Salt Free Water Softeners, Ecosorb, and Template Assisted Crystallisation

The range of salt free water softeners available from Water Filter Man Ltd use a process known as Template Assisted Crystallisation. This process takes place as a result of the power Ecosorb filter media.

Ecosorb resin looks like a golf ball with hundreds of divots per small resin bead. These resin beads attract Calcium and Magnesium particles which are then absorbed by the bead. During this process an ion-exchange process take place whereby these Ca and Mg ions are exchanged for Co2 (Carbon dioxide – 100% non harmful). This CO2 process then changes the Calcium and Magnesium into Calcite and aragonite crystals. These crystals hang onto each bead, until the weight becomes too much, and they then break off and drop to the bottom of the resin vessel. In essence then, Ca and Mg remains in the water but there are in a crystalline form now. These crystals are unable to bind to any surface however and as a result no limescale will form in areas which are in contact with this treated water. Apart from this benefit of non-scaling water, the huge additional benefit is that the natural nutrients of Ca and Mg which the body needs remain in the water to provide healthy drinkable water. This is the key principle behind the Salt Free Water Softeners.

The Ecosorb vessel then uses post filters, these post filters act as a capture net for the crystals. Upon collection of these crystals, the post filter will subsequently attract even more aragonite and calcite crystals thereby prolonging and increasing the effectiveness of the system in preventing any lime scale formation. These post filters must be changed out every 6/12 months, and replaced with a new one. When the filter is changed out, it will feel very heavy as it will be saturated with Ca and Mg. Ecosorb also works retrospectively over the long-term in slowly chipping away at existing limescale. However whilst Salt Free Water Softeners are good as preventing scale build up it is better to use an electronic Sonic Frequency de-scaler if you want to quickly de scale your already heavily scaled pipework.

A conventional sodium/salt softener removes these healthy nutrients and replaces them with salt. This is how it becomes non-scaling water. However the sodium is corrosive to parts inside boilers as well as joins and plumbing in older houses, is ill-advised for people on a low-sodium diet, is expensive on the initial outlay and then maintenance 3 – 5 years down the line, AND is very non-ecologically friendly. This last point is important as softeners do waste water unnecessarily by way of their backwashing and flushing requirements (some softeners are known to waste up to 6000 litres of water per year as the flushing happens at night or early morning, and who can afford water wastage these days?), as well as the brine solution which is flushed into the drain being bad for the environment. This is due to the high sodium count in the brine solution having a substantial adverse affect on the natural bacteria which is responsible for breaking down waste at the sewer works. For this reason salt softeners have been banned in many USA states already, however Salt Free Water Softeners do not have this issue!

Ecosorb creates water which is is 100% safe to drink , is stable up to 91 degrees Celsius, is 99% effective on scale and very environmentally friendly. The long-lasting nature of the media ensures that it is cost effective over the mid to long-term, with very little maintenance needed. Every 12 – 24 months (depending upon model)  just swap out the vessel with a new one, whilst every 6/12 months replacing the post-filter system. The systems can also be used for industrial or commercial applications, and in some situations may need 2 systems with alternating flow every 20 minutes. In these heavy-duty situations the resin does need to rest and regenerate every 20 minutes or so. For domestic and light commercial applications this is not an issue.

The Ecosorb media has been used extensively around the World in a number of sectors including agriculture, industrial, food and beverage, plumbing, facilities management, nutrition, health etc. Checkout our range of Salt Free Water Softeners at Water Filter Man