Advice : Water Softener / Heating System

[Ubiquitous2024]

Hi all - bit of advice please on both these topics. The back story is we have just had a new kitchen and downstairs renovation, still going on, but almost there. It has been very stressful, initially I thought we were in big trouble but we do seem to have turned a corner and it looks like we will have a decent kitchen at the end. There are lots of reasons why but predominantly we have used builders rather than kitchen fitters to install (because nobody would entertain sorting our downstairs flooring at the same time which has needed a lot of work).

amongst many of the things that has happened is that apparently our central heating liquid is clear - they say it should be black. They say this is because it should be full of chemicals and anti freeze etc but it is clear which is a concern. We had a Worcester Bosch combi installed 8 years ago and it was power flushed at the time, an been serviced each year. It has never caused us issues. Is this true and if so what we are supposed to do to resolve this clear water issue?

Also we have been advised a water softener is essential. We have never had one. We live in one of the hardest water areas on the south east and we do have issues with limescale. Our pressure is reduced significantly as a result, our 80 year old house is running at around 10 litres per min from the tap (it is 60 out in the street). How essential is a water softener and is £1400 a reasonable price to pay? We wouldn't have even thought about one if it hadn't been said.

Thanks!

[pghstochaj]

Ubiquitous2024 said:

Hi all - bit of advice please on both these topics. The back story is we have just had a new kitchen and downstairs renovation, still going on, but almost there. It has been very stressful, initially I thought we were in big trouble but we do seem to have turned a corner and it looks like we will have a decent kitchen at the end. There are lots of reasons why but predominantly we have used builders rather than kitchen fitters to install (because nobody would entertain sorting our downstairs flooring at the same time which has needed a lot of work).

amongst many of the things that has happened is that apparently our central heating liquid is clear - they say it should be black. They say this is because it should be full of chemicals and anti freeze etc but it is clear which is a concern. We had a Worcester Bosch combi installed 8 years ago and it was power flushed at the time, an been serviced each year. It has never caused us issues. Is this true and if so what we are supposed to do to resolve this clear water issue?

Also we have been advised a water softener is essential. We have never had one. We live in one of the hardest water areas on the south east and we do have issues with limescale. Our pressure is reduced significantly as a result, our 80 year old house is running at around 10 litres per min from the tap (it is 60 out in the street). How essential is a water softener and is £1400 a reasonable price to pay? We wouldn't have even thought about one if it hadn't been said.

Thanks!

Your heating system should have clear looking water containing inhibitor. Inhibitor is generally colourless. Dark water would suggest a lack of inhibitor resulting in corrosion/sludge and is bad. Now that they have drained it, you should add more inhibitor (you can't really have to much).

[Ubiquitous2024]

Thanks - just spoke to firm who service our boiler yearly, they test for this and said in Nov 2025 when last serviced levels were fine and no additional recommended. Looks like builders talking nonsense then. There has been a bit of that during this install. They levelled the floor and made the walls good last - first thing they did was put the cabinets up.