Water Softeners
- What are the benefits?
- How do they work?
- Where can they be installed?
- What maintenance do they need?
- Where can I buy water softener salt?
- How hard is the water in my area of the UK?
What are the benefits?
New shower heads will always spray like new.
No unsightly marks on showers doors.
No crusty scale deposits on taps.
No soapy scum left around the edge of baths and sinks.
Up to 50% less soap needed to produce a much better lather.
Up to 50% less soap powder needed in washing machines.
Up to 50% reduction in general household cleaning products required.
No need to buy separate salt for dishwashers.
No descalers are necessary.
Softened water can also greatly improve conditions such as dry skin, eczema and psoriasis.
Softened water keeps your hot water cylinder and boiler heat exchanger clear of scale.
How do they work?
Water softeners use "ion exchange resin" to remove the hardness.
- Hard water enters the resin bed.
- The hardness minerals are trapped in the resin.
- Softened water goes to the house.
- Salt periodically flushes away hardness minerals down the drain.
Where can they be installed?
Water softeners normally fit comfortably under the sink, in the garage and even in the basement - wherever it's most convenient.
What maintenance do they need?
No servicing or maintenance is normally required. All you have to do is keep it topped up with salt!
Where can I buy water softener salt?
Salt for water softeners is readily available from most good DIY shops, local plumbers merchants or can be delivered direct to your door from most salt manufacturers.
How hard is the water in my area of the UK?
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Soft to moderately soft: a 0-100mg/l as calcium carbonate equivalent |
Slightly hard to moderately hard: 100-200mg/l as calcium carbonate equivalent |
Hard
to very hard: above 200mg/l as calcium carbonate equivalent |
