Domestic Water Softeners

LordOxygen

Wondering if anyone has experience, good or bad, of under the kitchen sink water softener systems?
We're thinking about getting one installed this year as we have very hard water. There seems to be a shed load of companies offering the "best" system. Are they all they're cracked up to be and worth the money? Any hints and tips when deciding on which to buy?

BigMonka

My parents got one installed about 6months ago and totally rave about it. For the last 20years there have been hard water streaks down the bath, basin, toilet etc, but since getting the softener all the marks have disappeared. Amazing really. The kitchen sink has got a two way tap too so that you can have softened or just purified water (in case you don't like the tast of the soften water).

They got a Harvey's one https://www.harveywatersofteners.co.uk/water-softeners/ and said both the sales people and the installers were great. Apparently it's a British company started by a normal plumber who wasn't impressed with ththe other softening systems on the market. I don't think that the price was particularly negotiable but they got a year's worth of free salt blocks which is actually looking more like it'll be closer to 3 years worth as there's only two of them living there.

thumpingrug

There was one already installed in the house we moved into in March last year.  It was ok for a while and made a big difference to the feel of the water when showering, but it went wrong after a few months and caused all sorts of problems.  The filter material is tiny, i.e. sand grain sized, beads that capture the minerals and are recharged when back flushed with the salt.  The filter material is contained in a bag.  In ours the bag split sending these beads all through the pipe work.  Thankfully we were covered for plumbing repairs as a couple of valves had to be replaced and the dishwasher had to be dismantled to clear out the crap that had gathered.  So great while it worked but a pain in the ass when it went wrong.

milamber

Wouldn't be without ours. We live in Norfolk which has some of the hardest water in the UK. We bought a brand new house a couple of years back and even after just a few days we had streaks everywhere and limescale building up. Within days of the softener going in the streaks had all gone and we haven't had any problems since.

We went for a reputable company and a more expensive softener with a 5 year labour warranty, plus 10 years parts. It's quite expensive initially, about £1500 I think, and costs around £120 a year in salt for a house with 3-4 people, but bear in mind that, in addition to all the time saved cleaning and money spent on cleaning materials you will save an awful lot of money elsewhere over time.

We use far less detergent, washing powder, soap, shampoo, shower gel etc as the the water is so soft you need very little. We no longer need the Calgon tablets for the washing machine/dishwasher. We don't need to replace the kettle every 6 months or the appliances every few years. The tea/coffee we make doesn't have scum on the top. Also long term, the money saved on plumbing issues is going to be substantial. Our previous house in Norfolk didn't have one and we were having all manner of problems with the plumbing by the time we left - totally furred up with limescale, shower heads blocked and taps/shower controls hard to turn as so corroded.

I'm sure that over 10 years we will have broken even as a minimum and might even be ahead. We have had a couple of issues with the softener, but the company we used have responded promptly and fixed it without charge.

I can certainly let you know who we used by pm if you want the details. Not sure if they are national or not, but definitely did work in London.

grungebob

I work  in the water industry on large scale industrial sites across Europe

domestic softeners are mostly all the same.  There are two types one is non regenerative ion exchange and the second is regenerated by a backwash of an alkaline solution.  The only real difference is the quality of the fittings, both will function exactly the same, both will have the same maximum throughput dependent on your incoming mains water quality.

 Once that throughput is met the non regen system will need its resin replacing and the regen system will need to be regenerated.  Without monitoring flow rates or effluent analysis its impossible to tell when the  regen will be required , im guessing these companies just assume max flow rate/day and factor in a safety net of +50% for the regen systems to trigger a regen .whereas if you got the correct non regen system you can ask for colour change resin and visually see when you require fresh resin. Typically colour change resin goes from a blackish brown to bright red on exhaustion  or Orange to bright red dependant on the grade of resin .

I havent priced up the systems so I dont know how much price difference there is between the two but I do know colour change resin should not be  more than £5/ltr to the domestic market.

LordOxygen

Thanks for the info guys.
I got a budget price over the phone yesterday from a local company, all in with a filter on the kitchen tap is about £1500 fully fitted. Quite spendy but it does seem overall worthwhile in the long term. Not having to clean the white marks off the shower screen and fittings would be a real luxury. 

milamber

I'd just say that we opted for the filter and drinking water tap. Never ever used it and now disconnected. Seemed a good idea at the time, but an absolute waste of money. Whole family prefers to drink the softened water. Cat used it after working out how to turn it on

grungebob

If your doing for whole house benefit do make sure it is fitted to the main incomer and not a branch, make sure they spec it to your water usage and not off the shelf. Otherwise you'll be wasting your money.