effect) and further on to protect the system from the future formation of scale (Scale protection effect)
SP is based on a completely new technology. In this process atoms are placed in a special structure so that an active surface is created. This technology is so effective that it requires a contact time of only seconds
The media is used in an up flow system, therefore only an in-out valve is needed. The media transforms the dissolved calcium carbonate (temporary hardness) into non-charged, neutral chemical bonds.
These bonds are completely stable and cannot attach to any surfaces. The chemical bonds are rinsed away by the water flow. The size of the bonds is so small (in the range of nano-meter) that they can only be seen with a microscope. Therefore the effect is the same as if the water was free of temporary hardness (calcium carbonate). The crystals are heat resistant and do not fall apart.
The media is used to clean pipes from already existing scale and to protect pipes and hardware from scale. Test with commercial coffee machines showed that those with Hardness Stabilizer protection were much cleaner after a short time of use than the control systems which were cleaned monthly.
SP works great in front of RO membranes. It keeps these membranes from clogging with calcium-carbonate. A Pre-existing membrane s efficiency is improved after only 10 days if calcium carbonate was the reason for the blocking.
The conventional
solution
The “classical“
water-softening unit operates on the basis of ion exchange, which
exchanges calcium and magnesium ions in water with an equivalent amount
of sodium. The result is not only soft water, but also increased sodium
content (sodium in water increases blood pressure and has been
determined to be harmful to the cardiovascular system by medical
professionals). When the ion exchanger is depleted, it must be
regenerated using saline solution. As an example, in order to regenerate
100 liters of softening resin, up to 25 kg of salt per regeneration
cycle is required. This means that significant expenses are incurred for
each and every regeneration cycle. The environmental impacts of
discharging highly concentrated brine also create issues for
municipalities who want to recycle sewage for irrigation purposes, where
expensive reverse osmosis treatment is needed to remove the salt before
irrigating plants/grass.
DWS now offers a
filter media specifically designed for scale removal/protection for
pipes and equipment. The media is a catalytically working filter media
and has been developed by to remove first the already existing scale
from pipes (descaling effect) and further on to protect the system from
future formation of scale (scale protection effect). In this process
atoms are placed in a special structure so that an active surface is
created. This technology is so effective that it requires only a few
seconds contact time and transforms the dissolved calcium carbonate
(temporary hardness) into non-charged, neutral chemical bonds. These
bonds are completely stable and cannot attach to any surfaces. The
chemical bonds are rinsed away by the water flow. The size of the bonds
is so small (in the range of nanometer) that they can only be seen with
a microscope. Therefore the effect is the same as if the water was free
of temporary hardness (calcium carbonate). The crystals are heat
resistant and do not fall apart.
Tests with
commercial coffee machines showed that those with water from our system
was much cleaner after a short time of use than the control systems
which were cleaned monthly. The media also works great in front of RO
membranes. It keeps the membranes from clogging with calcium carbonate.
A preexisting membrane’s efficiency is improved after only 10 days, if
calcium carbonate was the reason for the blocking.
The media is used in
an up flow system, therefore only an in-out valve is needed and does not
create any operational expenses, as it does neither require backwash,
regeneration or the use of any chemicals.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the
anti-scaling media function?
We use a
catalyst-based media with molecular patterns on its surface on
which, depending upon the calcium and magnesium carbonate
content of the water, calcite crystals grow. When the crystals
reach a size in the range of nano-meters they detach and are
carried away by the water flow. These calcite crystals are heat
resistant and can no longer cause lime deposits. The treated
water coming out of the unit is also able to remove existing
scale. Depending on the thickness of the existing scale it will
take some weeks to remove it 100 %. But after this the pipe
system and the heat exchanger surfaces will be absolutely clean.
Within the
Scale Prevention Unit water hardness is transformed into firm
lime crystals and not removed. The crystals are transformed out
of solution. The crystal cannot attach to pipes or appliances.
There is no need for regeneration of the bed because the system
works like a catalyst (the media is not used up in the process).
The Unit does not use salt and therefore does not add sodium to
the water. It requires no control heads (a simple in-out valve
is all that is required), no water for backwashing and no common
salt for regeneration. This means you have no costs for
service, no costs for water, no cost for
regeneration material.
What is
the main difference to softening with ion exchanger units?
Ion exchange
resins remove Ca and Mg ions from water and replace these with
sodium (or potassium) ions. Softening units require water for
backwashing and common salt for regeneration (as an example: in
order to regenerate 100 liters of softening resin, up to 25 kg
of salt per regeneration cycle is required). The increased
sodium content of the water is a concern to more and more
government regulators from two perspectives. First, drinking
water with elevated levels of sodium is produced. Typically a
Reverse Osmosis system is sold to take the salt back out of the
drinking water only supply, but high sodium water still comes
out of all other faucets and taps in the home. In addition, the
high concentration of saline brine dumped into the sewer systems
make reuse of the water for irrigation purposes more difficult.
Many septic tank system warranties are voided if water softeners
are used due to the brine discharge. Water for backwashing and
the salt ($200 to $400 per year to purchase salt) are expensive
and time-consuming maintenance. Control heads, as required for
ion exchange units, must be maintained which is an additional
ongoing maintenance cost.
With or
without Reverse Osmosis treatment, the health implications of
consuming water with no calcium nor magnesium content is of
great concern. The World Health Organization recently held a
conference on their observation that over the past 50 years,
countries with naturally low occurring levels of calcium and
magnesium experienced more occurrences of cardiovascular disease
than those countries with normal or high alkaline minerals.
Is the
water filtered by the system, is it a down-flow system?
No, the Unit
is not a traditional filter. It does not trap the hardness nor
does it exchange anything for the hardness like a traditional
water softener. The water conditioning system works like a
catalyst media in that it causes crystallization of ions. The
inlet water flow in a water conditioning system is always in
UPWARD motion from the bottom up in the filter housing. The
media in the system always stays in a suspended state when the
water is flowing. The media is in constant motion and the flows
are from the bottom to the top so the media cannot filter the
water. All the hardness that enters the system is pulled out of
solution and forms crystals as they pass by the media. They
attach to the media for a short time until they grow to sub
micron size and break free from the media and pass along with
the water flow. The crystals can’t attach to any surfaces and
you get the same benefits of softener only without the slippery
feeling of soft water.
Can I
replace a traditional water softener system with our water
conditioner and what difference in performance should I see
between the two systems?
Yes, you can
remove a traditional softener and replace with our conditioner
system. There will be a difference with the new SP system in
that the customer will not feel the unpleasant slippery feeling
that he had with the traditional softener. This is because the
hardness was not removed but was crystallized. The customer will
haveall the other great advantages like 50% less soap usage and
cleaner laundry. The additional advantage is that elevated
levels of sodium are not created in drinking water. IMPORTANT!
The customer may experience a salty taste or slight odor in the
water for a short period of time AFTER REMOVAL OF THE OLD
SOFTENER. This happens because the new water conditioner will
clean the pipes that may have a sodium and/or calcium build up
and residue in the pipes in the house from the old softener.
However, this lasts only for a short time until the pipes are
clean. The customer can be assured that they will never again
have a sodium or calcium build up in the pipes, water heater,
and appliances.
Do
microorganisms accumulate in the catalyst unit and must the
material regularly be disinfected?
No. Because
the material does not demonstrate filtration effects, remember
the media is always suspended in the water when in service and
microorganisms are repressed. Disinfecting the media in most
cases is therefore not required.
Is a
central control valve necessary or does the system function
without backwashing?
Because the
SP granulate is continually in motion in the counter-current up
flow and no particles are held up in the media a backwashing
process is not required. You might say the media is always in
backwash during service because it is always suspended in the
water. A central control valve is therefore not used in a SP
water conditioning system. There is no need for backwash.
Why does
SP function only up to 25 grains per gallon hardness?
All our
calculations are made based on a hardness of 25 grains per
gallon. (80%+ OF ALL INSTALLATIONS FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY). his
product is also useable with harder water. Units function
successfully with 50 gr/gal. 25° gr./gal. is a value based upon
the required amount of SP granulate, e.g. 2.5 liters of SP media
is enough for a flow rate of up to 1,000 liters/hour with a
hardness of 25. For harder water, an appropriately greater
amount of SP Catalyst Media must be used. This is a simple
calculation if you should encounter hardness above the norm
levels.
Why does
the media not need to be backwashed? What keeps the media bed
from getting fouled?
It is
important to point out that we have no filtration effect with
our media. Remember we are in a continuous up flow backwash
situation and therefore we do not filter out anything from the
water. So we have no accumulation of anything in the suspended
bed of SP media. The SP media works as a catalyst only, not as a
filtration media.
What
happens at night time when there is no water flow?
The filter
bed is not suspended when there is no water flow. The filter bed
will rest. For top performance it is recommended that the filter
media rests 8 hours per day. This is never a problem in a
residential installation. In commercial application running 24
hours a day you will need to design and alternate a two filter
system that will allow one of the filters to rest while one of
the filters is in service.
What if
the bed gets contaminated with bacteria?
This should
not be a problem. The continuous back wash is the best action to
keep the media clean. The media nevertheless can be treated with
chlorine (up to 2-3 ppm) to kill bacteria and to remove organic
matter.
What is
the maximum operating temperature of the media?
The media
will tolerate 120° C (248° F) Please consider that all the other
equipment is much more limited regarding the water temperature.
What is
the minimum operating temperature of the SP media?
The SP can
go down to 38° F. Please consider that all the other equipment
is much more limited regarding the water temperature.
What is
the pH range of the media? What is the low and high pH range?
It works in
the range of 6 to 9 pH, but we also found that it works at pH
5.5 as well. (Below 6 pH we always recommend that you do a
pilot) What you can always do is stay in the range of the pH
range allowed for drinking water in your market area.
What is
the lifetime of the media?
We know of
systems running for 5 years without any problem.
Can I
destroy the media or can it get fouled? What special precautions
should I take?
The same
precautions you would take with softening resin. Hydrogen
sulfide and oil in the water can foul the media.
How do I
keep the media from washing out of the unit when I start it up
for the first time and put it into service?
We always
recommend that you soak the media for 15 minutes before start
up. This assures that the media is saturated with water and will
not accumulate at the top of the housing when filled with water.
You also have an upper basket that will keep the media from
going out the drain.
Can I use
a flow restrictor after the water conditioning system to assure
I am getting the proper flows?
Yes, this is
a good idea. Be sure to size the flow restrictor to the proper
tank and water flow. I have provided a chart for you in another
question on sizing systems. You want enough water flow for the
proper sized system but you do not want too much water flow that
would go over the 9 second contact time.
Do I
need to clean the media?
The media
does not need to be cleaned before installation in the filter.
(Remember we do recommend that you soak the media with water for
15 minutes before installation) However it is important that you
run the water through the system before installation for 5
minutes to be sure you have cleaned out any dust that may be in
the filter media. You can then put the filter into service
How can
I test the media? Can I use a conductivity meter? What results
tell me that the system is working?
Depending on
the flow rate (and the contact time) the pH is going down 0.5
units and the TDS value (µS/cm) is reduced significantly. We had
a TDS reduction between 10 to 20% depending on the contact time
and depending on the original TDS value. What is happening is
that the hardness is falling out of solution into a hard crystal
form and that is why you get the lower readings.
For a home
owner the best and most convincing results is using two sauce
pans (old fashioned but really good). You put two sauce pans on
a heater. One filled with the untreated water and the other with
water treated by the SP water conditioner. As the water boils
down the untreated water will build a hard scum on the side of
the sauce pan. The sauce pan with treated water will have no
hardness scum on the side and you will see a circulation of
hardness crystals on the bottom of the pan just before the water
is boiled out. They are easily wiped out just as the water is
boiled out of the pan.
The other
method will be to observe heating equipment and appliances
already covered with scale. After installing our water
conditioning system in a few days you can observe that the white
scale starts to disappear step by step and then no new scale
appears. Our customers observed their coffee machines and
appliances start to clean up from years of scale build up. They
immediately can use 50% less soap and get a better wash. Their
hair feels cleaner and feels softer.
Will the
pH be different before and after the system? What should I
expect
See my
answer above. The pH will go down. (Remember the PH will have a
slight drop of 0.2)
What do
you mean by the media needs to rest.?
Every 8
hours the media needs to rest to stay at top performance. This
is never a problem in residential applications because you have
at least 8 hours when the water is not flowing the media is
resting. The problem is when you have a 24 hour commercial
applications where you have a continuous water flow to service.
When you have this type of application you will need to design a
two tank system. One tank flows for 8 hours and than stops and
the other tank kicks in and the first tank rests for 8 hours.
You than change the flow back and forth every 8 hours between
the two tanks and get great performance 24 hours a day.
Will the
media replace Polyphosphates in controlling scale build up?
Yes, the SP
media is a much better choice than traditional Polyphosphates.
Polyphosphates only temporarily coat the hardness and keep it
from coming out of solution and are used up quite quickly and
continually need to be replaced at a high operating cost
Diagram of media performance
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