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Two ways to maximize humidifier performance:
• Treat humidifier supply water to prevent scale buildup and maintain like-new performance
• Or Use DriSteem® Humidifier De-scaling Solution to restore like-new performance
Nonpressurized steam generators can operate at their efficient best several years after commissioning, and without long shutdowns or major component replacements. This is accomplished by either preventing or removing scale.
Hard-water scale is an insulator. Over time, scale that forms on submerged heating elements and heat exchangers slows heat transfer and wastes energy. Scale in humidifiers using untreated water can also clog drain valves, which increases downtime.
Prevent scale with treated supply water
The easiest maintenance program is little or no required maintenance. That's precisely why many building owners and facility managers insist on treated supply water for their humidifiers. See the difference treated water makes in the photos below:
Untreated supply water causes scale buildup. The photo above shows DriSteem Vapormist® humidifier Model VM-21 heaters and tank after 90 days of intermittent runtime at 50% demand.

Demineralized supply water promotes like-new performance. The photo above shows DriSteem Vapormist humidifier Model VM-2 heaters and tank after 200 days of non-stop runtime at 100% demand - using demineralized supply water.
Softened water significantly reduces scale buildup inside of humidifier tanks. Reverse-osmosis-treated and deionized water are demineralized to the point that they eliminate scale formation.
Remove scale quickly and easily with de-scaling solution
A service technician on a scheduled call to one of Ontario's largest airports encountered ten DriSteem GTS®-200 and GTS-300 steam-generating humidifiers that had been running for several years.
The scale buildup in the tanks and on the heat exchangers was evidence that the supply water was untreated. See the technician's before and after photos below.

Scraping away the scale by hand would take many expensive maintenance hours to accomplish, and any scale unreachable by tools would have to remain.
Instead, the technician accomplished the job by using DriSteem Humidifier De-scaling Solution, which he had learned about at a service training seminar hosted by HTS, DriSteem's Representative firm in Ottawa.
After draining and flushing the humidifiers, the technician was so impressed by their like-new appearance that he took another picture. See the after picture at left. And after returning the humidifiers to service, his customer was so pleased by their like-new performance that he treated the technician to dinner!
Humidifier De-scaling Solution can do the job in less than half the time, compared to scraping, and cleans tanks, heating elements, and heat exchangers without risk of corroding tanks or welds. Plus, it cleans surfaces unreachable by scraping and can be safely neutralized and drained.
Resources
For more information on DriSteem’s Humidifier De-scaling Solution, go to:
Humidifier De-scaling Solution
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