Magnetic water treatments are exactly what they sound like—hard water is run through a magnetic field as an alternative to water softening.
Magnetic water treatments don’t remove the minerals, calcium, and magnesium, whose buildup causes water to be hard. Instead, vendors of magnetic water treatments claim it changes the structure of the mineral deposits that form, making them less able to stick to surfaces. After all, it’s the build-up or scaling of the solid deposits of calcium carbonate on household appliances and industrial boilers that make hard water so problematic.
There’s only one problem with this claim: it’s completely unproven.
Many scientific studies have shown that claims about magnetic water softeners cannot be validated.
Penn State University published an article stating “there is virtually no valid scientific data to support any water treatment benefit from magnetic devices.”
At a time when people are passionate about conserving natural resources and protecting our environment, it’s unfortunate that some vendors use misleading tactics to tempt consumers into purchasing unproven devices.
Water softeners are a proven, consistent way to remove the calcium and magnesium in hard water and replace them with salt. As Penn State University says in another article about water softening, “the technology [of water softening] is highly developed and in most cases works well to reduce the hardness level.”
Do you need a water softener? It depends. Remember, hard water is not dangerous to drink. Rather, water softening evolved to help prevent industrial and domestic headaches. You may choose only to soften the water used in certain areas of your home, such as showers, sinks, and laundry hookups.
At Advantage Water Conditioning, we support conserving water, and we provide only proven water treatment technology to give our customers their dollars’ worth. Contact us today to schedule your consultation and get your home’s hard water under control.