Water softeners

[Redhotferrari]

Hi,

Can anyone recommend a good water softener? could also do with some advice on fitting these!

The house its going into is a very new, there is a space under the cupboard adjacent to the sink unit where the rising main is, just after the stop cock (in 22mm) the plumbers who installed all the plumbing have left a short piece of copper coming out of a tee with a speedfit stop end on, and think this was to accomadate a softener, but have never been back to fit one!

Any advice on fitting would be appreciated, I am assuming that this tee piece will go into the softener and pipework will loop back in? But only guessing on this one!

Look forward to hearing from you.

Many thanks

 

[Robbie99x]

I would have just bought an electro magnetic one. No drain downs req and the instructions are easy as anything to grasp.

 

[simond]

I don't think an electro magnetic one is a 'water softener'.

Are you thinking of a 'scale reducer'?

The OP might like to look at the Tapworks range.

 

[Redhotferrari]

Thanks for the replies guys.

I am looking at a 'proper' water softener, with salt etc, not the magnetic type.

Have looked at the tapworks one, and that seems the type of idea product, any tips on plumbing this in to the pipe work that I have described?

Many thanks

 

[JohnD]

It will come with installation instructions. Basically what you do is cut the rising main, usually after any hard-water outlets like the garden hose and drinking water tap, and a dialysis machine if you have one.

You then fit:
1) hose valve (like a washing-machine valve) for the supply to the softener
2 stop cock
3) hose valve for the feed from the softener.

If you have to take the softener out, you close the two hose valves and open the stopcock to bypass it.

Get good quality valves with large handles/knobs as you will not be using them from one year's end to the next, so they may jam

Big softeners have bigger salt bins and need refiling less often.

Valves tend to have a constriction, so get full-bore ones

the hoses are also small bore, see if your supplier offers a wide-bore hose kit. this will prevent avoidable constrictions and improve flow. If the softener is just feeding a tank it will not matter, but on mains-pressure taps you will notice the reduction.

The hoses are like washing-machine hoses, but made of white plastic in a drinking-water grade.

Be aware that you will be tipping in 25 kg bags of salt once a month or thereabouts, so the top hatch must be easily accessible. I recommend the salt "pebbles" which are the size of a fingertip rather than the granules, they are less likely to spill and easier to clean up. Salt spillages cause very fast corrosion and will eat holes un any steel (including the boot of your car). There will be a local water softener co who can deliver these to you, say, half a dozen bags at a time. Store them in a clean dry place. If you have a look at the delivery van you will see the floor has rust holes in it. The local company will also offer a maintenance service (I find once in ten years is enough!) and will sell softeners. It may be an advantage to see what brand they sell and what guarantee they offer. A cheap B&Q one will be ready for the tip when it goes wrong

Be sure to get a softener with a usage Meter to trigger the recycling, not just a timer.

 

[simond]

Worth adding that the bigger volume softeners are fitted to reduce the pressure drop because they have a greater no of balls inside. Yes really.

So if you have an unvented system and want to see minimal negative influence, specify a larger unit.

The Tapworks units have an electronic metered regeneration process.

When fitting one you will also need a nearby drain.