3M Aqua-Pure Whole House Scale Inhibition Inline Water System AP430SS, Prevents Scale Build Up On Hot Water Heaters and Boilers

The installers of my gas boiler put this scale inhibition system in along with everything else so I just needed the replacement cartridge. It fit perfectly with no threading issues others have mentioned, went right in first time and sealed tight, no leaks. Did not use Teflon tape as it is not needed for the cartridge.

Excellent product, easy to install. Hopefully it will help my water heater last longer.

Works with magic and unicorn tears. :o)It is not a filter. It is a water treatment system.The stainless steel head is robust and a nice solid chunk of metal. Easily could withstand brazing/soldering, on the spot, with the cartridge off.The 3/4" NPT inlet and outlet has nearly a clear flow path, so your GPM, will not be reduced. Install a ball or gate valve in front to permit easy cartridge changeouts.The tee must be orientated to the water flow, use the arrow on the side of the tee, for the water to get treated while flowing.There is an elevated tab in the tee with a single hole for directing a small portion of the water down into the center whole of the cartridge.The water slowly dissolves a small amount of food-grade polyphosphate from the beads and, using the venturi effect, the water is then pulled back through the 8 holes in the cartridge perimeter and through the 3 holes in the tee, surrounding the center tab, to mix with the flowing water.Only 2 to 3 ppm is needed to treat for scale.From past uses at a different home, I've gotten about 20,000 gallons out of a cartridge with still some beads rattling in the bottom when replacing the cartridge.I would say that if you used less than 2,000 gallons a month then one cartridge should easily last a year.The cartridge threads are plastic and you can easily cross-thread them if you get in a hurry replacing the cartridge. Just make sure you get the threads started straight and it screws up with no problems.The threads do no provide the seal, it is the o-ring so once hand-tight that is tight enough.

The first one that I ordered leaked on me. It was a small leak but nothing I tried help. Put lots of thread tape changed the brass nipple twice.. and nothing and it still had a small leak.. called amazon customer help and they send me a replacement the next. Day. The Second one I put a new nipple brass pipe and plenty of thread tape and no leaks. Happy with my Purchase and Amazon for always been helpful with returns or exchanges. I. Will update later to see how good it works.

This turned out to be a simple, effective solution to two problems associated with my well water. At 12.86 gpg of CaCo3 (Calcium Carbonate) or 2.36 gpg above the "Very Hard" threshold, I had problems with calcium deposits in my boiler from the boiler feed water inflow and problems from my hot water throughout the house. Since all the water going to my dishwasher came from a hot water line, water spots on glassware were unsightly. I installed the Aqua-Pure AP430SS just before both the boiler feed and the supply to the indirect hot water tank. The water spots are gone and there are more soap bubbles when showering.A note to those who think the shiny silver thing on the top assembly is an overpriced ¾" SS tee. . . it's more than that. It is a machined casting with a scoop diverter to cause some of the water flowing through it to flow downward into the canister where it mixes with the food-grade poly phosphate in the replaceable canister before it returns through small holes drilled inside the tee to the pipe above where it ties up the CaCo3 as it flows on its merry way unable to plate our as scale.Time will tell, but, I prefer it over a water softener because it is sodium free which seems like a good thing in this stressful world of high blood pressure. Also, it won't kill the beneficial bugs in my septic system. Whew – enough said!

I went with this option because it was significantly cheaper than a water softener and I didn't want to remove the good minerals (and increase salt content) from our drinking water. So far, so good, it appears that our dishes are cleaner, soaps work better, and clothes feel better (all the things the water softener sales men try to sell you on) and all for a fraction of the cost of a water softener. I didn't price out the cost difference between changing these cartridges every 6 months vs adding salt to a softener, but my guess is they are also cheaper to operate. Is this item as effective as a water softener, no, but it does a very good job at 1/10th the cost.I installed this myself using sharkbite push-to-connect fittings. It took me about 30 minutes and there were zero leaks post job. The fittings cost about $35 and saved me $200 if I had a plumber do the work (based on 2 quotes). I highly recommend the sharkbite fitting if you plan to DIY and also watch the how-to videos online.

My PEX tubing is 3/4" diameter so I bought 2 sharkbites with a male 3/4" threaded end, and the other end 3/4" connector for PEX.The entire install took some 30 minutes. Make sure you use Teflon tape on the thread and wrap it clockwise.

I don't understand the poor reviews that some have posted. The design and build of this anti-scale device is top notch. Most of the water entering the tee passes through, but a small flow is diverted into the bead bed and then reinjected into the main water flow. This is on purpose because the reagent that prevents scale buildup is very effective at very low concentrations, and allows the beads to last a long time. My boiler no longer requires me to acid flush which is time consuming and messy.