Scalewatcher Small Wonder hard water treatment unit

I realized I have a problem with hard water when I saw my dishwasher's metal pipe slowly grow thick (~2 mm) dark material. In addition, all nickel parts in the bathroom were covered with a dirty white spots, which could not be removed. I checked the town's water report and, sure enough, Calcium (CaCO3) was at 319 mg/l! They call it "aesthetic quality of water", but I could only imagine what was happening to my hot water heating system and the boiler! Installing a chemical salt-based softener was very unappealing, because of the price, maintenance and environment impact. My friend has one installed and I didn't like the soapy feel of the treated water. After hearing commercials for no-salt Easy Water, I got interested. I also realized that there must be cheaper alternatives utilizing the same exact technology without expensive radio ads. I was very skeptical, because of varying reviews whether this technology can work, even theoretically. I checked with a former physicist and a former chemist and both said that theoretically it can work. They are even aware of early experiments for industrial use, although without a lot of success. My understanding is that this particular device creates an electromagnetic field around the water pipe. What's different from the early experiments is that it quickly changes the frequency. As a result, active Calcium ions become inactive sediment, don't attach themselves to the pipes in your house and simply wash away. So, the physical content of the water does not change (i.e. the hardness will remain the same), but the chemical properties of the water are affected, and that's the whole point. Still skeptical, I decided to take a chance on Small Wonder and see what happens. My first impression: the $180 device looks like a cheap little made-in-China $10 box you could get from Radio Shack. It has a power supply and two holes for the copper wire. The installation is as unglamorous as the device itself: you wrap the wire around your water pipe in two layers and plug it into the box. It took ~2 months of doubt, but now I am convinced it works. The first thing I noticed is that half of the nickel plug in the sink lost the dirty-white layer and the other half got visibly thinner. I was thinking maybe I am experiencing a placebo effect. However, after several uses of the dishwasher, the thick layer on the pipe started to fall off in big (1-2 inches) chunks. Depending on your situation (water hardness, how much water you consume, size of the house, pipe diameter, pipe type), you may need a stronger device (or two devices). Install on non-metal pipes, if you have a choice, but it worked for me on copper pipes. There are even cheaper alternatives with slightly different technology (such as Clearwave), but I have not tried them and don't know if they work better or worse.

It is too early to tell if it is working. I will have to come back after a few months and write a more detailed review. I should be able to tell the difference by whether or not I get any buildup of calcium in my sinks and toilets.

I do not like soft water therefore I didn't want a water softener. I wanted something that would prevent or reduce the scale build up on sinks, tubs, showers, toilets, the dish washer etc. The Small Wonder has definitely made a noticeable difference but it is not a "water softner". It does not remove the minerals it just prevents or reduces them from sticking to surfaces, therefore the water still tests as hard. With that said, we no longer get the scale buildup we use to get. If water is left to dry on a sink or on glasses in the dish washer a white powdery spot is present but it wipes right off as opposed to hardening and sticking as before. The best part is you don't get that awful slimy feeling on your skin after a shower that water softeners cause. I have not noticed any scale reduction on older shower heads as some have commented however the house is 45 years old so it may take more time to work. We still use a small amount of Finish in the dishwasher to prevent the small amount of powder left behind as well as giving the glasses a sparkling look. Bar Keepers Friend is amazing for removing old scale from toilets, sinks, showers, etc.... It's been installed a few months and recently it seems to be less effective. It is still much better than without but not as good as a month or so ago. We are in the middle of a drought which lowers the well water level and therefore water quality. Perhaps it's just that or it may becoming less effective. I'll follow up if it persists.

I bought this unit in 2012. I had great expectations, but honestly, I don't think it did anything. For the past 5 years, I've had about the same amount of calcium and lime deposits in all my shower heads and faucets. There are large grains of minerals, black, white and greenish-blue. About once a month I remove the faucet heads (the ones that are removable) and dump out the grains. Every few months, I soak the shower heads and other faucet heads in vinegar to dissolve the minerals. A few days ago, I noticed that the green light was flashing. There was nothing in the instructions that mentioned that, so I went to the website and submitted a question. It didn't appear to have been sent, so today I called. The rep said the flashing green means the unit is bad, but since the warranty is 3 years, they can't do anything. Oh, he offered to sell me a new one for $100. I said thanks, but no thanks, as it didn't seem to have worked anyway. He was polite. By the way, we installed the unit just as instructed, and the wire is wrapped around a PVC pipe, which the literature says is supposed to work the best. [sigh] I don't want a giant salt-eating water softener, but clearly this "small wonder" doesn't do the job. None of my neighbors with real water softeners have the problem I do with all the scale deposits, which are also left on my sinks and toilets. I've spent a small fortune on Lime-Away cleaner. I have begun to be very suspicious of glowing 5 star reviews, and after about 20 years of buying products on Amazon based on reviews, I now tend to focus on the 2 and 3 star reviews. 1 star reviews are often unwarranted or irrelevant, but I couldn't give this product any more than 1 star. But if YOU believe the good reviews and decide to buy it, I suggest you monitor it carefully during the first 3 years, and register for the warranty. Just in case.