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Eddy Water Descaler Electronic Water Softener Review

Traditional water softeners work to reduce the presence of calcium, magnesium, manganese and ferrous iron in hard water. It’s these hardness ions that bring upon the negative effects of hard water and require treatment from water softeners.

That said, there are alternatives to water softeners. We here at iWaterpurifications, for one, love the Eddy Water Descaler Electronic Water Softener – an electronic alternative to traditional water softening products.

When you are dealing with hard water, magnesium and calcium carbonates can develop into deposits clogging and result in blockage, restricted flow and overheating.

The ions in hard water create galvanic corrosion — a process when one metal corrodes after interacting with a different type of metal if both are in contact with an electrolyte. This tends to result in leaky cylinder springs.

While the Eddy Electronic Water Descaler is not a water softener, it’s able to provide a solution to these hard water issues. In fact, in many ways it emulates some of the advantages you’d get from some of the best water softeners without actually softening water — and without any salt or chemical additives to boot.

For more water softener options, be sure to read our extensive guide of water softener reviews to help you determine which one makes the most sense for you and your water supply.

Read on to learn how our favoured electronic alternative works, and how it differs from conventional salt-based reverse osmosis systems:

An Electronic Alternative to Water Softening

There are various ways to handle hard water — which is why we’ve rounded up tips for homeowners with hard water to provide some different options for treating this water.

The Eddy descaler, for example, is a slimline, electronic water treatment solution with a twist. Rather than using salt and reverse osmosis, this is an electrical device with coils instead of a cartridge. These coils wrap around your piping, but how is the water treated?

A Different Approach to Water Treatment with Electromagnetic Waves: The electromagnetic waves emanating from the descaling unit work to reduce the harmful effects of magnesium, calcium, and manganese salts in your water, which is what makes it hard. This is the limescale build-up that the Eddy attacks rather than altering hardness levels.

By converting the magnesium and calcium crystals to a less corrosive and softer form, it ensures that they won’t adhere to the basins and taps or the toilets and pipework in your home. This solution can also be flushed away benignly with your regular wastewater.

Useful Minerals are Not Removed: Some minerals such as magnesium and calcium are a real nuisance for your pipework and appliances since they cause limescale to accumulate and clog things up, ultimately leading to reduced lifespan and possibly complete breakdown.

That said, they can be healthy to drink in small quantities. Since the electromagnetic system in the Eddy alters the chemical state of these minerals rather than removing them, you get the best of both worlds.

Updated Model: This descaler has been in production since 2003 when it came with a triple coil. The retooled model now comes with a pair of coils, improving performance and overall power despite having fewer.

Environmentally-Friendly Treatment for Your Water

If you’re as concerned about your environmental footprint as your bank balance, the Eddy descaler is an eco-friendly choice. After all, there are various water facts that will show how certain water treatment methods can be detrimental to the eco-system,.

No Salt or Chemicals: Traditional water softeners use salt-based reverse osmosis to soften the water. The ongoing expense of buying salt coupled with the large amount consumed by the system and flushed down the drain increases your water bill while also dumping sodium salts into the wastewater, which is less than ideal for the environment. You’ll get none of this with the Eddy.

Environmental Impacts of Salt: Why is using salt considered eco-unfriendly? When discharged into the environment, salt is a pollutant. Chloride can even be harmful to both aquatic life and crops. Unfortunately, when a regular water softener dumps salt waste down the drain during the regeneration process, it might be working wonders for the quality of the water in your home, but the waste is placing extra strain on the environment.

How Does it Work?

We mentioned the electromagnetic field, so we’ll give you a few specifics on how the Eddy accomplishes its goal without using salt like an RO system.

We’ll also touch on whom this model does not make sense for, so you can make a fully informed buying decision, based on both the benefits and the limitations. We’re not here to push you toward an unsuitable product.

NOT a Water Softener: It would be best if you keep in mind that the Eddy neither removes nor adds anything to the water. Since everything happens in the electromagnetic field mentioned above, the product doesn’t directly interact with your water nor does it alter the number of TDS (total dissolved solids) in the water.

While it emulates softened water, the main effect is descaling, so there’s no accumulation of limescale in your faucet or pipes.

Powerfully Inhibits Scale from Forming: Not only is no salt added with the electromagnetic method, nothing beneficial is removed either. The two coils wrapped around the incoming water supply deliver an electromagnetic wave, which means your water undergoes a continually changing magnetic field as it makes its way through the loops.

The first consequence of this electromagnetic field is an alteration in the electrical charge distribution on the limescale crystals in your water supply. The limescale’s adhesion properties are also changed so that it won’t end up accumulating on the clean surfaces of pipes or the innards of your appliances.

Not only will they run more efficiently, but they’ll also last longer. The limescale is then safely washed away with no negative impact on wastewater.

Who is the Eddy Not Suitable For: While this unit can, to an extent, simulate some of the beneficial effects of softening, it doesn’t serve the purpose of a straight-up water softener.

That said, if you’re suffering from seriously hard water, this is not the product for you. If reducing hardness stains is a prime motivator, you’re again likely to be left feeling disappointed.

Simple and Slimline Package

If you’re looking for an ultra-lightweight and space-saving treatment for your water supply, the slimline Eddy is a smart bet.

What’s included?

  • 5-watt descaling unit

  • Two cables

  • Adhesive pads

  • Mounting bracket

  • AC adapter

As you can see, the set is remarkably simple.

The cables are suitable for pipes up to 1-½ inches in diameter, but if you have larger pipes in your home, there’s a unique Coil Set C available separately. The Eddy works most effectively on metal and plastic pipes. Iron and lead piping are not suitable due to poor conductivity.

The simplicity of the Eddy lends to a plumber-free installation well within anyone’s capability.

DIY Installation: No Plumber Required

Never mount this device outdoors. The Eddy is entirely electric and not waterproof, so attempting to place it outside constitutes a severe fire risk.

Placement: You need to fit this descaling unit onto your rising main – the supply pipe for cold mains water.

This allows the water throughout your whole house to be treated, including the water you’ll use in your hot water system. In the event of being unable to access the rising main, fit the unit at the earliest possible access point.

Installation Guidance: The descaler has two circuits so that it can be used on separate pipes; one hot water line, and one cold water line. Set-up

should take minutes, so you can confidently undertake installation even if you’re not an experienced DIYer.

  • Twist the pair of cables (included) so they’re wrapped around your incoming cold-water supply pipe. Horizontal or vertical is fine, and you can wind in either direction.

  • Use the provided adhesive pads to mount the lightweight unit to a wall or panel close by.

  • Attach the red and yellow cables to the central unit. At this point, it’s well worth consulting the manual. Our instructions here are to illustrate the ease of installation at a glance.

  • Plug the unit in and check that all lights illuminate; wait for descaling to start its slow but sure progression toward improving the water quality in your home.

No Plumber Needed: This element alone is a crucial selling point for many consumers on a tight budget who are reluctant to commit to an expensive water treatment system requiring costly professional installation.

As you can see, getting the Eddy up and running is as simple as wrapping a couple of coils around your pipework and firing the device up. No practical knowledge is assumed or required, making this as close to a plug-and-play solution as it’s going to get.

A Cost-Effective Solution: The Eddy is inexpensive at the point of purchase and will save you money on an ongoing basis. You won’t need to

factor in installation costs, and there’s no requirement to make any plumbing changes.

You don’t need to consider the expense of buying salt either and you’ll enjoy the indirect financial benefits of prolonging the lifespan of your pipework and appliances while also increasing efficiency. The Eddy represents an excellent investment with a solid ROI.

Hassle-Free Maintenance

Many water softeners are undeniably effective but call for a great deal of time, money and effort to be invested into maintenance; this is not the case with the Eddy. Since it’s electronic, you won’t even have the hassle of swapping out batteries.

Pre-Emptive Measures: Prevention is the best cure, so stave off any potential future problems by making sure to leave a little room between the power outlet and the device itself. This should ensure you experience no issues with water and electricity coming into contact.

Exceptional Warranty and Full Certification

The Eddy is manufactured in the UK in adherence with all approved standards.

Certification: This descaler comes both FCC and CE certified to all US, UK and EU standards, so you’re in safe hands.

Warranty: The terms of the warranty set this unit apart from most of the competition and ensure you can buy without any stress or nagging concerns. During the first 12 months from purchase, you can call in a full refund if you’re not entirely happy with the way your water is being treated.

This alone removes the fear of, “Will it work?” from your purchasing decision. If it doesn’t, you get your money back with nothing lost. Beyond that point, you’ll get a lifetime warranty for repair or replacement. You really can’t ask for much more than that!

Measurements and Specifications

 

Item Model Number

ED6002P-US

Item Weight

1.45 pounds

Product Dimensions

6.7 x 1.6 x 3.5 inches

Voltage

110 volts

Wattage

5 watts

Batteries required?

No

Pros

  • The remarkably straightforward installation combined with no maintenance requirements makes the Eddy a set-and-forget treatment solution.

  • No need for salt or any other additives and the wastewater flushes away entirely uncontaminated.

  • Exceptional warranty conditions and a money-back guarantee allow you to buy with total peace of mind.

Cons

  • This is a descaler, not a softener, and results take some time to manifest

The Bottom Line: Eddy Water Descaler Electronic Water Softener Alternative

When you’re looking to treat the water in your home, it’s vital to look for a personalized solution. With that in mind, you should start your process by determining whether you want or need your hard water softened, or whether you’re more interested in attacking the limescale in your supply while leaving healthy minerals intact.

For descaling, this Eddy unit is well worth your consideration. With the particles in your water isolated and separated from the molecules, you won’t get softer water, but you’ll get many of the same benefits.

If you’re looking for a feature-laden appliance, you’re likely to be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you want a simple and user-friendly model that’s as easy to use as it is to install, you’re in luck. Arguably the strongest motivator for giving this system a chance is the unbeatable warranty matched with that money-back guarantee over the

Arguably the strongest motivator for giving this system a chance is the unbeatable warranty matched with that money-back guarantee over the first year of purchase.

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