Why do I get Limescale?
Cold hard water has no adverse effects. In fact the high mineral content present is seen by many experts to be beneficial to health. It is only when water is heated, such as in a central heating boiler or in other heating appliances, that problems begin to occur. This is because carbonates begin to react with other chemicals present to form the rock like deposit so familiar as kettle scale.

Why do I need protection from Limescale?
Although kettle scale may be annoying, the far more serious but less visible effects will be within central heating boilers, hot water cylinders and radiators. If it blocks up your shower head, think what it's doing to the rest of your plumbing!

If precautions in the form of scale inhibition are not taken, fuel bills will be higher, appliance life shorter and maintenance costs correspondingly exorbitant!

Do I need a water softener or a physical water conditioner?
Generally speaking a water softener, typically costing several hundred pounds, changes the nature of the water chemically by ion exchange thus removing calcium.

Physical water conditioners on the other hand do not add or take anything away from water but alter the way in which scale behaves thus keeping the beneficial mineral content intact.

The decision as to selection is down to personal preference dependent on budget and individual circumstances.

The products included on this site are low cost physical water conditioners and not softeners or filters.

How do physical water conditioners work?
The approach to tackling limescale differs from product to product as demonstrated in this guide, but basically they tackle the problem by altering the crystal structure of scale rendering it less of a problem.

Does this mean I will still see scale in my kettle?
The answer to this is 'Yes' but the consistency should be such that it can easily be removed. To prolong the life of a kettle we strongly recommend that residual water is emptied from the kettle after use.

How do I select the right Scalemaster product?
This whole section has been designed to assist with easy selection of a product to suit individual preferences.