What Are the Downsides of Flow-Tech?

Limescale buildup can wreak havoc on your home’s plumbing pipes, fixtures, and appliances. These components can have shorter lifespans and decreased efficiency with excess scale. Flow-Tech anti-scaling system combats scale buildup, but are there any downsides of Flow-Tech?

At Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’re one of the few companies authorized to sell and install Flow-Tech devices. We’ve installed Flow-Tech across the Los Angeles area and have helped homeowners with any issues that come up regarding Flow-Tech.

Despite being highly efficient at addressing scale buildup, Flow-Tech has the following disadvantages.

• It doesn’t soften water
• It doesn’t filter water
• Affected by power outages
• Not suitable for galvanized steel pipes
• Not compatible with well water

After reading this article, you’ll better understand Flow-Tech’s drawbacks so you can plan accordingly when you decide to have one installed or pursue a different kind of water filtration system.

So, you’re aware of the five downsides associated with Flow-Tech, but before we jump into the downsides of Flow-Tech, it is essential to understand how Flow-Tech works.

How Does Flow-Tech Work?

It is a lot easier to understand the drawbacks of Flow-Tech once you know how Flow-Tech operates.

Flow-Tech is an anti-scaling system that sends out thousands of electromagnetic frequencies that affect the minerals in hard water responsible for causing limescale. The low-level pulses cause calcium and magnesium, the minerals that cause scale, to stick together and crystalize.

Once bonded together, these crystallized minerals are no longer able to stick to surfaces. Flow-Tech’s signals also reduce the existing limescale to the point where it no longer remains built up inside pipes.

At Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we use specialized pipe cameras to inspect the inside of plumbing pipes. We’ve seen firsthand how Flow-Tech can clear any old limescale buildup away significantly after a while.

The minerals that cause limescale are the same ones responsible for hard water. Flow-Tech crystallizes these minerals, but does it fully treat hard water?

Flow-Tech Doesn’t Soften Water

Flow-Tech treats hard water but doesn’t soften it as water softeners do. Water softeners are called softeners because that’s precisely what they’re designed to do, soften hard water. Like Flow-Tech, water softeners also reduce limescale, but that’s the only quality they share in common.

These systems use salt to replace calcium and magnesium with sodium and eliminate the minerals that cause hard water. The remaining treated water is considered soft water, which has beneficial properties.

Soft water doesn’t dry out skin like hard water does. So if you prefer soft water, Flow-Tech may not be ideal.

Aside from not softening water, Flow-Tech doesn’t act as a water filter either.

Flow-Tech Isn’t a Water Filter

Flow-Tech is a small rectangular unit that sends electromagnetic frequencies to disrupt minerals but is not designed to filter out contaminants. Carbon and sediment filters are required to remove impurities and other compounds from water.

Carbon filters help reduce the levels of chlorine found in water. For example, homes treated with a whole-house carbon filter will produce water that tastes better and has no odors.

Sediment filters, which can be point-of-use or part of a reverse osmosis system, help remove any small physical particles like sand, dirt, and rust.

Flow-Tech is compatible with whole-house and point-0f-use water filters. So you can install Flow-Tech and a water filter for filtered water that doesn’t produce limescale.

Unlike other water treatment options, Flow-Tech requires electrical power 24 hours, seven days a week. So, what does the mean for you if there’s a power outage?

Power Outages Affect Flow-Tech

Like most technology used inside homes, Flow-Tech requires electricity to operate at all times. Flow-Tech will not work efficiently if your home experiences electrical issues.

You may contact a technician to inspect your Flow-Tech, but if your home is dealing with electrical problems, it is highly recommended to contact an electrician. Once your home’s electrical issues are resolved, a technician can use a signal detector to ensure that your Flow-Tech device is sending frequencies throughout your house.

Flow-Tech rarely has any electrical failures, but when it does, you will see an error code. It is recommended to contact a technician if you notice any error codes on your Flow-Tech.

Before we install Flow-Tech, we do a whole-house plumbing inspection to ensure there aren’t any other potential problems that can arise after installation. Some older homes may run into one specific issue, though.

Flow-Tech Isn’t Suitable With Old Steel Pipes

Flow-Tech may not be suitable for homes with old galvanized pipes. After decades of wear and tear, galvanized pipes are susceptible to corrosion. Corroded pipes are more likely to leak and crack, which can eventually become burst pipes.

Many pinholes in corroded pipes don’t leak due to the scale buildup covering the small cracks. Once Flow-Tech is installed, the limescale is reduced, and the cracks are exposed. The exposed holes and cracks have an even higher chance of bursting.

Burst pipes may require a plumbing overhaul, which can cost you money.

As long as the pipes in a home are working properly and receiving water from a public source, Flow-Tech will continue to operate without any issues. Yet, depending on the water source, some homes may not be compatible with Flow-Tech.

Not Recommended for Well Water Sources

The majority of homes in Los Angeles receive their water from a public water source. Flow-Tech will operate fine with these homes, but it is not recommended for homes that receive water from a private well on the property. Well-water sources may have an increased concentration of iron and require special water treatment systems that can filter it better than Flow-Tech.

Is Flow-Tech Right for Me?

Flow-Tech is one of the industry’s leading choices for anti-scaling. As efficient as it is, it has a few drawbacks. Now that you know these drawbacks, you can confidently determine whether this device is suitable for your home.

At Monkey Wrench Plumbing, Heating, Air & Electric, we’ve seen how effective Flow-Tech is when reducing and preventing scale. Yet, we’ve also seen a few downsides from this water treatment system we believe homeowners should be aware of so they are better prepared for what to expect from Flow-Tech.

If you’re curious about Flow-Tech, contact us using one of the contact buttons below, or book an appointment through our water filtration scheduler.

Are you ready to learn more about Flow-Tech? Check out this article on Flow-Tech pricing options.