Everything you need to know about water softeners

Yes, it will make a tremendous difference. Your water will have a silky feel. Soap will produce a rich lather. Shower heads will not block up; they will stay at full power. Baths, sinks, and shower screens will be cleaner. You will save 50% of the cost of washing liquids and powders.

No. Not as long as you may think. Most scaling problems occur where they cannot be seen, inside your pipework, hot water cylinders, boilers, and shower units. If you have fur inside your kettle, then you have a good idea how quickly it can build up inside your heating system.

Hard water is water that contains dissolved chalk, lime and other minerals. Rain water is naturally soft but as it percolates through chalk and limestone, it dissolves and collects these minerals. Rain water that falls on hard rock remains naturally soft. The hardness of the supply of mains water to your home is dependent on where you live and the source (river or ground water) of your mains water supply.

Normally, we try to put it somewhere in reasonable proximity to your main water stopcock. There are a variety of solutions that can be applied to your own situations including external, frost proofed cabinets if necessary. If the stopcock is under the sink, this is generally the most cost effective solution. Some softeners need a power supply and also will need to be connected to the drain to allow for the hardness minerals to be flushed away. We have a great deal of experience in selecting the best for you, and will be happy to provide a no obligation quotation.

No, unless the water has slowed to a trickle. As soon as your new softener is connected, soft water will start to reverse the scale build up. Over a period, all the scale build up will be gradually removed. When this process has been completed, your water heating bills will be reduced by 35% simply because you will be heating your water through what will have become an insulating jacket of scale! Please note that your savings will primarily apply to your heating costs for hot water and not your central heating as the same water will remain in this system.

Yes you can. Many people prefer softened water for drinking and cooking too, however, powdered milk for baby feeds should be drawn from an un-softened tap, and anyone on a sodium restricted diet should follow their doctor’s instructions. A separate hard drinking tap can be provided as required.

Yes you can. The softener will be fitted with bypass plumbing which would mean that if you moved home, the in and the out taps to the softener could be turned off, the bypass opened and the softener removed as easily as a washing machine.

No obligation whatsoever, but a cup of tea would be nice.