water softener

[mimififi]

Hi there,

I live in a house with exceptionally hard water and of course it's playing havoc with my appliances and the bathtub etc.

We would like to install a water softener for the whole house's water and want to know how to go about doing this. Any thing to look out for, any pit falls or foibles?

If you have done one before, which would you recommend, who are a good supplier, how difficult is it and roughly how expensive?

cheers m'dears.
mimi

[sense4all]

http://www.kinetico.co.uk/blocksoft.htm

We have the slightly older version of this. Compared to other peoples older bigger softners this is brilliant. The salt blocks easy and compact to store.The initial set up cost can appear quite expensive but remember that you are saving machinery wear and tear costs, do not need to use half as many horrid chemicals to achieve a basic level of clean, and you will save on beauty products and detergents as you need less( I put one tablet in my machine per wash) Remember to leave a designated hard tap for the garden.

[scotstone]

I installed a water softener softener several years ago and have been delighted with the results. It really does make a difference to the quality of the water and you will be pleased with the results. However regulations stipulate that an unsoftened supply for drinking, cooking etc must be provided which means either a tri-flow tap (expensive) or a separate tap fitted to your sinktop.

I bought a Tapworks unit see here who manufacture different types and sizes. I recommend you get an automatic type which regenerates, during the night, when required.

Unless you have some plumbing skills I don' t recommend DIY: a plumber would take 3-4 hours to install. A typical water softener costs about �500-600 to which you can add fitting costs. The salt usage for regeneration depends on the hardness of the water (you get a simple testing kit) and water usage but I live in a very hard water area and use about 25kgs (�9) every 5-6 weeks.

[andrewlee]

Has anyone used one of the kits that put a small elecric charge through the incoming main? I think that it claims to alter the ions, and soften the water as a consequence

[Clanad]

As with the hard water here in the western U.S., mimi, first thing to do is to have your water tested. Kits can be obtained to do this yourself, but most companies seeking to sell you a water softener will do the job. It provides you with the numbers of grains of hardness per million and is the key to knowing the size of system you need and how much softing is actually required. Secondly, if you do decide to do this, check out the use of potassium based softener chemical versus salt. It does not add the additional ions of salt to the water, and we've found it eliminates some pinkish residue that can accumulate in toilets, sinks and showers if you happen to have high iron content. By the way, high iron content cannot be helped with only a water softener. Usually, a reverse osmosis device is used for that problem and is an extra "add-on" with the softener...
Best of Luck!

[buildersmate]

I think both Kinetico and Tapworks products suggested above are fine and would recommend them. Personally I fitted a Culligan product to my own house - available from plumbers merchants like Grahams. Whatever you choose, I would suggest not buying from an organisation that wants to provide a 'solution' - I would choose your softener then find a plumber to quote for supply and fit of the product. The larger B+Qs and Wickes both sell softeners. Agree it takes about 4 hours to install so half a day - �100 to �150 of labour +VAT, depending where you live.

3 other bits to add to the above - scotstone you are being ripping off at �9 for a 25kg bag - should be no more than �6 for the salt. Secondly, Clanad - its clear the US are well ahead of the game on sodium ions - when researching this strange story someone told me about pink residues it is clear the US knows about this but there is virtually no knowledge about it in the UK - 12 months into using my Culligan and no pink yet. Sodium ions are known to be harmful in quantity but manufacturers just suggest not drinking the water. Thirdly, there are 2 types of automatic regenerator - ones that work by measuring the amount of water used, and ones that work purely by time passed. The former type are more expensive, the latter are cheaper and fine if you use roughly the same volume of water per week - less good if family members like students turn up for a month at a time.

[scotstone]

Buildersmate I would be interested to know where I can get Aquasol salt tablets for �6 as �9 seems typical see here

[sense4all]

I am not knocking anyones' choice just sharing my experience - for a long time we bought salt from a small local company ( independent) who supplied and installed softner, and they were bought by Culligan who stopped stocking Harveys Block Salt instead they sub-ed their own make in. It makes commercial sense to do so, but they kept the price the same and provided less product so now we buy them off the net. It makes a big difference.

[sense4all]

I have a tri-flow tap for drinking water, mine is franke and when I had a problem ,they sent bits quickly, free of charge, and guarantee the bits to be around for ten years. My friend is using one from B and Q, under 150 quid and she is happy with it.

[buildersmate]

scotstone, the answer is I'm not using Aquasol. The fresh bag in the garage says Supreme on the outside, made by the (little-known) Supreme Salt company of Stoke-on-Trent. No website address. Came from Makro I think. Provided one buys salt for softeners (and not path de-icing) I suspect it doen't matter where it comes from?

[cazz218]

Poor you - the water where i live is so soft its untrue.

[Nijela]

Set up the component to your desired area where you like to install the system.
Turn off the main water from your house and remove water from the pipe by exposing the lowest spot of the house and permit the water run.
Cut the pipe on the cold water to supply before reaching the prefilter housing. Carefully attach the pipe with the cutter onto the pipes and rotate around the pipe to make the cut.
Shut off the valve to install carbon prefilter, connect it with compression fittings.
Connect the shut-off valve with the pipe or gluing with the PVC, or by soldering with the copper.
Install the second shut-off valve next then the pre-filter, expand the pipe to the distribution head of the filter system. Add the compression filter.
Add the down flow outlet with the system of the cold water supply pipe and for this water will flow through the system and will back by the house.
Close both valves that work for shut off and open the main valve to supply water to the house.
Open the shut-off valve carefully and notice if there are any leaks. If you see no leak, then start the system.
Carefully remove the shut-off valve at a stretch and notice the leaks. If you do not get any open the valve and start the system.
Here the details steps- http://www.ewaterpurifier.com/how-to-install-a-water-softener/