Dear Hydrosmart,

I have lived and worked in Alice Springs for 10 years where we have very hard water with a large amount of calcium in it. The calcium in the water here plays havoc on the water pipes, hot water systems, evaporative air conditioners, dripper systems, etc. In 2009 in an attempt overcome these problems I installed a Hydrosmart.

Upon installing our unit I went to the bathroom to flush the untreated water out of the system and after a couple of minutes I washed my hands with the newly treated water. Normally I would be unable to get the soap to lather up but on this occasion it lathered up immediately and has done so ever since.
The first time I showered after installing the Hydrosmart I found that the shampoo lathered up better, my hair was softer and I actually felt cleaner. Rather than telling my partner about how much better the water was, I decided to wait and see if she would notice the differences for herself. Without me saying anything, she returned from her first shower and described the exact same improvements I had earlier found for myself.
Before the Hydrosmart Unit was installed, the drain in the shower was blocking every few days due to build up and had to be plunged. Since the Hydrosmart was installed I have not had to plunge the shower at all, as the treated water seems to have had a reaction with the build up in the drains. The build up of grime in the shower recess has also been reduced and as a result the bathroom smells a lot cleaner. You can actually feel that the water is softer now and I have also noticed that our clothes now are considerably softer after washing.

We have a water evaporative air-conditioner and I replaced the pads in it a few weeks prior to installing the Hydrosmart as the old ones were full of calcium after only one year. Before installing the Hydrosmart the new pads had started to leak water down the sides of the air-conditioner and on to the stand due to a bit of calcium build up on the outside of the pads. Without even considering it, I walked past the air conditioner and noticed that the stand was dry. Within 6 hrs the Hydrosmart unit had stopped the air conditioner from leaking. Since installing the Hydrosmart unit there is more air coming through the vents at a cooler temperature and I am now confident that the pads will last to their life expectancy.

I have never been very fond of drinking the local tap water and since installing the Hydrosmart I have also noticed that the water is now more pleasant to drink and tasted simular to rain water. We used to collect rainwater for drinking but no longer do so due to the fact that the tap water is now more than adequate.
At times in the mornings when we turned the kitchen sink tap on the water would come out a little cloudy due to the calcium in it, since installing the Hydrosmart unit the water runs clear.

I installed a dripper system around 5 years ago to water our pot plants. After several months I got sick of having to adjust the nozzles on the drippers every couple of days due to the calcium build up, so I turned the dripper system off and watered our pot plants by hand. After installing the Hydrosmart unit I wondered if it would make any difference to the dripper system so I decided to start using it again. I initially cleaned and adjusted the nozzles to remove the existing calcium and set the flow rate, since doing so I have not had to make any more adjustments. After the third watering of the pot plants, the last nozzle in the line blocked up so I removed the nozzle and about 2 litres of what looked like milk came out of it, I assume this was all the calcium that was previously built up in the pipe. The dripper system now runs without any more problems and my plants and lawns are looking healthier.

My personal experience has lead to further involvement with Hydrosmart and I am now the local Hydrosmart agent in Alice Springs. I have helped several other locals overcome their water problems and look forward to helping many more.

Garry Vanstone