Water Hardness Effects on WAZER
The WAZER functions due to consistently high-pressure water, which needs to be relatively clean for operation and longevity of your WAZER. Here are some of the finer points with regards to water hardness and how it affects different aspects of the WAZER:
High amounts of dissolved minerals (typically referred to as "water hardness") in your water will do a lot of damage to your WAZER high pressure system components. In the short term, harder water can be used through your pump. However, over time the performance of your pump will decrease and life of your high pressure parts will be affected. The main issue is that there will be scaly build-up throughout the plumbing including many small passages. Small amounts of build-up will not cause irreparable damage. However, if the system is not descaled, permanent damage could occur. It is your responsibility as a machine owner to ensure you provide the pump with sufficiently clean water to the machine so as to not expedite the wear on its internal components.
The easiest way to quantify what is or isn't acceptable, is to use TDS (total dissolved solids) as a unit of measure. A water TDS of <180 mg/L should not cause issues with your WAZER, which is not an issue for most water supplies in North America. If you have any concerns about the water hardness in your area, we suggest you get tested to find out if it is in fact a problem. The quickest way to assure the safety of your machine is to send a sample of your water to an accredited water quality lab and ask for a basic TDS test. If you get tested and you are above 180 mg/L, please implement a Reverse Osmosis (RO) system to lower your TDS. RO system will suffice, De-ionization is not necessary. Be sure that the RO system can provide at least 1.0 gpm of flow (most budget systems will not). An additional feeder pump to the WAZER pump box may be required to ensure sufficient pressure getting to the pump.
In most cases the additional time and money related to additional fixes and refurbishment will far outweigh the cost of implementing preventative measures of fixing the problem. Additionally, even though your water supply may seem consistent, it is a good idea to periodically test it as it is likely that it changes over time.