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ScaleBlaster Water Conditioner SB-30 (Equivalent to the SB-Elite?) $50 off $209.99

$209.99
-1 Deal Score
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https://www.costco.com/ScaleBlast...85057.html

This is tricky to recommend broadly, but easy to recommend if you've been looking for a good deal on the SB-Elite model. I start off with tricky, because the stated model (SB-30) is not listed on the manufacturer's website, and the Costco product page is lacking on the product specifications. After much research and close inspection, the SB-30 listed and the SB-Elite appear to be exactly the same, with the name on the label being the only difference; dimensions and appearance are otherwise identical. This is definitely the larger residential model (home size up to 4000 SF), when compared to the cheaper / smaller SB-75. The nearly identical SB-Elite runs almost $400; the normal Costco price for this SB-30 is $260, so for $209.99 this is a no-brainer. Am I 100% sure there is no mechanical / performance difference between the SB-30 and SB-Elite? No. But all the research I've done points to this being a rebranding effort, and the price difference is enough for me to take the leap.

More info on the SB-Elite, for comparison purposes, is here:
https://www.scaleblaster.com/homeowner/

Another reason why this is tricky to recommend? I have no idea if it really works. Read the product page above for the sales pitch, but essentially it uses electrical currents to alter minerals in your water in such a way that it cuts down on mineral deposits in your pipes. I've held off buying this for years because my phony-baloney radar goes off, and reviews are quite mixed, but I've seen enough good reviews and testimonials with photos, and my home issue with this problem is relevant enough, to where I've been willing to try it for the right price. My suspicion is that it works, but the effectiveness varies a lot by individual home characteristics, like water supply mineral composition/concentration, pipes, proper installation, time in use, etc.

One other interesting note is that the company won't honor the warranty to their products if you buy it from Amazon or eBay, so I feel a little better that I'm getting it from Costco.
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jeffsnyder
08-29-2019 at 06:42 AM.
08-29-2019 at 06:42 AM.
"Works on Copper, PVC, CPVC & PEX pipe"

Well of course it does. Those pipes don't get any buildup on them. Galvanized is the crappy stuff that you have to worry about. If you have galvanized in your house it's time to do some upgrades anyway.
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pet1700
08-29-2019 at 07:51 AM.
08-29-2019 at 07:51 AM.
Quote from jeffsnyder :
"Works on Copper, PVC, CPVC & PEX pipe"

Well of course it does. Those pipes don't get any buildup on them. Galvanized is the crappy stuff that you have to worry about. If you have galvanized in your house it's time to do some upgrades anyway.

I think all you need is a few feet of copper or pvc, but the current should remove build up from galvinaized pipes in the rest of house
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StevenF7677
09-05-2019 at 05:04 PM.
09-05-2019 at 05:04 PM.
Quote from jeffsnyder :
"Works on Copper, PVC, CPVC & PEX pipe"

Well of course it does. Those pipes don't get any buildup on them. Galvanized is the crappy stuff that you have to worry about. If you have galvanized in your house it's time to do some upgrades anyway.
What are you talking about? I don't have galvanized, I have copper / polybutylene and there's mineral buildup in nearly every sink / water heater connection in the house. All of my source pipes are copper, so I'm hoping this helps everything 'downstream'. Would love to know why all the downvotes, the price for the product seems really good, but if more knowledgeable people have helpful advice, I'd like to hear it.
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jeffsnyder
09-06-2019 at 07:01 AM.
09-06-2019 at 07:01 AM.
Quote from StevenF7677 :
What are you talking about? I don't have galvanized, I have copper / polybutylene and there's mineral buildup in nearly every sink / water heater connection in the house. All of my source pipes are copper, so I'm hoping this helps everything 'downstream'. Would love to know why all the downvotes, the price for the product seems really good, but if more knowledgeable people have helpful advice, I'd like to hear it.
When copper is working correctly it just gets the green layer inside the pipe that protects the pipe from corroding further. PB shouldn't build up either, but maybe you have some serious water problems. I've read stories about water heaters being used past their life (anode rod gone) and the tank rusting to the point where flakes start to enter the rest of the water system and cause problems. If all your problems are on hot water connections then you really need to get that checked out.

Here's one discussion about ScaleBlaster it on Reddit. There's two self-proclaimed experts in the thread:
https://old.reddit.com/r/HomeImpr...ter_inlet/
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artnsx
01-30-2020 at 01:19 PM.
01-30-2020 at 01:19 PM.
Quote from StevenF7677 :
What are you talking about? I don't have galvanized, I have copper / polybutylene and there's mineral buildup in nearly every sink / water heater connection in the house. All of my source pipes are copper, so I'm hoping this helps everything 'downstream'. Would love to know why all the downvotes, the price for the product seems really good, but if more knowledgeable people have helpful advice, I'd like to hear it.
Hi, any update on your experience with this? The reddit thread above this post seems to discredit these devices entirely.

This deal is long dead the SB-30 is 290 at costco but thats still cheaper than the elite elsewhere. The weird part is there is no difference in the spec sheet between the elite/sb-30/sb-75 in this part where you might expect to see some difference:

OUTPUT VOLTAGE: No more than 5 Volts DC (open circuit). DESCALING METHOD: The control box supplies a square wave signal to a coil of wire that is wrapped externally around the incoming pipeline entering the home. The signal sweeps all the frequencies from 1,000 to 20,000 Hz at a rate of 20 times a second. This produces a modulating frequency waveform that hits the resonant frequency of the calcium molecules causing them to lose its adhesiveness. SIGNAL CABLE: A special 18 AWG stranded wire, 52 feet long (not available in hardware stores), is included with the unit.
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bumpinvolvo
01-30-2020 at 01:51 PM.
01-30-2020 at 01:51 PM.
Quote from jeffsnyder :
"Works on Copper, PVC, CPVC & PEX pipe"

Well of course it does. Those pipes don't get any buildup on them. Galvanized is the crappy stuff that you have to worry about. If you have galvanized in your house it's time to do some upgrades anyway.
You absolutely do get build up in copper pipes in hard water areas (it's the scale that this product puports to prevent). Does it actually prevent scale build up? Well, that's for someone who is interested in this product to do their own research.. They could start here: http://www.chem1.com/CQ/
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jeffsnyder
02-01-2020 at 08:59 AM.
02-01-2020 at 08:59 AM.
Quote from bumpinvolvo :
You absolutely do get build up in copper pipes in hard water areas (it's the scale that this product puports to prevent). Does it actually prevent scale build up? Well, that's for someone who is interested in this product to do their own research.. They could start here: http://www.chem1.com/CQ/
I don't know what link you want me to click on to learn about buildup on copper pipes.

The only "buildup" on copper pipes I know of is the thin copper oxide that forms after the copper is in operation for a while and that's normal.
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eternitylane
03-23-2020 at 08:45 PM.
03-23-2020 at 08:45 PM.
$239.99 delivered on Costco.com from 3/30/2020 - 4/27/2020.
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jeffsnyder
03-24-2020 at 06:40 AM.
03-24-2020 at 06:40 AM.
Quote from eternitylane :
$239.99 delivered on Costco.com from 3/30/2020 - 4/27/2020.
FYI: This thread is over 6 months old.
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razholio
10-16-2020 at 11:37 AM.
10-16-2020 at 11:37 AM.
Quote from jeffsnyder :
I don't know what link you want me to click on to learn about buildup on copper pipes.

The only "buildup" on copper pipes I know of is the thin copper oxide that forms after the copper is in operation for a while and that's normal.
you are confusing corrosion with hard water or scale build-up. corrosion is the oxidation of the metal (the green stuff with copper). hard water deposits (called scale) is the deposition of hard water salts onto everything and anything that comes into contact with that water. This adversely impacts the operation and lifespan of water-based household appliances from water heaters to water dispensers.
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Slowrider5
10-24-2020 at 01:54 PM.
10-24-2020 at 01:54 PM.
For anyone else who finds this, since a Google search on this topic brings up this post which is about the only result for this topic on the Internet, these units are not the same. If you dig into the manual for each one you can see the SB-elite is rated for higher hardness and 5000sq ft home vs 4000. I also weighed both of them and the Elite weighs 2 ounces more. Home Depot occasionally has Elite 50% off which is a better deal than the Costco sales.
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