how do water conditioners like Clearwave and EasyWater compare with ion exchange water softeners?
Ion exchange systems work, always have always will. You may not like them for whatever reason but the only way to soften water is to use a salt. If you check you might be surprised to find that the only people that say these non-ion exchange systems work are the companies hawking them. If you believe in moon rings, magnetic bracelets and 100 mpg automotive add ons, by all means invest in an electric water softener. Lawrence Livermore labs and various governmental labs have tested these sytems and have found everyone of them worthless. Testimonials, give me a break– You’re not talking the taste of Kool-Aid, you’re talking an investment of possibly thousands of dollars if you buy one of the heavily marketed units. Check out these articles. If you still want to buy a no-salt system it’s your money. http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem03/chem03108.htm