Everpure SR-X scale inhibitor
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does anyone have experience with this specific scale inhibiting cartridge, specifically its method of action?
I know it is an additive based scale inhibitor, but I'm curious as to whether it 'replaces' CaCO3 with some other mineral? I have street water of about ~10-12 grains hardness running into it, and it's outputting at about 9 grains, which isn't significantly lower (but the espresso tastes great).
I was previously using an ESO7 cartridge (softener + slight bypass to allow some hardness) and that alone brought my GPG to 3-4, so I was surprised to get the higher reading from this much more expensive unit.
Is the higher than expected grain reading due to the 'additives'? if this is the case, is it working as intended and should I not worry about it? I'm having trouble finding literature on this so any help is greatly appreciated.
I know it is an additive based scale inhibitor, but I'm curious as to whether it 'replaces' CaCO3 with some other mineral? I have street water of about ~10-12 grains hardness running into it, and it's outputting at about 9 grains, which isn't significantly lower (but the espresso tastes great).
I was previously using an ESO7 cartridge (softener + slight bypass to allow some hardness) and that alone brought my GPG to 3-4, so I was surprised to get the higher reading from this much more expensive unit.
Is the higher than expected grain reading due to the 'additives'? if this is the case, is it working as intended and should I not worry about it? I'm having trouble finding literature on this so any help is greatly appreciated.
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as an update:
I found that the sr-x cartridges use polyphosphates as the scale inhibitor mechanism which does not actually 'remove' any mineral just prevents the minerals from 'sticking' to any surfaces, thus total hardness levels shouldn't change much. this makes total sense, and i'm wondering if it would be OK to leave it as-is?
I found that the sr-x cartridges use polyphosphates as the scale inhibitor mechanism which does not actually 'remove' any mineral just prevents the minerals from 'sticking' to any surfaces, thus total hardness levels shouldn't change much. this makes total sense, and i'm wondering if it would be OK to leave it as-is?
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From what I've gathered, polyphosphate crystals will coat the walls of the boiler(s) and could eventually develop into something more like a "polyphosphate scale" of sorts especially in residential usage where it'll sit in the boiler for multiple heating/cooling cycles and lose effectiveness. This type of scale may actually be worse (if not only harder to remove) than regular ole hardness scale. That said, I'm not a water professional so take my info with a grain of salt.
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thanks for that! i found a thread here that said pretty much the same thing you just said about the polyphosphate scale. I am going to call pentair tomorrow to confirm and i'll report my findings.
pretty much every shop in Tokyo that i've been to uses 2 or 3x MC2 filters followed by the sr-x, and that is all they use for their espresso and brew filtration.
pretty much every shop in Tokyo that i've been to uses 2 or 3x MC2 filters followed by the sr-x, and that is all they use for their espresso and brew filtration.
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I'd be interested to see what Pentair says! The Scalestick tech in the SR-X filter should be more optimal for espresso machine usage, but it's still a commercial product and may require some reasonably moderate usage or at least flushing out the boiler(s) with new water regularly in residential use. Even then, the fact that your incoming water is 10-12 grains may reduce the effectiveness of the SR-X, thus changing the use case scenario and performance of the product. Tokyo also has much softer water (around 3-5 grains), so that' something to consider as well.
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Brian,
thanks for the insight! my machine is an HX lever so the boiler never sees much action as it is. that will definitely be a consideration.
in the meantime I have a fresh ESO7 hooked up and just tested at 3 grains. espresso is tasting mighty fine!
thanks for the insight! my machine is an HX lever so the boiler never sees much action as it is. that will definitely be a consideration.
in the meantime I have a fresh ESO7 hooked up and just tested at 3 grains. espresso is tasting mighty fine!
- homeburrero
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Good idea about contacting Pentair, and let us know what they say about using it in espresso steam boilers, and what hardness levels they recommend it for. Their product lit sure doesn't say much.chris_n wrote:thanks for that! i found a thread here that said pretty much the same thing you just said about the polyphosphate scale. I am going to call pentair tomorrow to confirm and i'll report my findings.
pretty much every shop in Tokyo that i've been to uses 2 or 3x MC2 filters followed by the sr-x, and that is all they use for their espresso and brew filtration.
Years ago we got a fairly dim opinion of phosphates for espresso machines from Roy Parker at Pentair/Everpure in this post: Everpure ESO
Could be they now have a trickier phosphate mix, or that it can be used, as Brings mentioned, if you take care to flush/refill some water from the steam boiler routinely.
Pat
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that is the citation that made me skeptical of using the sr-x polyphosphate type filter for espresso, but i'll be sure to ask all the questions tomorrow!homeburrero wrote: Years ago we got a fairly dim opinion of phosphates for espresso machines from Roy Parker at Pentair/Everpure in this post: Everpure ESO
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Not to leave anyone hanging but I spent spoke with Pentair tech support today regarding the sr-x scalestick technology and the gentleman I spoke with couldn't come to a solid conclusion whether current tech scalestick is optimal for espresso. He elevated the case to his superiors and I'm waiting for an email back.
- CarefreeBuzzBuzz
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Chris,
FWIW YMMV - when I have spoken to techs at the water companies, BWT and Optipure, for example, I had about as much faith as a talking to a teenager with a beer in one hand and car keys in another. Regardless of the questions asked, skeptical about the answers. IMO you are better off dealing with your slightly hard water in another way. Why did you give up on the ES07 anyway?
Let us know what you decide. Michael
FWIW YMMV - when I have spoken to techs at the water companies, BWT and Optipure, for example, I had about as much faith as a talking to a teenager with a beer in one hand and car keys in another. Regardless of the questions asked, skeptical about the answers. IMO you are better off dealing with your slightly hard water in another way. Why did you give up on the ES07 anyway?
Let us know what you decide. Michael