[Greenbuilding] Takagi Water Heaters and Lime

[Lawrence Lile]

My local city lists 158 mg/liter as it's hardness measurement.  Tagaki
wants water less than 1 gr/gallon, and beyond 11 gr. they give a
warning.
 
1 gr/U.S. gal = 17.11 mg/L 
 
so my water is equivalent to 9.23 gpg.  In other words, the water is so
hard, that prisoners are sentenced to break pieces of it with hammers in
the hot sun.  
 
I don't really like water softeners, but this is making me think about
looking into one.  --Lawrence Lile
 
P.S. Wonderful translation from the Japanese in the second sentence
under B. below. 

________________________________

From: Lawrence Lile 
Sent: Wednesday, September 06, 2006 3:19 PM
To: Greenbuilder list
Subject: FW: Takagi Water Heaters and Lime


Here is what Takagi has to say.  There was an attachment that won't go
out to the List, if you want to see it I'll send it offlist.  Here is
the relavant paragraph about hard water:
 

			B. Water hardness is a serious concern in a
Flash Tankless Heater due to heating water at such a fast rate. The
process is causing scale to fall out in the water at a rate that Tank
Hot Water Heaters hold a lead of lasting longer. 

			
		1.	a. Hardness range from 1gpg to 10gpg is a
concern to have a water softener installed. It takes as long of a period
of time for a water softener to remove hard water scale as it took to
build up. 

					b. Hardness range from 10gpg
to15gpg should have an advanced 

					lab water analysis done. Other
elements in the water that can be a concern. 

					c. Hardness range from 15gpg and
above is recommended to have an advanced lab water analysis. 

 
They recommend water softeners if your water is harder than 1 grain pr
gallon.  That's pretty soft water!  On the other hand they seem to
indicate that a water softener can "fix" a limed up tankless heater,
presumably only up to a point.  
 
--Lawrence
 

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