Since lime-scale is an endemic problem through large parts of the British Isles it is hardly surprising that anti-scale products crowd the market place. What is unusual, is for a manufacturer to absolutely guarantee the efficiency of its system but Cistermiser, the makers of the Combimate scale reducer, do just that. If their product is installed at the same time as a new boiler and the Siliphos replaced annually, then they guarantee the boiler will not suffer lime-scale. If it does, Cistermiser will descale the boiler free of charge. Cistermiser claim that, although Combimate has been on the market for over 15 years, only one complaint has ever been received and even then the scale problem was proved to result from incorrect installation.

The efficient, reliable and WRAS Approved Combimate is simple in concept, easy to install and very low on maintenance. It consists of a plastic box incorporating a clear plastic globe filled with small Siliphos spheres. The unit measures only 165 x 151mm by 161mm deep and is plumbed into the cold water supply pipe after the stop valve.

Water regulations require a single check valve to be installed to prevent contamination of the water supply where a product has been added. This is normally left to the installer, however, Cistermiser have now integrated a single check valve in the Combimate, saving the need for the installer to provide this valve.

The Siliphos spheres, of 100% food grade material and approved by the World Health organisation, gradually release the polyphosphate compound that protects the whole system, pipes and appliances, from limescale deposits. Apart from replacing the Siliphos spheres once a year, no other maintenance is required.

If Combimate is required to protect only one appliance, normally the boiler, then it is plumbed into the cold water supply immediately before the heat exchanger and a supplied divider is inserted into the unit to reduce the amount of Siliphos required by half. To make the installer’s task as simple as possible, the unit can be fitted to vertical or horizontal pipe-work and it allows top or bottom entry. The single check valve can be re-positioned to the preferred installation configuration but must remain on the inlet. Needless to say the treated water in a Combimate system is completely safe for drinking.

The Cistermiser Guarantee may seem over-generous at first glance but the company is not that philanthropic. They have used the Combimate system in their works and office buildings since its inception and the man who used to de-scale the Cistermiser boilers has been short of a job ever since.