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Are water softeners worth it?

44 replies

sluj · 17/10/2020 16:11

We live in an extremely hard water area and the constant furring and limescale is getting me down. Would you recommend one? Any tips?
Thank you

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eleventylevennamechanges · 18/10/2020 10:31

I love mine. I have had it over 20 years and it uses salt blocks.
The kitchen tap bypasses it, and we have an under sink filter for that.
Our builder recommended we get one because our victorian plumbing has some rather narrow pipes and we live in a very hard water area.

MJMG2015 · 18/10/2020 10:44

@sluj

I did a lot of research before buying mine. I learnt a lot about how they function & what various types do etc. I chose the one I wanted then promptly forgot all the details!

I chose the Harvey Water Softner. It was expensive (around £1600 I think) but you can pay it off over a period if you want to.

It takes the blocks - which I wanted as they're easy to pop in and they stack well. I buy them from Harvey's, but you can buy cheaper ones online. It's not a huge cost anyway.

The agent who came out to make sure they could fit one in the space was lovely & the guy who installed it was great.

They give you the option of installing a drinking water tap - recommended for baby bottles or with certain medication which I had installed. I never use it, but it's unobtrusive. (You can also buy a more expensive tap which has a lever for this water)

I had a bit of a leak after the first year & they sent someone out the next day and he didn't faff about replacing the washer etc, he replaced the whole bit and explained they refurb them properly in the factory. It didn't cost me anything & they were lovely to deal with.

I pay for the annual warranty or whatever they call it (£75) 'just in case' do I don't see it being necessary to replace it for years, but if it was necessary for some reason or if we rented this place out & lived elsewhere I wouldn't hesitate to buy another one

Limescale free is SO worth it!!

I try not to let it run out of salt, but on the odd occasion it does I see the limescale on the drainer board & it reminds me how much I love my little harvey!!!

Also, once it's installed it cleans off/out all the existing limescale - it's FAB.

LOL I think maybe I should see if they're looking for any reps! 🤣

MJMG2015 · 18/10/2020 10:47

@Jeremyironseverything

Our proper taps in the kitchen run soft water. We have a new thin trap installed for the hard drinking water. Looks a bit like a hot water tap but don't know if they can be combined. Would look a bit strange to have two extra traps.

Yes, it can be combined if you buy the right tap.

I thought the two Tap's might look a bit odd, but I was going to be replacing the kitchen anyway, so wasn't bothered about having a hole put in the sink unit. It's such a slim tap, I soon stopped noticing it after a day or two.

MJMG2015 · 18/10/2020 10:53

@Butterfly44

Re having one tap that remains hard water for drinking - so you wouldn't use softened water for kettle or coffee machine.
Essentially the softened water would be for shower and washing machine then.

As I said, i have the very slim 'filtered water tap' installed but I never use it, not fir filling the kettle/coffee machine or anything. I didn't want the main kitchen tap bypassed as a HUGE part of the appeal is not having limescale in the kitchen!!

Dilbertian · 18/10/2020 11:42

I don't have any problems with limescale in the kitchen, despite bypassing the cold tap, because I always do my final wipe down with water from the hot tap. I wouldn't be washing up or cleaning with cold water in any case.

Although I cook with the non-softened water, and drink it, I usually fill the kettle with softened water. (Obviously I wouldn't do that if I was making a cup of tea for my dad, say, because he has high blood pressure.) I don't find it affects the taste of the water, but it's sooo much nicer to drink tea without gritty limescale in the last mouthfuls. Before I did this I used to have to descale the kettle twice a week.

JamieLeeCurtains · 18/10/2020 11:47

Thank you for this thread - it's very useful.

thenightsky · 18/10/2020 11:51

We fitted one and wish we'd done it years ago. We had a tiny tap in the corner of the utility room sink that is unsoftened as I hate the taste of tea made with soft water. When I water the garden, I just move the lever under the sink to bypass the softener. Don't want to be paying for salt if I don't need to. Remember to push the lever back though!

TobyHouseMan · 19/10/2020 09:51

We bought this one:- www.amazon.co.uk/Water2Buy-W2B800-Softener-efficient-people/dp/B007ZC37II?ref_=ast_sto_dp&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

Very good, simple to use and does up to a 10 person house.

The technology in these things is extreamly simple and there is no need to spend thousands on one. Just get it plumbed in correctly.

FrownsAndDimples · 19/10/2020 10:22

We also have a water2buy although not from Amazon. We bought direct because they offered a covid NHS discount that husband was entitled to. So far so good but only been in a few months.

Misty9 · 19/10/2020 15:43

I'm thinking of getting a softener as I'm in a very hard water area. Is it easy enough to install in an existing kitchen? I'm renovating and my kitchen isn't in yet, but I can't face any more decisions right now so can I do it at a later date easily enough?

HopeClearwater · 19/10/2020 15:46

Can softeners be used with a combi boiler system?

PigletJohn · 19/10/2020 16:12

Some plumbers say no. They have probably not read the BSI test report

www.ukwta.org/assets/NewFolder/BSi-Corrosion-Report-12.12.12.pdf

Dilbertian · 19/10/2020 18:49

@Misty9

I'm thinking of getting a softener as I'm in a very hard water area. Is it easy enough to install in an existing kitchen? I'm renovating and my kitchen isn't in yet, but I can't face any more decisions right now so can I do it at a later date easily enough?

Yes. Ours was easily retrofitted under the existing kitchen sink. You t want to bear it in mind when fitting out your kitchen, so that the space is there. We had to install the water softener sideways, as the plumbing to the dishwasher was in the way. It's not a problem at all, just an inefficient use of space.

Dilbertian · 19/10/2020 18:50

You might want to bear it in mind...

Thimbleberries · 19/10/2020 18:59

Has anyone tried to get one fitted in a flat? I don't know how my water supply comes into the flat. I'd want the water for the bathroom softened, and then in the kitchen for the dishwasher and washing machine. But our water supply also goes to the heating somehow, with some kind of heat exchange unit, so not sure if I'd need it for that too, or if it's possible to bypass it, or if it's possible at all. Or if the housing association would give permission! It's a new build (5 years old) but quite a hard water area

PigletJohn · 19/10/2020 19:07

when full of salt and water, a softener is rather heavy. It is common to have it standing on the kitchen floor, rather than the bottom of a kitchen unit (this also gives you another 150mm or so of height). Rather as you might with a dishwasher. You can still have a hinged door in front of it. Or you can put it in a tall cabinet, but standing on the floor, meaning it can be taller. A taller one has greater capacity so needs less frequent regeneration and salt.

You can also put it in a corner of the kitchen, close to the waterpipes, provided that you have access to it for filling with salt or maintenance, and you can easily reach the stopcocks.

PigletJohn · 19/10/2020 19:09

oh, and if you have a combi or an unvented cylinder, get the large-bore connection pipes and valves. They are usually an option when you buy, it is more expensive to buy them afterwards.

This is to give a better flow of water than the small pipes can allow.

HopeClearwater · 19/10/2020 22:00

@PigletJohn Many thanks, that’s very useful to know re the combi boilers.

I will now start on the report

sluj · 21/10/2020 11:15

There are some really useful views and information on here. Thank you

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