Hard Water - what to do ?
Discussion
Well,
I always suspected that I had hard water but the other day I bought a water hardness test ket (£2) - tested my mains cold water.
The result was that I have the first bar of the very hard water band.
Not good..
I'm recently installed new bathroom taps and a new stainless kitchen sink & taps .. they have only been installed for about 2 months and already they look like they have been there a few years.
Does anyone have any idea's of what to do ?
A water softner seems the answer but at about £500 and a monthly diet of salt seems like an expensive solution.
Can I use a Scale cannister - these are cheaper at £50 and have replacement cannisters but is the water drinkable after - as they seem designed to be used to protect washing machines / central heating systems..
I always suspected that I had hard water but the other day I bought a water hardness test ket (£2) - tested my mains cold water.
The result was that I have the first bar of the very hard water band.
Not good..
I'm recently installed new bathroom taps and a new stainless kitchen sink & taps .. they have only been installed for about 2 months and already they look like they have been there a few years.
Does anyone have any idea's of what to do ?
A water softner seems the answer but at about £500 and a monthly diet of salt seems like an expensive solution.
Can I use a Scale cannister - these are cheaper at £50 and have replacement cannisters but is the water drinkable after - as they seem designed to be used to protect washing machines / central heating systems..
you can make the water 'softer' by fitting an in line filter. These need a power supply and send a pulse through the water. ....or something like that. Available from good plumbers merchants.
www.h2onics.co.uk/
www.h2onics.co.uk/
oldred said:
I have heard that if you soften the whole supply , you'll find the water is NOT drinkable.
You must have at least one tap that does not run through the softener, usually the kitchen sink tap. Oh yes and I got the Bryan Ferry joke as well.
I looked at water softeners at the Ideal Home Expo, one actually had a seperate filter for the kitchen sink, creating better drinking water than when you started but at £1,000 I gave it a miss.
I thought you should be able to get a softener for about £300
There's really no real alternative to taking the calcium and magnesium ions out with an ion exchange water softener. The sodium increase in the water is negligible although code of practice says you shouldn't drink it, therefore the kettle will fur up. Alternatives are many and work with varying dgrees of success. Polyphosphate dosing is a possibility and the chemical is 'food grade', but that's been said before hasn't it.......
Electrical and magnetic devices 'discourage' the ions from sticking, but ultimately I'd fit a water softener.
Electrical and magnetic devices 'discourage' the ions from sticking, but ultimately I'd fit a water softener.
Hi I'm new here so please be gentle.
Water is sort of my area of work and here is my 2p worth.
The law has recently changed so that you no longer have to have a seperate drinking water tap. Unless your water is stupidly hard around 400ppm on calcium.
The Thames valley generally has a hardness of around 360ppm.
Drinking softened water will introduce abit more sodium into your diet, equivelent to around 2 slices of white bread per day.
Personally I have a hard water tap that is filtered for drinking and the rest of the house is on soft water.
I have used the electronic water conditioners in the past at work and have yet to find one that works but some people swear by them so whose to know?
Water softeners cost between £300 and £1000. You get what you pay for. Cheap ones use more water/salt so cost more to run. Also worth considering is single or duplex. A single unit will bypass and run hard water into your house whilst it regenerates whilst a duplex one will run one on one off so you always get soft water.
Then there is meter driven or timer driven. Meter ones pass so much water before regenerating whilst timer ones just regenerate after a set period of time. Personally I prefer meter driven ones as they do not require electricity.
Remember it is not just your taps you are protecting it is your hot water system and central heating. It is amazing how a few thou of scale reduces the heat transfer in a hot water system.
As to cost I only know what I am paying but for what it is worth, 2 people in a 3 bed house with a dishwasher costs us £12 a month to the water board. Salt cost is around £30 per year. We use less soap, don't get bath scum and there are no streaks on the cars when they have been washed.
Sorry it is such a long first post.
Dunc
Water is sort of my area of work and here is my 2p worth.
The law has recently changed so that you no longer have to have a seperate drinking water tap. Unless your water is stupidly hard around 400ppm on calcium.
The Thames valley generally has a hardness of around 360ppm.
Drinking softened water will introduce abit more sodium into your diet, equivelent to around 2 slices of white bread per day.
Personally I have a hard water tap that is filtered for drinking and the rest of the house is on soft water.
I have used the electronic water conditioners in the past at work and have yet to find one that works but some people swear by them so whose to know?
Water softeners cost between £300 and £1000. You get what you pay for. Cheap ones use more water/salt so cost more to run. Also worth considering is single or duplex. A single unit will bypass and run hard water into your house whilst it regenerates whilst a duplex one will run one on one off so you always get soft water.
Then there is meter driven or timer driven. Meter ones pass so much water before regenerating whilst timer ones just regenerate after a set period of time. Personally I prefer meter driven ones as they do not require electricity.
Remember it is not just your taps you are protecting it is your hot water system and central heating. It is amazing how a few thou of scale reduces the heat transfer in a hot water system.
As to cost I only know what I am paying but for what it is worth, 2 people in a 3 bed house with a dishwasher costs us £12 a month to the water board. Salt cost is around £30 per year. We use less soap, don't get bath scum and there are no streaks on the cars when they have been washed.
Sorry it is such a long first post.
Dunc
34 pints from Thursday night to Monday night
nice arm candy btw
You'll want a clean supply if you drink it Smart roadster said:
Remember it is not just your taps you are protecting it is your hot water system and central heating. It is amazing how a few thou of scale reduces the heat transfer in a hot water system.
Central heating systems don't scale up. Not unless they have a severe leak.... Most boiler manufacturers stipulate that the system isn't filled with artificially softened water as well. I'd also take issue that you get what you pay for with a water softener. The water treatment industry is awash with people charging silly money for fairly basic machines. If I wanted to buy one today I'd buy the cheapest machine about with a Fleck or Autotrol valve and warranty. Duplex is surely a big waste of money on a domestic machine... the small amount saved on salt would take a while to add up to enough to pay the difference.
]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=5976124748&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT
Here have look think I am gonna try this first.
Ste..
Here have look think I am gonna try this first.
Ste..
Like most magnetic devices this would probably have an effect on the ability of the scale to stick to things, but certainly won't soften the water. In addition, of course, the effect will wear off quite quickly so really only worth trying on water that won't be stored for any length of time.
If it's set up right an ion-exchange softener is hard to beat. If possible have an outside tap for washing the car as well.
I don't know what's available in UK but here in the US Sears has decent softeners for a reasonable price. The quality of the valve mechanism and the resin is what counts, some of the more expensive models have mostly a lot of "bells and whistles".
It may be possible to find a used or reconditioned unit.
Here in the States you can rent/lease a unit from Culligan, you might consider this if you are hesitant to buy one outright.
My whole house is on soft water, it does not bother me to drink it, although we do drink a good bit of bottled water anyway.
To me, the softener is well worth it's price and upkeep, much nicer to shower in, dishwasher and clothes washer work better as well. You save some of the $ spent on the softener and salt on detergent, although from a strictly economic point of view I doubt it pays for itself.
I don't know what's available in UK but here in the US Sears has decent softeners for a reasonable price. The quality of the valve mechanism and the resin is what counts, some of the more expensive models have mostly a lot of "bells and whistles".
It may be possible to find a used or reconditioned unit.
Here in the States you can rent/lease a unit from Culligan, you might consider this if you are hesitant to buy one outright.
My whole house is on soft water, it does not bother me to drink it, although we do drink a good bit of bottled water anyway.
To me, the softener is well worth it's price and upkeep, much nicer to shower in, dishwasher and clothes washer work better as well. You save some of the $ spent on the softener and salt on detergent, although from a strictly economic point of view I doubt it pays for itself.
Ferg
I take your point about central heating systems and agree that untreated water in your central heating will riun your system.
Don't get me wrong, I don't sell softeners and was just expressing my opinion about softeners. I'm in the process of fitting a new combi boiler and wouldn't even think of not softening the domestic hot water.
I have used a phosphate system in the past and it was OK but I wouldn't drink it.
I take your point about central heating systems and agree that untreated water in your central heating will riun your system.
Don't get me wrong, I don't sell softeners and was just expressing my opinion about softeners. I'm in the process of fitting a new combi boiler and wouldn't even think of not softening the domestic hot water.
I have used a phosphate system in the past and it was OK but I wouldn't drink it.
Sorry! 
and the 'heating' issue is one that annoys me, you often see it on flyers for 'quick-buck' softener firms. Gassing Station | The Pie & Piston Archive | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff