What Is a Magnetic Water Softener & How Does It Work?

Most American households use salt-based ion-exchange water softener devices to deal with hard water. However, these can be quite expensive and take up a lot of space.

A magnetic softener, on the other hand, is a compact, affordable, and eco-friendly option that’s also effective at preventing scale buildups, although not as much as salt-based devices.

So, let’s explain what magnetic water softeners are, how they work, their effectiveness, and how to install them.

What is Magnetic Water Softener?

Many people deal with the frustrations of hard water in their plumbing systems. Hard water has a high mineral content, consisting primarily of calcium and magnesium. While this doesn’t make it a health hazard, it can lead to mineral buildup and subsequent clogging in the water pipes and limescale formation on appliances, laundry, and dishes.

A magnetic water softener is designed to soften hard water by altering the behavior of calcium and magnesium ions with a magnetic field. This means that magnetic water softeners soften water without using chemicals, unlike other water softening solutions.

Standard salt-based water softeners, for example, rely on a process referred to as ion exchange. In this process, negatively charged resin beads attract, trap, and replace hard water ions with sodium ions.

To maintain their negative charge and sodium levels, the resin beads must be regenerated by a brine solution prepared in a separate tank. During the regeneration process, the trapped minerals are flushed out of the system.

This all relies on the use of sodium, and too much sodium can be bad for your plants and garden and can cause soil degradation and even soil erosion. Since both the flushed water and the softened water itself are full of sodium molecules, ion exchange isn’t exactly an eco-friendly process.

Magnetic descalers don’t need sodium, regeneration, or even a tank to handle minerals. They’re a compact, affordable, low-maintenance, and eco-friendly alternative to conventional softening devices.

How Does a Magnetic Water Softener Work?

A magnetic water softener, or a descaler, works by directing the water flow through a magnetic field created by two strong neodymium magnets. These magnets alter the structure and behavior of the water ions, preventing them from binding together and sticking to pipes and appliances. This is how they effectively prevent limescale buildups.

There are two main types of magnetic softeners that work in different ways:

• Permanent magnets: Two strong permanent magnets are placed on either side of the water pipe. Their opposite poles face each other, creating a consistent magnetic field within the pipe as the water flows through it.
• Electromagnetic coils: Coils of wire are wrapped around the water pipe, and an electric current is passed through them, creating a magnetic field. This allows you to control the strength of the field but means that the softener requires a source of electricity.

Are Magnetic Water Softeners Effective?

The effectiveness of magnetic water softeners was up for debate until a 2014 study concluded that electromagnetic descalers could reduce scale formation by approximately 50%.

However, considering that traditional salt-based water softening devices can remove almost all hard water minerals and eliminate scale and mineral buildup completely, this reduction rate is quite humble.

Yet magnetic softeners are still a good alternative to salt-based systems as they’re more eco-friendly and affordable. Plus, unlike salt-based systems, which need regular salt replacements, magnetic softeners require virtually no maintenance.

On the downside, magnetically-treated water feels and tastes differently from other kinds of treated water. This is particularly noticeable if you’re used to water that’s softened by salt-based devices. So, getting used to a magnetic water softener may take some time.

If you need product recommendations for water descalers, refer to our article on the best water descalers.

How To Install a Magnetic Water Softener

Installing a magnetic water softener is very simple if you follow the instructions provided by the manufacturer. Most of the time, the installation doesn’t require additional tools beyond those included with the product.

Before you start, note that the magnets on each unit should be shipped and stored separately, and keeping them apart throughout the process is essential.

Here’s how to install magnetic water softeners.

Permanent Magnet

1. The first step is to place the two magnets on your cold water line, about six inches to a foot apart.
2. While connecting the magnets to your cold water pipe, keep the back and front of the unit separated to prevent the magnets from snapping together. Once they stick together, it’s hard to get them apart again.
3. Once you’ve placed the magnets on your cold water pipe, tighten the wing nuts in place with your fingers.
4. If you have multiple hot water tanks in your home, you will need to install one unit on each of these tanks. But it doesn’t get any harder than that – you can install the units on your hot water pipe in the same way you installed the two units on your cold water pipe.
5. When installing these units, remember to place them where they can benefit all the appliances in your home. In other words, you should install them at the main incoming water pipe to your house.

Electromagnetic Coils

1. First, turn off your home’s water supply and open a faucet to release pressure.
2. Wrap the coil around the cold water pipe. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions closely for this step.
3. Ensure the control box is properly grounded and connect it to a power source.
4. Turn your water supply back on.
5. Turn the device on via the control box.
6. Adjust the settings on the control box (if applicable) to set the desired frequency and strength of the magnetic field.

Conclusion

Unlike salt-based systems, magnetic descalers don’t use a chemical exchange process. Instead, they simply alter the molecular structure of minerals so that they can’t stick to surfaces and create scales or cause clogging in your pipes due to buildup.

Since these are very simple systems that solely rely on electromagnetic power, they don’t require tanks or run regeneration processes that consume lots of salt in the long run. This makes them quite affordable, compact, and eco-friendly, especially when compared to conventional softening options.

Thanks to their tankless setup and the fact they don’t require direct contact water, they don’t affect the flow rate of the water in your home. These properties also make them easy to install.