water treatment magnets

[jmk]

 I have a water to water heat exchanger to heat my domestic hot water. The heater keeps on getting plugged up with minerals. I was reading on the magnet water treatment. I learned that the magnets have to be positioned N to S. with the flow of the water. I don't know how to figure out what is N and what is S. By reading Hugh's book I learned that N and S attract each other, and S to S, and N to N repel. My question is, how do you know what is S and what is N? Just because they attract each other doesnt tell me wich of the two is N?    

Somewhat off topic but here goes, anyway.
You found out how to determine polarity on the magnet which is why I left it in the first place.It is drifting off that topic into the unproven areas of magnet [bracelets fuel savings, etc] use so comments locked.

[Tritium]

Suspend the magnet from a string. The end that points north is the north pole of the magnet. (The earth's north pole is actually a magnetic south pole)

Thurmond

[DanB]

Yes - what tritium says there works quite well.

Another fun way (this probably works better the closer you are to one of the Earths poles - were in Colorado and it works well) is hold your palm out flat, facing up.  Put the magnet on your palm and toss it up into the air (maybe 12" or so) in such a way that you're trying not to let it flip over.  On this side of the equator - 9 times out of 10 the S pole will land facing up (so if the S pole was up origionally itll go up, and come back down without turning - if the N pole was up origionally itll flip over in the air and land S pole up).  Like I said   -  maybe 9 times out of 10 or so, so repeat the proceedure a few times.

[A6D9]

get a compas....easy way...

the north needle will be pulled towards the South on the magnet.

and vise versa....

[jmk]

 I would have never thought of doing that. Thanks for the great - cool ways to figure this out.

[BigBreaker]

Careful with that...  the "north" pointing needle in a compass is actually a magnetic south pole.  That is why it points to magnetic North.

Better to put the magnet under the compass so that it acts like the earth and use you intuition from there.

[DanB]

Actually no... the arrow on the compass is a magnetic North pole, and it points towards the 'geographic' North pole (which is a magnetic South pole) of Earth.

The 'North' pole of a magnet is defined as 'North Seeking' - meaning it seeks the geographic North pole of the Earth.

[BigBreaker]

Doh! I knew it was reversed but apparently I reversed it twice.  Thank you for the heads up.

[wooferhound]

Actually ,  the magnets should attract to each other with the pipe in between the magnets . . .

http://www.wondermagnet.com/magwatertreat.html

http://www.fieldlines.com/story/2007/2/6/105511/5462

[jmk]

 When I started I searched the board for magnet water treatment. All I came up with was three hits and none to do with water treatment. I have the hardest time using the search on the board. Usually I get no hits. I went straight to the Google site and a whole bunch popped up. The fist one I clicked on said the opposite of what you are showing with wonder magnet. They show the magnets pushing at each other with the North's first and the South's last so as the water flows it passes the North first. This is the site I was looking at   http://www.allmagnetics.com/device/water.htm I guess it can be done either way? I wonder why they come up with a flow direction?

[DanB]

Yes, there all all sorts of people who have faith in different ideas.  There's not much good science or good reasons behind any of it best I can tell.  It reminds me of 'magnetic therapy'.  There may be something to it all but I've never found any really good evidence.

[nothing to lose]

"It reminds me of 'magnetic therapy'.  There may be something to it all but I've never found any really good evidence."

Watch a couple of John Waynes last few movies, maybe "True Grit" and some others where he was getting older. You can sometimes catch a glimpse of a Magnetic bracelet he wore for arthritis or wrist problems of some type. Proof enough for me! If good enough for John Wayne it's good enough for me, and of course if he was here today I would not fight him over it

Really though I have heard that it did work to help him with artharitis I think it was or something similar.

I know the magnets on a feul line do work to improve mileage a bit, I do that myself.

The water stuff, who knows, I got Lowes bars ceramics on one water line here, but forgot about them and know idea if they did anything or not.

[jmk]

Oh Oh Oh its magic, never be leave its not so! Oh, Oh Oh its magic never beleave it switched in mid air