water softener
Discussion
Had a saleswoman give us a demo at home last night.. water in new house is very hard (Oxfordshire isnt great.. chalk based erc). We're pretty much sold on the idea.. apart from the price of her kit which came in at around £1100, installed. Very nice kit but cant afford that .
Anyone recommend a decent system, that takes salt blocks like hers, that's cheaper ?
Ed
Anyone recommend a decent system, that takes salt blocks like hers, that's cheaper ?
Ed
With water softeners you really do get what you pay for. In general your £1100 quid one should be the Rolls Royce solution, though. (Ours was about that.)
The sorts of advantages one gets with paying more money are:
Two softening chambers - one can be "regenerating" (flushing the resin with brine) whilst the other is softening.
Another feature can be a clockwork mechanism that works on water pressure alone - this avoid the need to wire the damn thing in.
We have a Kinetico system. Its reasonably good and was about the money you've been quoted. You should be able to get a wired-in, single chamber unit for more like half that though...
BTW: Block salt is fine. But salt tablets are nearly as convenient too - I wouldn't worry about insisting on block salt myself - even though I have it.
The sorts of advantages one gets with paying more money are:
Two softening chambers - one can be "regenerating" (flushing the resin with brine) whilst the other is softening.
Another feature can be a clockwork mechanism that works on water pressure alone - this avoid the need to wire the damn thing in.
We have a Kinetico system. Its reasonably good and was about the money you've been quoted. You should be able to get a wired-in, single chamber unit for more like half that though...
BTW: Block salt is fine. But salt tablets are nearly as convenient too - I wouldn't worry about insisting on block salt myself - even though I have it.
We've got the Kinetico twin jobbie too. Try DIS Water in Slough. Thery were much cheaper than anywhere else I found. We paid between £800 and £900 all in.
www.water-services.co.uk/Culligan_DIS_Slough.htm
www.water-services.co.uk/Culligan_DIS_Slough.htm
Don said:
With water softeners you really do get what you pay for. In general your £1100 quid one should be the Rolls Royce solution, though. (Ours was about that.)
The sorts of advantages one gets with paying more money are:
Two softening chambers - one can be "regenerating" (flushing the resin with brine) whilst the other is softening.
Another feature can be a clockwork mechanism that works on water pressure alone - this avoid the need to wire the damn thing in.
We have a Kinetico system. Its reasonably good and was about the money you've been quoted. You should be able to get a wired-in, single chamber unit for more like half that though...
BTW: Block salt is fine. But salt tablets are nearly as convenient too - I wouldn't worry about insisting on block salt myself - even though I have it.
Yup t'was a twin chamber, clockwork chappy, just as you described. Was really very very nice but what with xmas coming up etc etc guaranteed 7 years, but we're a bit light on the ££s right now (also want to buy a Mk1 MR2 far more important than the pipes clogging up).
Ed
darrent said:
water in new house is very hard (Oxfordshire isnt great.. chalk based erc).
Yep, I can second that as an Oxfordshire resident - it's shite!!!!!
Hard water is great! It doesn't take three clean bath fulls to get the soap off and, more importantly, it doesn't make crap tea. When going on holiday to soft water areas I like to take some source of Ca++/Mg++ with me.
Edt said:
these any use?
<a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20715&item=3856756830&rd=1">http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20715&item=3856756830&rd=1</a>
Ed
See here for more on this subject:
www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=87157&f=23&h=0&hw=water+softener
>> Edited by viper_larry on Tuesday 7th December 17:05
viper_larry said:
See here for more on this subject:
<a href="http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=87157&f=23&h=0&hw=water+softener">www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=87157&f=23&h=0&hw=water+softener</a>
God I can be really boring can't I??
But if I can just add.... I've NEVER felt you get what you pay for with a Water Softener. Pay extra for a twin cylinder by all means, but otherwise look at a few and you will realise that most use the same 5 cycle valves from Fleck and Autotrol. Then buy the cheapest machine that uses one of these and offers a decent warranty. I wouldn't pay extra for Kinetico.....it's only a 3 amp plug in job!!
bought one of these a few weeks back.
https://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?ts=40939&id=13487
certainly has reduced the calcium deposits in the kettle.
https://www.screwfix.com/app/sfd/cat/pro.jsp?ts=40939&id=13487
certainly has reduced the calcium deposits in the kettle.
ferg said:Wot he said
See here for more on this subject:
<a href="http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=87157&f=23&h=0&hw=water+softener"><a href="http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=87157&f=23&h=0&hw=water+softener">www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?t=87157&f=23&h=0&hw=water+softener</a></a>
God I can be really boring can't I??
I've NEVER felt you get what you pay for with a Water Softener. Pay extra for a twin cylinder by all means, but otherwise look at a few and you will realise that most use the same 5 cycle valves from Fleck and Autotrol. Then buy the cheapest machine that uses one of these and offers a decent warranty. I wouldn't pay extra for Kinetico.....it's only a 3 amp plug in job!!
And these water softeners are not supposed to be plumbed into the drinking water pipes - that should be direct from the mains.
The magnetic water conditioners are intended as a whole-house solution but are nowhere near as effective as a 'proper' water softener. (If they work at all - I'm not yet convinced. )
Edt said:The advice I was given is that it is okay to do so BUT they always fitted a seperate, un-softened, tap as you can taste the softener. I find this to be true and generally drink water from the un-softened tap and pass it through a filter (such as the Britas ones) - especially if it's going in the kettle.
Can the water softened gentlemem here shed any light on drinking this treatment water ?(as the treated water has a higher sodium content)
Ed
I personally can't taste the salt in artificially softened water and the main concern with drinking it is for people on low-sodium diets and, of course, new-borns. People tell me babies have no salt tolerance until around 6 months old....
Treatment of drinking water is a minefield.
Most 'Drinking Water Filters' are granular activated carbon with a big, big surface area. These mainly take out chlorine, but as they also provide a great bacteria breeding ground also sometimes have a bit of silver in to kill it.
In the good old UK we have a code of practice which dictates that ANY drinking water filter SHOULD be discarded after 6 months. Filters from 'Somewhere else in the world' are often pyramid sold and promise a 3 year life.........
Some carbon filters now have a handful of softening resin which becomes useless around the 6 months mark if used only on the small volume of water required for drinking. Since it dooesn't require regenerating it needs no salt etc.
Otherwise to keep the kettle free from scale, Reverse Osmosis - Expensive, wasteful of water or Polyphosphate Dosing - Cheaper, but a lot of things considered safe turn out to be not so, don't they???
Treatment of drinking water is a minefield.
Most 'Drinking Water Filters' are granular activated carbon with a big, big surface area. These mainly take out chlorine, but as they also provide a great bacteria breeding ground also sometimes have a bit of silver in to kill it.
In the good old UK we have a code of practice which dictates that ANY drinking water filter SHOULD be discarded after 6 months. Filters from 'Somewhere else in the world' are often pyramid sold and promise a 3 year life.........
Some carbon filters now have a handful of softening resin which becomes useless around the 6 months mark if used only on the small volume of water required for drinking. Since it dooesn't require regenerating it needs no salt etc.
Otherwise to keep the kettle free from scale, Reverse Osmosis - Expensive, wasteful of water or Polyphosphate Dosing - Cheaper, but a lot of things considered safe turn out to be not so, don't they???
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