With reports suggesting that hard water affects around 60% of the UK, a water conditioner can provide some much-needed relief to households. Here, Halcyan explains how.
Having operated for around 30 years in the commercial and industrial sectors, the Halcyan Water Conditioner is a proven technology available for domestic applications. It is designed to resolve the problems associated with hard water, by reducing limescale accumulation and removing existing deposits.
The Conditioner uses no salts or chemicals, no electricity, doesn’t use magnets and requires no maintenance – emphasised by its 30-year warranty. Each conditioner is designed with a catalytic alloy core, which changes the structure of the minerals in water to reduce hard water issues.
The turbulence generated in the unit creates an electro-chemical reaction between the crystalline minerals in the water and the catalytic alloy core. Immediately upon contact, the reaction within the unit creates a fine, non-sticking deposit (colloid), which will through flow an open loop system, and can be flushed during routine maintenance. Colloids do not settle or precipitate, helping to prevent the formation of scale both within the heating system, and on household items such as showers and kettles.
In addition, the Water Conditioner should not affect water pressure or flow rates for a household, as long as the correct size is selected. Installers will just need to know the flow rate of the system, and whether it is driven by mains pressure or by a pump.
It’s not always easy to convince customers to invest in a water conditioner, but describing some of these benefits may help make the process a little easier:
- reduced energy consumption and lower fuel bills (1mm of limescale on heating elements can reduce energy efficiency by 10%);
- easier to clean shower screen and taps;
- boiler and white goods last much longer, and remain ‘crust-free’;
- use less washing powder, detergents and soft-rinse;
- and most importantly… better tasting tea with no layer of scum!
Fitting instructions
- Make sure the water is turned off at the main house stop tap
- Locate the correct position to install the Halcyan Water Conditioner, leaving enough space for the unit, the single (22mm+) non-return valve (between the stopcock and the Halcyan) and the connectors. Total distance required is 250mm
- Ensure you have left enough space to fit the (22mm+) single non-return check valve
- Measure and remove the section of the pipe
- Install the non-return valve (in the correct orientation of the water flow) between the stop tap and Halcyan unit
- Install the Halcyan using good quality, correctly sized compression fittings for your pipe diameter
- Turn the water back on and check there are no leaks
Top tips
- Ideally, locate the unit as close to the stopcock as possible, and before any T-off points
- Always use a 22mm or larger single non-return valve, as some 15mm valves can limit flow rate
- If a pump/water meter is installed, the Halcyan should be installed no less than two metres before the device
- If there is limited space available, a vertical U bend can be created to increase the available pipe length
