Water ionizers could potentially scale up inside if you have hard water. This is why AlkaViva sends you a hard water test strip with your water ionizer. The problem with test strips, though, is that they aren't always accurate. If you have well water or your test strip tells you your water is harder or softer than your municipal water quality report says or that you think it really is, I recommend getting the Hach reagent Hard Water test. 

The Hach test will tell you the grains per gallon of your hardness. This translates to parts per million by multiplying the number of grains by 17.1. In the chart, above, I've done the calculations for you. 

Keep in mind your water hardness, like everything else, changes from day to day or month to month, so it's best to test your water periodically just to get a feel of your water hardness trend.

Here is a simple video demo of using the Hach test to test my water hardness in St. Louis.

How to Fix Your Water Hardness So It's as Perfect as It Can Get for a Water Ionizer

I have other pages and posts about this, and I encourage you to visit the links at the end of this post. But in a nutshell, here's what to do to prevent scaling based on the hardness of your water.

Remineralizer & EOS Elimination of Scale Device

Use a Remineralizer & EOS Elimination of Scale Device if your water is soft and you need to add minerals to make it possible to ionize it.

EOS Elimination of Scale Device

Use an EOS Elimination of Scale Device for up to 10 grains per gallon of hardness on average.

Ultra Spartan Ionizer Shield

Use the Ultra Spartan Ionizer Shield filter if your water ranges from 10 to 23 gpg or 180 - 400 parts per million of hardness.

Reverse Osmosis System Complete With Remineralizer

Use a Reverse Osmosis System Complete With Remineralizer if the hardness is over 400 ppm.

Further Suggested Reading

• How to Get Great Performance & Protection for Your Water Ionizer Even When You Have Hard Water
• Water Filtration Basics