[HesterF]

We're still at the planning stage for lots of building work/new holiday cottage/new boiler and heating system/being broke forever and ever. Having had a flyer through the door, I wondered whether a water softener should be another thing to add to the list? We're in a hard water area, living at the foot of chalk downs so the shower head certainly gets bunged up regularly and I imagine there's all sorts going on inside the other pipes.

Have any of you got one? Does it make a big difference? Or will most appliances fail within the time taken for hard water to affect them anyway? If we do get one, does it make sense to just have it plumbed in on the in-feed to the boiler since it'll be mostly hot water that's affected? Then we can still get nice crisp cold water? Or should it cover both hot and cold with just a separate supply for drinking water (which I think we have already although I have no idea how it works - just a 'pure' tap in the kitchen). And how much is it likely to cost?

H

[Bionic]

Hester, I don't have one now as we have moved to a property with its own water supply but I came from an area with a very hard water supply. We had a water softener there, it wasn't cheap, although I can't remember how much it cost.
You have to keep them topped up with salt. We used the ones that take salt blocks and had the blocks delivered.
The softener definitely makes a difference although it doesn't get red of the lime scale completely. I didn't go to the bother of having a drinking tap in the kitchen so we drank the softened water. To be honest I couldn't tell the difference. I wouldn't have done this if I had children though.
We did have a tap in the utility room that bypassed the softener and I filled up the animals drinking water from that.
I don't know what the inside of my washing machine looks like but I have had it for 14 years, through water softeners at 2 properties and now using our own soft water and have never had a problem with it.

[henchard]

If you have hard water (we did at our last house) it is a good idea. They work on the principal of an ion exchange resin that has to be regenerated by back flushing with salty water. The calcium ion in the water is replaced by sodium from the salt. The salt (granules in our case) needs to be topped up  every few weeks (no big deal).


They are usually fitted on the incoming mains supply after the stop tap with a bypass to take an untreated supply for drinking water (and perhaps outside tap) as softeners work by replacing the hardness minerals with sodium.


You're looking at around £400 - £800 for the unit.


http://www.screwfix.com/c/heating-plumbing/water-softener-systems/cat5830020


They do make quite a difference and you will need a lot less soap and detergent etc in washing as well as no scale on taps and showers. I wouldn't have been with ours. Which operated for the 20 years we were in the house without any maintenance other than topping up the salt.

[colliewobbles]

Hi - we live in East Anglia with some of the hardest water in the UK.  When we moved to our current house we found that electric showers only lasted 6 months due to firring up.  Before we could have a heating system installed we had to get a water softener to preserve all the new installation, including the new shower we wanted.

We rent one from Kind Water although I think these might be based in East Anglia so don't know if they go further afield.  It is certainly the best thing we have done - whilst the rental and salt does have a cost the hugely increased lifespan of all our appliances covers that I'm sure. 

Donna

www.kindwater.co.uk

[HesterF]

If it's a calcium/sodium exchange, does that mean you end up with a lot of sodium instead? Which is why you need the pure input too for cooking and drinking? I'm a bit scared of sodium!

H

[henchard]

If it's a calcium/sodium exchange, does that mean you end up with a lot of sodium instead? Which is why you need the pure input too for cooking and drinking? I'm a bit scared of sodium!

The Sodium ions replace the calcium ions see


http://www.ukwta.org/technology-areas/water-softening/


which is why a separate drinking supply is recommended. Whilst not required by regulation, except in exceptionally hard water areas (above 400mgl), it is recommended by the UK Dept of Health (see links in the page I linked to above).

[chrismahon]

I've seen a lot of installations for water softeners. They are expensive to buy and run but have real benefits for anything with a heating element. important that the drinking water is kept untreated as high Sodium levels in the softened water are a health risk -just the same as eating too much table salt. Also you should consider keeping hosepipe supplies untreated and perhaps toilet flushing separate as well. So basically the house will need an amount of re-plumbing to minimise the softener running costs.

[RobRob]

A cheaper option is a salamander session electrolytic scale inhibitor
Cheap to buy, easy to fit, does a good job. It just needs a few meters of pipe to work.

[henchard]

A cheaper option is a salamander session electrolytic scale inhibitor
Cheap to buy, easy to fit, does a good job. It just needs a few meters of pipe to work.

Pseudoscience,

http://www.chem1.com/CQ/aquacrack.html

I would VERY much like to see the scientific explanation as to how passing a current or a magnetic field etc. through water changes the chemical and physical properties of the Ca & Mg carbonates so that they do not precipitate out at 63C.

[RobRob]

Maybe so, it doesn't cost much though.
I'd do it in my house but the pipe run is only 60cm to the utilities.
Cheaper than a brita water filter and no refills,