Water purification system with cycling sacrificial anode

A water treating apparatus comprising:

• a cathodic electrode providing a first planar exposed electrode face;
• an anodic electrode providing a second planar exposed electrode face, the second exposed electrode face presenting a portion proximate to the first exposed electrode face across a gap;
• a water conduit for introducing water to be treated into the gap;
• a cleaning strip movable along a strip axis within the gap to provide a mechanical abrasion between the cleaning strip and at least one of the first planar exposed electrode face and second planar exposed electrode face with movement of the cleaning strip along the strip axis;
• and
• cleaning strip support guides positioned to receive the cleaning strip flanking the first and second exposed electrode faces and to move the cleaning strip perpendicularly to the strip axis to provide cleaning over an area of the first and second exposed electrode faces in the gap.