A note from Sid Baysinger

President, Tankless Pros Az · Master Plumber

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We install and service water heaters in Phoenix water every week. Valley hardness commonly runs about 12–18 grains per gallon, and scale is still the thing that shortens heater life and fouls tankless heat exchangers.

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I recommend a ScaleRx on the cold inlet of the tank, tankless, or hybrid heaters we install here. It is not a water softener. It will not make the water feel soft. It is a no-salt, no-power, no-filter device that reduces how much mineral bakes onto the heater.​

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What ScaleRx is

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ScaleRx is a small stainless inline unit that installs on the water-heater inlet. Inside are titanium and copper discs (American Valve’s patented TGP process). As water flows through, a small galvanic effect favors a less-sticky crystal form of calcium carbonate, so less of it plates onto heating elements and heat exchangers.

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Minerals stay in the water. That is the point: ScaleRx does not add salt or strip calcium and magnesium.

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What the independent test measured

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IAPMO R&T Lab Report 2475-17001 (September 29, 2017) compared treated and untreated water on heating elements:

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• Copper elements: 76.3% less scale

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• Stainless-steel elements: 75.3% less scale

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That is heater-element protection — the part that fails first in Arizona — not a promise of scale-free faucets, glass, or shower doors.

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The housing is certified to NSF/ANSI 61 (drinking-water contact) and NSF/ANSI 372 (lead-free materials). American Valve backs the product with a 12-year limited warranty.

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What you should not expect

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Your water will still test hard. Soap lather, skin feel, and spots on dishes usually stay about the same. ScaleRx does not replace a water softener or a whole-house filter if those are the goals.

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In Valley hardness, tankless heaters still need periodic service. ScaleRx is meant to slow how fast scale returns between visits, not to cancel maintenance. Some existing crust may loosen over time and show up as harmless powder at aerators; rinse it out.

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Why we add it when we install the heater

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No electricity, no salt bags, no drain line, no filter changes. Installed on the cold inlet, it starts protecting the new unit on day one. On well water we put a sediment filter ahead of it so debris does not clog the cartridge.

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Adding a ScaleRx with your new water heater is the simplest scale protection we can put at the heater itself.