Water softener

[sotal]

We live in area which has water classed as hard water. I'm looking into whether it is worth fitting some kind of water softener for the whole house.

Someone recently told me I should go for one of the electric ones that requires no plumbing. It looks like you just wrap wires around the pipe. Personally I can't see how this would work, but I can find them for sale. Are they a gimmick or can they actually work?

Otherwise what is the best type to go for? Any negatives? Is it really worth doing? We've lived here for 17 years without one, but now would be a good time to do it as I will be able to access the rising main easier whilst we change the worktops in the kitchen.

 

[helplessowner]

There was a test carried out in Sweden which found that the only thing that actually removed limescale was a salt based water softener.
We had one of those "wrap around" things in our last property - made no difference whatsoever.
After the boiler got scaled up - again - we replaced it with a proper water softener.
Most of the reports about the non-salt devices being "proven" to reduce limescale seem to be produced by the manufactuers and people wanting to sell them without any supporting test reports.
Bear in mind that a water softener reduces limescale, but you still have the other minerals that may leave deposits (depending on your water make-up).
If fitting a salt based water softener you may want to keep one tap as hard water - not because the softened water is salty, simply because it tastes slightly different. We use softened water for cooking and tea, but have a hard water tap for cold drinking water.

 

[JohnD]

Someone recently told me I should go for one of the electric ones that requires no plumbing. It looks like you just wrap wires around the pipe. Personally I can't see how this would work, but I can find them for sale. Are they a gimmick or can they actually work?

They work in the same way that a copper bracelet cures rheumatism, or a drop of purified water cures disease.

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[oldbuffer]

The best ones to go for are the ion exchange type. These use resin beads to "pull" the hardness from the water. Over time the beads become unable to absorb any more hardness, and are washed with a brine solution to restore that ability. Worth noting that the salt does not do the softening, it only rejuvenates the resin beads. Some tiny traces of salt will find their way into the softened water, which is why it is generally recommended that it not be drunk, particularly by the very young or those with heart problems.
Things you need to consider:
1. Outside taps should not convey softened water.
2. There should be one tap in the property, generally the kitchen cold, which does not have softened water.
3. The plumbing is not complicated, but does need consideration.
4. Particularly if you have an unvented hot water cylinder, the flow rate through the water softener needs to be considered.
5. Some combi boiler manufacturers do not approve softened water through the hot water side of the boiler.
6. It is worth having a non-softened supply to fill the boiler's primary circuit (hot water coil and radiators) as inhibitor takes care of corrosion protection.
7. You need somewhere to store the salt. A year's supply is probably 200 to 400 kg depending on usage. Its cheaper to buy 25kg bags 10 at a time, but this does need storing. Covered shed is perfectly adequate.
8. The softener itself is probably the size of a small dishwasher.
9. Besides incoming mains cold, it needs outgoing softened cold, a regeneration drain and an overflow pipe. Part of the plumbing near the softener also needs a bypass, unless the softener has it already fitted.

All sounds a bit negative, but in my opinion well worth the trouble. We've had the same one for nearly 40 years and it makes a big difference to the amount of limescale on bathroom and toilet fittings (none) and to the amount of soap and detergent needed.

 

[sotal]

Hmm, the pipe work in my house looks to complicated to work in that fashion.

I could bypass the kitchen sink but everything else would be softened including the heating system (vented conventional) and the outside taps.

 

[JohnD]

Hmm, the pipe work in my house looks to complicated to work in that fashion.

I could bypass the kitchen sink but everything else would be softened including the heating system (vented conventional) and the outside taps.

Some old plumbers think you shouldn't use softened water in boilers.

They haven't read the test reports.

 

[oldbuffer]

Its not the old plumbers who think that, it is some boiler manufacturers. Can void their warranties.

 

[SpecialK]

Go for it if you can. Makes a massive difference.

You don't want the outside taps on it. Or you can turn on the bypass when using them. I have everything else apart from the fridge water on it.

 

[Stivino]

What is your reason for wanting to remove the hardness?

 

[helplessowner]

Water softeners can be turned off if hard water is needed.
We turn ours off whenever any work that involves adding water to the central heating is required.
Boilers that have aluminium heat exchangers do NOT like water softeners, but we asked both Baxi (previous boiler) and Vaillant (previous and current boiler) about water softeners and the response from both was they have stainless steel heat exchanges so not a problem - but they could not say whether the radiators would be OK. Hence turning the softener off when refilling.
Ours takes block salt - easier to handle and store.
Most installers are pretty clever at working out the simplest pipe route, and frequently needs minimal changes.
If you are undecided, why not get a basic test kit from a local plumbers merchant and see how hard your water really is (it may not be as hard as you think)
If very/extremely hard then a water softener may be an improvement, but if only moderate then do you really need one?
Have you had problems with scale?