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The T.A.C – Technical Information

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The principle

The premise is relatively simple. Before hard water scale can form and cause problems, use a catalyst to create a nanoscale crystal in a form that won’t stick to surfaces.

The formation of hard water mineral scale requires a nucleation point for the formation of a scale crystal. The surfaces of your plumbing system, including the walls of your pipes and water heater, and specifically your water heater elements, are excellent nucleation points. The hotter the surface, the faster the formation of mineral scale will be. For this reason, water heater elements and heat exchangers are notorious for scale buildup.

Technology efficiency

The most rigorous accreditation standard for evaluating water softener alternatives for scale reduction performance is the German Technical and Scientific Association for Gas and Water (DVGW) standard W512. Testing of TAC treatment technologies under this standard has consistently proven the effectiveness of the technology, with indications of scale reduction consistently over 90%, often approaching 100%.

Several academic studies have looked at alternatives to traditional home water softeners. The study concluded that TAC technology was, by far, the most effective hard water treatment alternative. The testing methodology used in this study was based on the German DVGW-W512 protocol and the study focused on evaluating the ability of various technologies to reduce scale formation; this, of course, is also the primary goal when evaluating a technology’s ability to prevent mineral scale buildup in a water heater. Four water samples (2 sources and 2 temperatures) were used in the study tests with feed water hardness ranging from 180 to 250 mg/l (ppm). TAC reduced scale formation by 88% to 97%.

Micro Crystal Breaking

T.A.C-Principe

The Process

TAC hard water conditioners use a highly specialized media comprised of polymer beads which provide a preferable nucleation point for the formation of nano crystals consisting of the building blocks of hard water scale before these minerals reach the elements of your water heater.

The crystals grow on the pearl until they reach a particular size and then break off. These microscopic crystals are stable and remain suspended in the water flow instead of forming hard mineral scale on the surfaces of your plumbing system. This process is sometimes called nucleation-assisted crystallization or NAC.

History

TAC technology was first used as an alternative to conventional water softeners about 15 years ago in Germany. It was introduced in the United States and Canada about 7 years ago and is now gaining acceptance.

It is recommended by many tankless water heater manufacturers as the preferred form of treatment due to its efficiency, reasonable price, compact size and green profile. It is widely regarded as the most effective salt-free hard water treatment technology.