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While going through the whole-house water softener, I came across this 3M product on scale prevention instead of full fledged water softener.
It works on principle of encapsulating the ions.
No salt top up required. Mainly, no water wastage.

3M scale prevention system

This uses polyphosphate sequester to condition the water. From what I read little, it mainly targets calcium and iron. Not sure about Mg.

If anyone has any experience in this, do post.

I used this some years back. Not effective at all.

Thank you for your feedback!
What is the water hardness that you see at your location? Did you opt for something else in it's place?

I opted something similar to the below.

Check this out! https://amzn.eu/d/2yzg1QQ

This maybe working. Atleast not in a visible way. Comparatively maybe. The other day when a plumber came home for a fix he opined that our water is in a much better condition compared to what he has seen in other blocks of our area. So that maybe due to the softener.

As per product specs it has still not reached the disposable stage because it remains submerged and not reached the floating stage. So it is still there in the overhead tank.

Hardness here is bad for both the borewell and municipal water. I also have a well. A proper dug out well. Water from there is totally soft, much below threshold TDS, but is only seasonal.

Just went through the thread hoping to find a Winner. However, looks like we don't.

3M seems to be the favored one, however, its pricy. Are there any other recommendations in Bangalore? I am just looking at getting a softener for the two bathrooms.

MaSh

Me too looking for water softener, i live in a apartment where the initial treatment is done, but the water is still causing scaling and hair loss. My neighbours have installed Waterizer product and they confirm the hard water side effects have reduced.

Any idea on the product or any other option?

I am using DCal [https://www.dcal.co.in/] and it seems to be doing the job. I just have to drop it in the water tank and I could see the hardness has reduced drastically. It costs around 3500/- and it lasts for 3-4 months.

Is anyone already using DCal? I would like to know is there any cons using this product.

I am in a similar boat, however there is no initial treatment that gets done in our apartment, which is an old one. Would you know the cost associated with this one? Please do post here if you find any other better options as well. Thanks!!

Yesterday, i had Sales rep come over and give a demo. Eureka Forbes/Kent/ZeroB all use the same technology (Ion Exchange). Basically this removes Calcium and Magnesium and adds Sodium (Salt). It needs regular (weekly) salt topup for regeneration and once in 5 years resin replacement.
Cost is EF : 20k, Kent : 18K and ZeroB : 22K + Maintenance ( Salt : 300 and Resin 4k)

Sales rep of Waterizer was also invited. Their system is different, instead Ion exchange, it simply breaks up and makes them inert, incapable of bonding. So no scales are formed. Checked with two references in our apartment who gave positive reviews. It's more of a conditioner.
Cost : 14k + Maintenance (Soil filter replacement : 200)

I am thinking of taking the dive on Waterizer and see how it works in one bathroom.
But still curious on other options like dcal mentioned above (no overhead tank for us :thumbsdown).
Anyone has any idea about ECO CRYSTAL softener, IFB recommends and sells this, costs about 2k. If it can be used in Washing machines, it might work on Geysers too...

In my opinion the best and cheapest solution for hard water is DCal (www.dcal.co.in), it is also available on Amazon for Rs. 3000 and one cartridge is enough for about a year in a 2000 litre tank. It sequesters the hardness causing chemicals like Calcium and Magnesium compounds; there is no change in the water chemistry if one tests the water. After researching and going through multiple products including Ion Exchange, Magnetic and Electrical water conditioners, RO, 3M etc. I found DCal to be the best solution for hardness; in case there are any other contaminants other methods may have to be used. I am using DCal for the last 3/4 years and find that my electrical kettle has no scale.

I am using DCal for the last 3/4 years and am totally satisfied. I hava an independent house with a 4,000 litre water tank, I drop 2 cartridges which last for about a year. There is no scale in my electrical kettle. I find this to be the cheapest and best solution for hard water; no need to spend on expensive and fancy solutions.

This appears to be a product very similar to DCal (www.dcal.co.in) only 2/3 times more costly. I may clarify that I am in no way connected to DCal, I am associated with a firm of Architects and have been studying ways for treatment of water in the projects that we do and my observation is purely based on my research and personal experience.

3-4 years sounds like pretty good time to evaluate the product and banking on your review. Where do you buy it from - any ready link? Any pre-requisites before I also buy and deploy it in the tank?

In market for a water softener and chanced upon this thread and this particular model. By looking at your all comments, this looks like a promising solution and cheap and hassle free.

Eureka Forbes is to visit for a demo tomorow and let me hold that then and look up at this Dcal.

DCal is available on Amazon
https://www.amazon.in/DCal-Water-Sof...zcF9hdGY&psc=1

There is no preparation required, just open the DCal cartridge and put it inside the water tank; if you have any means of tying the cartridge please tie it so it can be retrieved when the effect weans out. You may like to observe your electric kettle and see the scale deposit, clean the scale by putting some vinegar in water in the kettle overnight and scrubbing it clean. You can compare the scale formation after use of DCal. Please note that this is effective only for minimising the problems associated with hardness, if water has other contaminants like coliform bacteria, taste or odour or very high TDS etc. then other methods have to be adopted.

I looked up a little more this DCAL. What it avoids is only scaling of water, not to bring down the TDS levels.

But I am not sure if scaling and high TDS levels are inter related. Is it so?

Did you check the TDS levels of your raw water and after DCAL immersed water?