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How does a water softener work?
A water softener works using ion-exchange. In simple terms this means you have a chamber which is filled with a special resin which removes calcium and magnesium ions from the water supply - these are the cause of limescale. This resin has a finite life, which for a 10 litre model is somewhere around 800 litres of water. Once this limit is reached the softener needs to refresh this resin through a process referred to as regeneration, where a strong solution of water and salt is flushed through the resin, in turn making it good for another 800 litres. This process occurs usually once every couple of days, and in order to keep the unit running all you need to do as a user is add salt, which is usually done once a month.
How much salt does a softener use?
Our softeners are very economical on salt usage, with about 1.4kg per regeneration being used on average. We recommend the use of tablet salt, which is widely available, economic to purchase and performs equally as well as block salt for day to day usage. Salt is usually purchased in 25kg sacks, and most builders merchants will supply this locally to you - most people use about 1 bag per month.
Am I drinking 1.4kg of salt per day?
Fortunately not, such levels would be more than life threatening, not to mention the taste would be awful! Salt is used for regeneration, specifically the sodium part of salt, with the vast majority being flushed away to drain during the regeneration cycle. However, current UK guidelines state that for drinking water you should leave a regular mains tap fitted for this purpose (i.e. unsoftened), since the marginal increase in sodium (which is the equivalent to something like a few slices of bread per day in terms of sodium intake) may be a problem for babies and people on restricted sodium diets. Water swallowed during bathing, washing and tooth brushing would contain such minute traces additional sodium it doesn't present a known concern.
So I cannot drink water from a softener then?
Well some people do, but generally the advise is not to, and the Drinking Water Inspectorate don't recommend it either. It is important to realise the tap you leave unsoftened can have a water filter installed to remove limescale under the sink - it's just it has to work in such a way that it doesn't add sodium to the water. We can supply a filter system for your drinking water at a discounted rate if purchasing a water softener at the same time, thereby covering your drinking water as well as baths, showers, toilets, washing machines and dishwashers.
Is a water softener an economical solution to limescale?
For a start it is important to consider a water softener as being an investment, and like any investment it will take time to recoup the benefits, however, we firmly believe that a water softener costing around £450 will probably last around ten years (£45 per annum) and probably cost about £100 per annum in salt to run. For less than £150 per annum, you will save on:
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Heating costs
1.6mm of limescale will cost you about 12% on your heating bills in terms of efficiency - with fuel bills rising this means a softener could well save a family of four up to £75 on gas heating alone. Couple this with the benefits of protecting your boiler (which will have a much longer lifespan with softened water) then this alone almost justifies the cost.
Washing Clothes
Not only will soft water help protect your washing machine (which essentially contains a small water heater), it will also mean you don't need to use fabric conditioners, saving a fortune over the cost of a year - clothes will be naturally soft (and contain less chemicals etc). Washing powder consumption will drop considerably as softened water lathers considerably better than hard water, which again saves money, and again is good news if you suffer from sensitive skin.
Showers, Toilets and Taps
Cleaning products are not cheap - especially those designed to specifically target limescale. Not only that but cleaning the shower doors for example is a very tedious job, and in a hard water area it needs to be done pretty frequently! Softened water will not leave water marks on shower doors, baths will be easier to clean and your toilet will not require harsh limescale removers. Cleaning products can be simplified into lighter, cheaper and more eco-friendly products, saving money and more importantly drastically reducing the time taken to clean things.
Dishwashers
Put salt in your dishwasher? Paying a few quid for a tiny little bag of granuals? Well the reason you do this is dishwashers all have small water softeners built into them - because it improves the cleaning action of the tablets and leaves glasses without marks. It's not a huge saving, but with a water softener you don't need to put salt in your dishwasher any more, just leave it empty!
Shampoos and Soaps
With softened water you only need a fraction of the shampoo you'd use in a hard water area, meaning products go further, and the downsides of such products (such as drying skin etc) are greatly reduced.
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What is the difference between a metered softener and a timer valve model?
This refers to the regeneration trigger - a softener regenerates
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