Pipe Descaler

Christian Tavernier
S1 D1 R7
TR1
4k7
For many years now, magnetic (or elec- 1N4004 0W5
IC2
tromagnetic) water descaler devices have D2 7812
been showing up on the shelves of Home 220V

Improvement and other DIY stores all over 1N4004

Europe. Despite the numerous studies F1
C2 C3 C5

completed on that subject, by manufactur- 1000µ 25V 10µ 25V 1000µ 63V
100mA
ers as well as by various consumer asso-
2 x 15V
ciations, none have been able to con- 2VA5...3VA

clude on the efficiency of commercial R1 R4 R5

* see text
pipe descalers in a decisive manner.

1k
22k

6k8
Since electronic devices of this type are 8 4 8 4
relatively expensive (especially when we R D3 R
7 7
discover what they are made of!), we R2 DIS R6 DIS
IC1 IC3

6k8
decided to offer this project to our read-
100k

ers. For the price of a few tens of pounds, 2

TR
555
OUT
3 2
TR
555
OUT
3
L1
*
6 THR R3 6 THR R8
you will be able to evaluate the state of C4
22k

22k
your own faucets, pots, and other pipes. CV 10n CV
1 5 T1 1 5 T2
The device we’re offering as a project is C1 C6

identical to top-of-the-line items found on 22µ 10n

sale; in other words, it includes the bi-fre-
quency option because it seemed that
would be the best way to fight lime scale
deposits. An initial astable oscillator,
based on a traditional 555, labeled IC3,
functions at around 10 kHz when the only
capacitor C6 is operating; in other words,
when T1 is blocked. The latter is controlled
by another astable oscillator, based on
IC1 this time, but which functions at about
1 Hz. When T1 is turned on by IC1,
capacitor C4 is effectively in parallel with
C6 which divides the frequency produced
by IC3 by two, i.e. to about 5 kHz.
In order to have high amplitude signals,
the power supply operates with a mid-
point transformer utilized in an unconven-
tional way, with simple half-wave rectifica-
tion. The first half of the secondary deliv-
ers 15 VAC which, after being rectified,
filtered and regulated by IC2, supply sta-
25V
ble current of 12 VDC to supply power
to the oscillators.
The entire secondary makes it possible to
have available, after rectification,
approximately 40 VDC which is used to
supply power to coils L1 and L2, wound
around the pipe systems on which the
assembly will work. To do that, IC3 is fol-
lowed by high-voltage transistor T2 (a
BF457 or equivalent) which chops this
high voltage to 5 or 10 kHz frequency
depending on the state of IC1.
LED D3 lights up to signal that the power
supply is present.
Coils L1 and L2 are simple inductors
made from insulated flexible wire, with
BC547 BF457
060105 - 11 L2 *
about ten windings each. They have to
be wound around the pipes carrying the
water to be ‘treated’ and are spaced
about ten centimeters from each other.
Neither the material of the pipe system,
nor its diameter, should have any influ-
ence on the efficiency of the device.
Paradoxically, these coils have one end
in the air, which may surprise you as
much as us but we indicated at the begin-
ning of this article, that our goal with this
project is not to explain the principle but
rather to allow you to make the same
device as those sold in stores, so that you
can perform your own tests.
www.tavernier-c.com (060105-1)

2 elektor electronics - 7-8/2006