Soft Scale - EcoWater CHC Series Service And Troubleshooting Manual

5.10.2 Soft Scale

Soft Scale formation and or accumulation is an indication of filtration system inadequacies.
Two primary types of this scale include reformed granular and sandy sludge. Reformed
granular scale becomes compacted and hard as it accumulates, while sandy sludge scale remains
mud like as long as it remains wet. Things to verify are as follows:
1. Inadequate sweeping of the tower or basin floor. Check for placement on nozzles to verify
that debris is being swept towards the filtration suction and not the system suction. If debris
passes into the system suction, it can be ingested by their pumps, ground up and then
deposited into the fill or other areas creating reformed granular scale. If the scale is not
ingested by the system pump and remains in the basin, it can form the sandy sludge that
remains until removed. If the sweeping system is to strong so that it stirs instead of
sweeping the debris towards the suction manifold, this action can also make the debris pass
up the suction manifold and enter the system pump.
2. Placement and or design of the suction manifold. Check the placement of the suction
manifold, it should be located between the normal water flow within the sump or tower and
the system suction. If debris passes into the system suction, it can be ingested by their
pumps, ground up and then deposited into the fill or other areas creating reformed granular
scale. If the suction manifold does not create an adequate flow velocity, debris will not be
removed from the basin floor, so verification of the design of the suction manifold is
required.
3. Frequent Cycling of towers. If the towers are cycled on and off frequently, water will
remain in the fill and as evaporation occurs, its solids will deposit in the fill. It is important
that if the system is cycled frequently, that the fans be left on for a period of a few minutes
to draw any remaining water from the fill there by decreasing any possible formation of this
type of scale.
4. Restricted suction piping. If the suction piping has become clogged with debris, its ability
to pass water to the pump is diminished. Cleaning or replacement of the clogged pipe will
be required.
5. Inappropriate DP of Separator. Separators require a minimal 3 psi pressure drop across the
incoming and outgoing lines. If there is not enough pressure drop across the separator, this
indicates that the wrong separator has been installed, or that the flow has been compromised
within the system. A weak pressure drop is an indication that the water is not spinning
within the separator fast enough to ensure separation of heavy particles from the water.
6. Bags or cartridges not being replaced or cleaned as needed. Many systems are designed
with the use of bag or cartridge type filter systems. If they become full of debris and not
replaced as needed the debris will not be removed from the system as needed and will
remain in the water possibly causing scale to form.
7. Bag filter Bypass Failure. As in line bag filters become full they are designed to increase
the pressure in the system causing a pressure sensor to open a bypass valve and allow the
water to bypass the full bag. If the bypass system does not open, the flow of filtered water
back to the tower or sump will be compromised and possibly causing scale to form.
8. Low pressure within filtration system. Low pressure within the filtration system can be
caused by clogging of the basket strainer, clogs or restrictions in the piping, pump failure or
valve positioning problems. Low pressure normally means that filtration will not be
appropriate and that the unit will not remove enough debris from the system to stop scale
formation.
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