water softener salt

[MXRod]

Before Brexit etc we used to go to Lerpoy Merlin in Calais and bulk buy salt , the cost saving paid for the day trip
Today a 25kg bag of salt tabs is 9.5 euro , the best UK price I can find for a 25kg bag is around £15 collected .delivery prices can be as much as £50 for 10 bags ,.so around £20 per bag
tempting to switch softener off

[johnoz]

How much salt did you buy to make the trip pay?

Salt went up massively a couple of years ago due to "energy costs" but like most things it never came back down.

Be aware not all salt is the same sometimes the cheap stuff is cheaper for a reason.

Even though salt costs a little more now you still save money on the products that you use.

Have you checked your softener is set correctly? is it an old softener? is it an efficient softener?

Again not all softeners are the same, some use a lot more salt than others.

[dave123456]

Got a salt water softener in one house and one of these fitted last week in the other:

https://www.aquabion-uk.com/

Too early to say how well it performs but two kpis:

The state of the stainless steel sink in the utility and the state of the floor around the dogs bowl suggests a worthwhile investment.

7 year lifespan for c£500 but with salt as it is it will likely be more or less the same… without the hassle of filling a salt tank up every few weeks.

[Simpo Two]

MXRod said:

Before Brexit etc we used to go to Lerpoy Merlin in Calais and bulk buy salt...

There's about 1200 million m3 of salt right here under Cheshire. Buy British

[Somebody]

Costco have 25kg bags of tablet salt at under £9 plus VAT in warehouse.

[johnoz]

Simpo Two said:

There's about 1200 million m3 of salt right here under Cheshire. Buy British

If it was that easy, believe me there is some good stuff in there just truing to buy it is just delays, ordering times, and just faffing.

[MXRod]

[quote=johnoz]How much salt did you buy to make the trip pay?

Salt went up massively a couple of years ago due to "energy costs" but like most things it never came back down.

Be aware not all salt is the same sometimes the cheap stuff is cheaper for a reason.

Even though salt costs a little more now you still save money on the products that you use.

Have you checked your softener is set correctly? is it an old softener? is it an efficient softener?

Again not all softeners are the same, some use a lot more salt than others. [/quote
I used to get around 20 bags , plus wine and some food , that added up to the limit for my van , it was done as a P&O day trip silly money and free wine as well , Those were the days!!.
The softener is set up ok , works on demand usage ,not on basic timer , I have used the French salt for years and have never had problems , Leroy Merlin is one of the biggest DIY chains in France , so I doubt they sell sub standard salt

[Ricky997GT]

Somebody said:

Costco have 25kg bags of tablet salt at under £9 plus VAT in warehouse.

are they still £9 a bag?

[B'stard Child]

MXRod said:

Before Brexit etc we used to go to Lerpoy Merlin in Calais and bulk buy salt , the cost saving paid for the day trip
Today a 25kg bag of salt tabs is 9.5 euro , the best UK price I can find for a 25kg bag is around £15 collected .delivery prices can be as much as £50 for 10 bags ,.so around £20 per bag
tempting to switch softener off

Whilst I don't like the recent hikes in salt tablet prices it's actually a small price to pay for reduced detergent, shampoo usage and not having to viakal the shower screens every week

We use roughly 25 Kgs every 3 months so £80 a year

I'm not sure I'd go back to not having a softener but I'm in a really hard water area

[Mr Pointy]

dave123456 said:

Got a salt water softener in one house and one of these fitted last week in the other:

https://www.aquabion-uk.com/

Too early to say how well it performs but two kpis:

The state of the stainless steel sink in the utility and the state of the floor around the dogs bowl suggests a worthwhile investment.

7 year lifespan for c£500 but with salt as it is it will likely be more or less the same without the hassle of filling a salt tank up every few weeks.

I've followed six different links for this item & not one of them shows the price. That's a bit snake-oily.

[GasEngineer]

Mr Pointy said:

I've followed six different links for this item & not one of them shows the price. That's a bit snake-oily.

Definitely. They're obviously aware that showing the price will scare potential customers off.

[scot_aln]

Depends where you are in the country. Some of the websites do feel a bit spammy - no https etc

Some of the builders merchants at times seem to be around the £13-£14 range if you collect

But have found these to be most consistent at £15 a bag delivered with min of 3.

https://www.tabletsaltdirect.co.uk/products/tablet...

[x404]

We currently pay £11.50 (inc vat and free delivery) per 25Kg bag from our local supplier (been that price for a few years) it's a bit cheaper if you have 20+ We normally buy 12 months supply at a time. We use about 5 bags a year in a v hard water area.

[johnoz]

x404 said:

We currently pay £11.50 (inc vat and free delivery) per 25Kg bag from our local supplier (been that price for a few years) it's a bit cheaper if you have 20+ We normally buy 12 months supply at a time. We use about 5 bags a year in a v hard water area.

What brand is that they are using?

[johnoz]

Have said this before not all salt is the same, sone of the cheaper brands has dirt, sand, shells, and can leave a brown scum in the salt bin.

[Andeh1]

Eyes opened here! I've been paying £20 for 25kg from amazon.

One thing we do get is a sort of mildew or slight mould in the water, I suck it all out and give the inside a wipe down a couple times a year.

Anyone else experience that?

[Audis5b9]

johnoz said:

Have said this before not all salt is the same, sone of the cheaper brands has dirt, sand, shells, and can leave a brown scum in the salt bin.

Care to recommend some 'good' brands?

[x404]

johnoz said:

x404 said:

We currently pay £11.50 (inc vat and free delivery) per 25Kg bag from our local supplier (been that price for a few years) it's a bit cheaper if you have 20+ We normally buy 12 months supply at a time. We use about 5 bags a year in a v hard water area.

What brand is that they are using?

Had absolutely no problem at all, currently using the Meinsalz brand in 25kg packets, and it has lasted as long as Aquasol which we used to buy but which then rocketed in price a few years ago. We've also had Broste, and Hydrasoft too and they all look identical in the packets to our current ones, clean white tablets.

If you buy from a quality supplier there shouldn't be a problem, we use https://www.saltstore.co.uk who have been excellent.

[gmaz]

I generally use Wickes. 2 for £40.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/BWT-Water-Softener-Salt-T...

Has anyone got any tips on how to load the salt into the softener. It is inside a kitchen unit so is awkward to pour the bag into. I need something like a vary large funnel.

Edited by gmaz on Tuesday 27th January 11:07

[B'stard Child]

gmaz said:

I generally use Wickes. 2 for £40.

https://www.wickes.co.uk/BWT-Water-Softener-Salt-T...

Has anyone got any tips on how to load the salt into the softener. It is inside a kitchen unit so is awkward to pour the bag into. I need something like a vary large funnel.

Edited by gmaz on Tuesday 27th January 11:07

Same for me - inside a kitchen unit no clearance to take the corner off the bag and tip to fill

I buy two bags at a time - one goes into store the other gets loaded into a 30 Litre plastic tub and I use an old 1 litre plastic measuring jug to transfer from plastic tub to softener