Frequently Asked Questions
A residential water conditioner helps remove limescale from hard water over time. It naturally prevents limescale buildup and protects plumbing systems. Unlike water softeners, water conditioners don’t use salt or chemicals and don’t remove any essential minerals from your water supply. They also don’t need any maintenance following installation.
Yes! ScaleBlaster’s system is suitable for everything from apartments to homes and large residential properties. We also have more powerful systems suitable for large-scale commercial and industrial facilities. Whatever your application, ScaleBlaster helps prevent limescale buildup in your water supply.
Installing ScaleBlaster is quick and easy! In most cases, homeowners can do it themselves and without any special tools.
The system consists of a compact control unit and a coil extending from it, the length of which depends on your specific application. Mount the control box on a wall near your incoming water supply pipeline, always before the water heater. Please note that there should be a power outlet nearby as well.
Wrap the coil around your water pipe the recommended number of times (consult the installation guide that comes with your product). Use the nylon ties to secure the coil to the pipe. Plug the control unit into the power supply socket and you’re all set. ScaleBlaster is now ready to help prevent limescale and gradually remove existing limescale from hard water over time.
Our residential ScaleBlaster units will work on COPPER, PVC, CPVC, and PEX pipe. If you have galvanized pipe, you will need to replace that small section of pipe where the signal cable is wrapped on the incoming cold water line with any of the above mentioned pipes. This typically involves replacing about one foot of pipe.
Install the unit on the incoming water supply line going to your home or building, always before the water heater. This ensures the system can help reduce limescale buildup throughout your entire plumbing system. If you’re unable to locate the main incoming supply line before it splits, follow the cold water line back as far as possible from the water heater and install the unit there. This may be the case if your home was built on a slab.
In most circumstances, the homeowner can install the unit themselves. No special tools or plumbing work is required. For slab built homes, you will need to locate the incoming pipe as it enters the house. The unit can be installed outdoors if needed, but make sure it is either the SB-Elite or SB-MAX Pro models, as they are in weatherproof boxes. Always contact your dealer if you have any questions.
We recommend the average air temperature to operate ScaleBlaster at 32 to 122 degrees Fahrenheit. The unit will operate at temperatures below and over those numbers, but not for long periods of time. The unit should be installed in an area that is ventilated.
Yes, the signal cable is a special wire and is not readily found in hardware stores. You can purchase additional signal cable wire packages from ScaleBlaster, which includes the zip ties. However, if you need a short-term replacement, an 18-gauge, tin-coated stranded copper wire is a suitable replacement to help prevent limescale in your property.
You can plug the ScaleBlaster unit into an extension cord if needed. Our ScaleBlaster units are UL and CUL approved.
Yes. Sometimes older homes built on slabs have little exposed pipe and this is an option. Installing the signal cable underground is not a problem at all. The SB-75 power box will need to be installed indoors however, as it is not weatherproof.
We do not recommend installing the signal cable over a coupling. The wraps must be flush, and evenly against one another. Adding additional pipe to the installation area would be the best option.
If you have no other possible options, wrap the coil as many times as you can. You might have slightly diminished results, but ScaleBlaster is still able to prevent limescale and you should still see effective results. Remember, you do have a 90-day money-back guarantee if not satisfied. If at all possible, do try to obtain the required numbers of wraps, and to never overwrap it either.
No. Going over the recommended amount will actually diminish the strength of the signal. The amount of wrappings we recommend is calibrated to give you the optimal signal strength possible to prevent limescale formation.
Having extra wire is expected. We always supply extra wire to handle the various pipe sizes, allowing up to ten feet of wire (in each direction) of where the signal cable is wrapped and the power box is mounted.
It does not matter, either way is fine. We do ask that the area is ventilated and not in a hot enclosed area over 122 degrees F.
For the very best results, the least turbulence in the water is desired. By saying “as far away as possible” we prefer it to be a few inches away, if possible, but if there is no room to wrap the coil you can still wrap the coil next to the tee, elbow, or coupling. Just make sure it is not on a curved pipe and wrapped over a coupling or valve, as all the wrappings need to be the same size or diameter and flush against one another.
Residential customers may notice the difference within a few days with slight increases in soap lather and smoother feeling water. Within the first two months, visible limescale deposits will slowly dissolve on sinks, water faucets, showerheads, and inside the households entire plumping system. Appliances in contact with water – like the water heater, dishwasher, and washer will be protected with the removal of limescale formation and last much longer. Water pressure will improve if the piping system was clogged up as well as improvement in water heating expenses.
Results vary depending on your specific application, but commercial buildings typically notice improved water flow, reduced scale buildup, and lower maintenance within 30–60 days once ScaleBlaster begins to help reduce limescale in the system. Once installed, ScaleBlaster continuously helps prevent new limescale from forming.
Yes. Installation is external and non-invasive. It works on copper, PVC, CPVC, and PEX. Galvanized pipes may need a short section of non-magnetic pipe.
Yes. By helping reduce limescale buildup on heat exchangers and water heaters, ScaleBlaster can improve their efficiency and lower energy usage. This can help reduce your utility bills, as well as reduce maintenance and equipment repair and replacement costs.
Yes. ScaleBlaster uses electronic frequency waves to help reduce scale buildup from your hard water—no salt, no chemicals, no brine discharge, and no maintenance.
ScaleBlaster is designed with state-of-the-art microchip technology to prevent limescale formation. The control unit takes up very little space and mounts on the wall. The yearly cost of operation is usually less than $10.
No, the water hardness level and TDS will remain the same. ScaleBlaster is a water conditioner, not a water softener. In the process of removing scale from hard water, water softeners also remove calcium and magnesium. ScaleBlaster does not. These are essential minerals and there is no reason to remove them from your water supply.
Yes, over time it will. The existing scale deposits gradually soften and will slowly be flushed away by water flow. Depending on how much water the household uses and how bad the limescale formation is, the process takes about three months to fully descale the pipes.
ScaleBlaster helps break down scale gradually so it can be carried away by normal water flow. As this process happens, some loosened mineral particles may temporarily collect in faucet aerators or showerhead nozzles.
This is common with hard water, where calcium and lime deposits can build up and reduce water pressure or cause uneven spray. If this occurs, simply remove the aerator or showerhead and soak it in vinegar to dissolve the buildup, then rinse and reinstall.
This is typically a short-term effect during the initial descaling period and should not be a recurring issue once existing scale has been reduced.
Yes, unless you are gone for long periods of time, such as a second home and want to unplug it. It is entirely up to you.
ScaleBlaster is suitable for practically any commercial or industrial facility that needs to treat their hard water. Our solution is used by everything from hotels to restaurants, schools, universities, hospitals, golf courses, office buildings, apartment complexes, and more. ScaleBlaster works on pipes with up to 40-inch diameters.
Electronic water conditioners, such as ScaleBlaster, use advanced frequency wave technology. These are essentially electronic signals that disrupt how calcium and magnesium ions behave in the water, preventing them from sticking to surfaces to create scale deposits. Crucially, it does not “soften” the water or remove any essential minerals from the water.
ScaleBlaster can treat water passing through a whole host of industrial systems, including cooling towers, boilers, steam systems, heat exchangers, RO pretreatment, manufacturing process water systems, agricultural plots, and more. It is applicable for practically any use case that involves preventing limescale and treating hard water.
Yes. It often replaces or drastically reduces the need for descalants, acid washes, and other chemical treatments.
ScaleBlaster is a cost-effective way to help prevent and reduce limescale buildup over time. Reduced limescale can help improve water flow more efficiently through your pipes, which can improve appliance and machine efficiency, lower energy usage, and reduce maintenance needs.
These improvements can also lead to lower labor demands and reduced operating costs, especially by eliminating the need for additives such as salt and chemicals used in traditional water softeners.
Most industrial users see a return on investment within 6–12 months from energy savings, additive resource savings, reduced maintenance, and longer equipment life.
There is no maintenance at all. ScaleBlaster is used to remove limescale from hard water without using any salt or other additives. There are no batteries or filters to change. No moving parts. You may want to occasionally check to see if the two LED lights are on in case of a power surge. Otherwise, we do suggest you drain and clean out the bottom of your hot water tank after a couple of months of installing the ScaleBlaster to clear out loosened scale buildup.
This depends on several factors. If you enjoy the extra soapsuds produced by the water softener, then definitely keep it. ScaleBlaster will create extra suds, but not nearly as much as a water softener. If you live in an area that is banning water softeners, then you have found the number one alternative. If the cost and maintenance on a water softener is bothering you, then again, this is your number one alternative to prevent limescale. If a doctor has put you on a salt-restricted diet, again ScaleBlaster is the answer.
All residential units come with a full 90-day money-back guarantee. The SB-75 & SB-Elite units come with a 3-year warranty and an optional paid 2-year extended warranty. The SB-Max Pro comes with a 10-year warranty.
ScaleBlaster does not kill bacteria, but it helps reduce one of the main breeding grounds for bacteria – limescale deposits in the pipes. When the limescale is removed, so is the breeding ground for bacteria.
There are similar products to ScaleBlaster on the market that claim to do the job, but don’t. Years of product research went into the design of ScaleBlaster. Our product utilizes frequencies far wider and with more energy levels than any other competitor. ScaleBlaster is the number 1 selling “electronic descaler” in the world today because it works. ScaleBlaster has been manufactured since 1995 by Clearwater Enviro Technologies, a company founded in 1989. The product was featured on HGTV in 2005, and is carried by many large retailers, plumbing supply houses, hundreds of dealers and is used by Fortune 500 companies, major power plants around the world, breweries, cruise and naval ships, universities, hotels and water parks.
To realize the full benefits of ScaleBlaster, please allow up to a couple months. The descaling process does not happen overnight. This is why we offer a full 90-day money-back guarantee. If you ever have any questions on the installation, please do not hesitate to contact our customer service department. You can email us photos of the installation for analysis if you have any questions. Depending on the circumstances, you may notice more soap lather, a softer feeling on your skin and hair, increased water pressure and “hotter” water. This means your water heater will be working much more efficiently now.
Yes. ScaleBlaster works on hundreds of applications in the commercial and industrial fields where lime scale formation is an issue. There are several models that can handle up to 48” pipe. Units have been in use in over 70 countries since 1995. Many of the world’s largest companies use our equipment. Applications include power plants, cooling towers, boilers, wastewater treatment plants, cruise ships, hotels, agriculture, military plants, health care facilities, condos and much more.
ScaleBlaster will not remove anything from the water. We only affect the calcium and magnesium molecules. ScaleBlaster will not remove chlorine from the water. We do however, get many compliments that the water tastes better – perhaps from the breeding ground of bacteria being removed. There is no confirmed scientific evidence of this.