Magnetic Filters

[ZepTepi]

The property I work at has been having an increasingly bad problem with iron fragments from the cast iron pipes in the building breaking down and these fragments are clogging our HPs requiring us to back flush them frequently. I'm aware that ultimately this is going to require the 25yo cast iron supply & return pipes for the building to be replaced but in the meantime I found several magnetic filters that look like they could be helpful if installed in various areas throughout the hotel. Being that I have no experience with these types of devices I thought I'd post here in the hope that some of you do and could share some opinions. So far I've found 4 manufacturers...

-Fernox(TF1) [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNOPLshD8Cs"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNOPLshD8Cs[/ame]
-Eclipse(Boilermag XL) [ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o8vgpZjWM-U[/ame]
-Adey(MagnaClean) [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPdBWC3ZM-8"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPdBWC3ZM-8[/ame]
-Spirotech(SpiroTrap MB3) [ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0amyaigU6qo"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0amyaigU6qo[/ame]

I'm currently looking at all 4 to see if 1 or 2 seem like a better product than the others but haven't found anything significant that would separate any of them from the others.

Do any of you have experience with this type of device and any of these specific models or maybe another manufacture I haven't found yet?

Thank you!

 

[ZepTepi]

An additional question to any plumbers out there. I find it curious that all 4 of the manufactures who make these magnetic filters are based in the UK. I've found no US based companies yet. Is there something different about the water or water systems here in the US that makes this type of filter unnecessary or are our friends in the UK simply ahead of us in terms of this kind of technology?

 

[frodo]

I am Hugh Hunt from Cambridge University Engineering Department. Well, there are lots of manufacturer’s websites that claim that if you put magnets on your water pipes then that prevents limescale build up on the element of your emission heater. Electronmicrograph of limescaleWell it’s obviously in manufacturer’s interest to make these claims but lets suppose that in the last year a manufacturer has sold a thousand of these devices and they get one letter which says how fantastic it is, another ten letters that say that doesn’t work. Well they can give ten refunds. They have still made quite a lot of money and they can publish that one nice letter and I guess that not be what we are seeing on the websites but now that’s being a bit mean but I am a bit puzzled that there aren’t any quoted referred scientific publications out of the mainstream literature.

Surely if there was something really scientific going on here it would be well and truly understood. So I just wonder. Now there are few possible candidate theories all to do with magneto hydrodynamics and water memory and things to do with nucleation and so on, you can read all about these. Where does that leave us? Well I think if you have found that one of these devices works for you, well it doesn’t do any harm so you may as well carry on using it. But if you find that it doesn’t work then perhaps there’s no surprise in that.

 

[ZepTepi]

I am Hugh Hunt from Cambridge University Engineering Department. Well, there are lots of manufacturer’s websites that claim that if you put magnets on your water pipes then that prevents limescale build up on the element of your emission heater. Electronmicrograph of limescaleWell it’s obviously in manufacturer’s interest to make these claims but lets suppose that in the last year a manufacturer has sold a thousand of these devices and they get one letter which says how fantastic it is, another ten letters that say that doesn’t work. Well they can give ten refunds. They have still made quite a lot of money and they can publish that one nice letter and I guess that not be what we are seeing on the websites but now that’s being a bit mean but I am a bit puzzled that there aren’t any quoted referred scientific publications out of the mainstream literature.

Surely if there was something really scientific going on here it would be well and truly understood. So I just wonder. Now there are few possible candidate theories all to do with magneto hydrodynamics and water memory and things to do with nucleation and so on, you can read all about these. Where does that leave us? Well I think if you have found that one of these devices works for you, well it doesn’t do any harm so you may as well carry on using it. But if you find that it doesn’t work then perhaps there’s no surprise in that.

I appreciate the feedback Hugh. Thank you!