Hi green,

Your Ph is very good. I would get your water independently tested at the local ag extension service or water company. There is also private companies that do it. You most likely will be replacing the calcium with sodium($) which is also not good for plants but it will reduce the build up or clogging. I googled "softening water" and got many info sites, here is one:

http://agfacts.tamu.edu/D10/Comal/FCS/Water/F1/nhardwtr.htm

This may help.

Aloha

The company I work for sells physical water treatment systems that are used for scale control. I'm not going to name the company or the product, because I believe that's against the rules. But despite what the chemical industry and salt softener companies will try to tell you, PWT does work if you find the right company. Hundreds of satisfied customers in the HVAC and agri business don't lie.
Do your due diligence first....there are many pretenders out there.

Hi nohandle,
How does the physical water treatment theoretically work? Is there a waste by-product? Just curious. thanks for the info. Aloha

It does not remove or add anything to the water, so no waste by-products. Instead it uses electromagnetic frequencies to actually induce a microscopic suspension of scale crystals, which causes any downstream scale formation to settle on the crystals instead of the walls of the pipe or nozzles (due to the comparative surface areas involved). It does not actually soften the water and any significant evaporation will still yield deposits, but these are not the tenacious, cement-like deposits seen without treatment....more like a soft powder. It essentially ties up the scale forming minerals...kind of like the way polyphosphates and similar chemicals sequester them, but without actually adding chemicals. Its effectiveness also depends on your water quality and the application. For instance, if you were using it in a greenhouse, you would have to treat the water at a location before the addition of any fertilizers or nutrients due to the interference some of the corresponding ions may cause to the function of the system (e.g. phosphates, sulphates, nitrates). The newer systems are a vast improvement over their predecessors, which included permanent magnets and other electromagnetic technology. Their are a few reputable companies out there, but a lot of junk and a lot of pseudoscientific BS. That's the biggest problem, or else it would be much more commonplace on this side of the world. Yet it has existed in Europe for years (of course).
Anyways, that's probably more than you bargained for, so I'll stop there.

A hui hou malama pono

Aloha nohandle,

Mahalo for your very clear dissertation. Similar to a chemical flocculent, but what happens to the crystals as they collect calcium? They just flow out of the faucets and sprinklers? Not a bad deal.

Taking proper care of your group is important. Did I get the translation right? Kanaka maoli or kamaaina?

Aloha nui loa

Sulfuric acid injection.

Wow...We just use RO (reverse osmosis) and charcoal based filters to remove all of the stuff in municipal water.

RO is the extreme, charcoal will remove most chlorine, although it evaporates quickly, if left to set in an open container. Chloramines are the devil, and charcoal is the only thing that "gets them" out to create near rain quality water for plants and gardens.

Good luck!

Lehua,
Actually, I thought I was saying "until next time, take care", but maybe not.
Regardless, at least it wasn't something offensive.

And to answer your question, yes, the crystals are carried away with the water. But if it is a recirculation or closed loop system, care must be taken to bleed off or blow down the system occasionally to reduce the TDS levels. The technology can support fairly high hardness and TDS levels, but there is going to be a tipping point where precipitation of scale is inevitable if left unattended.

Hydro...I wouldn't say "just" RO as often these are very expensive to purchase and maintain are they not? (depending on the application I suppose). But RO is a relatively foolproof method of eliminating scale, as you are removing the offending ions altogether. However, that is as long as you're not hampered with maintenance issues. For hydroponics I'm guessing that it's really the only way to go though.