Heat exchangers

I'd say Yep.
The shower water goes thru copper tube, which resists corrosion.

You can, but, the poorer the quality of the water the shorter the life of the heat exchanger. Corrosion isn't usually the issue, more commonly there will be a buildup of something on the inside of the heat exchanger. that something will depend on what is causing the hardness, usually calcium or iron or something.
the speed by which it will build up will depend on the hardness of the water.
I have heard of people around Mt Gambier using hard water in electric hot water cylinders having to replace elements more often than yearly.

just something to bear in mind
NickR

You can if you want to severly reduce their life, personally I wouldn't, why do you think in the days of steam that at all the watering stops along the old ghan line they had big water softeners. When I was living in the Pilbara where the town was on bore water the life expectancy of a hot water service was around 12 months. Calcium and other minerals will be deposited on the inside of the pipes until they are eventually totally blocked. If you have to, as long as you can afford to treat the heat-exchanger as a disposable component then you could.

Cheers

Snowy

I have had a Glind system for 6 years now that has seen 2 vehicles. I have also used it with bore water and periodically clean it once every 1-2 years. I use a method told to me by someone that is quite effective (on my website as well).

Michael's Shower Tip.

Over time, the copper in the heat Exchange will tarnish and become covered in a layer of deposits. For the best heat transfer, the copper tubing needs to be as clean as possible. The water in the fresh water side is evaporated out from near boiling water from the engines cooling system passing through the heat exchanger, leaving the inside of the tube exposed to the atmosphere for the 99% of time when it is not in use. If you have your heat exchanger removed for any reason, you can circulate Citric Acid through the engine side as well as the freshwater side to remove any build up (it is important to have both sides clean). A solution of 100 grams of Citric Acid per litre of warm water circulated for an hour or two will remove any build-up and leave bright copper for maximum thermal absorption. Citric acid is very passive and will not attack copper, soft solder or silver solder and in the case of Glind and Piranha, will not attack the Glassfilled Nylon 66. There are many other acids that will clean at a much quicker rate but most are aggressive and not recommended. Citric Acid is a natural, mild acid obtained from citrus fruits and is used in many foods and drinks and can be purchased from Supermarkets in 75 gram containers for around $1.60 each.

Regards
David

As all have said above, It will reduce the life of the unit with buildup of deposits. From what a graduate metalurgist was telling me the other day, calcium is a shocker, something about it has a lot of +ve ions in it (??, I didn't do chem), so it adheres to thi inside of pipes etc very well, helping iron etc do the same.

Our solar HWS got blocked a while back. It is the type that the water is in the actual panels. aparently the type that has coolant in the panels and a heat exchanger in the storage tank are better in hard water area's, but then, aparently, you are mooving the problem into the tank around the heat exchanger. The deposits (in my area) are very hard to remove. Where the hot water comes from the panel to the storage tank in my case there is about a 20+mm opening, which was reduced to about 5mm. A hammer and screwdriver was required to enlarge the hole.

IMO, periodical use of hard water would be OK. Any chemistry experts out there may be of help here.......If hard water lays the deposits with dissolved minerals, a period of pure soft water would possibly dissolve the deposits????

Sorry, more questions than answers here!

Cheers Andrew

Now that Piranha have bought McPauls (I'm pretty sure that's the arrangement) and are offering a "lifetime warranty" on the heat exchanger in the Power Shower, does anyone know if it's conditional on water type or anything else?

Dave