Wires to nothing wrapped around pvc piping near our water heater
Posted Jul 14, 2019, 1:07 AM UTC
146
Moved into a new apartment and found these wires wrapped around a water pipe in the closet next to the water heater. Both the red and the yellow wires are neatly zip tied into place and have two male connectors not plugged in to anything. Neither one of us has a clue as to what used to be there. We live in a relatively hippie dippy area, so our best guess is that it’s some pseudoscience “remove toxins from the water” bs, but we’re curious as to the specifics. We’re renters, so it’s not like we can just call up the previous tenants and ask. Anyone have a clue?
3
Coils for an electromagnetic water softener. The jury is still out on if such systems work.
Solved! Turns out it was pseudoscience after all.
Yup, that's what it is. As for whether they work or not, in my experience NO! I have seen a lot of destroyed equipment that needed water treatment and wasn't getting it.
I don't see how it could help.
Hard water is hard because of minerals in it. The best that this system could possibly do is trap those minerals in the pipe, eventually reducing waterfowl or having it break off in chunks and getting stuck further up the line.
You'd need either a chemical way to alter it or a mechanical way to remove it.
The minerals are a not a problem when dissolved in the water. They become a problem when they fall out and stick to the piping etc. Chemical treatment to lower the pH is a one way to control the drop out. Water ionizers actually do mimic lowering the ph, unfortunately the affect often disappears a few ft down the pipe.