Combi boilers and water softeners

[Tom Mawson]

The total volume of a CH system is about 80 li. To fill that for a year might use 8 li at the most.

That is insignificant in water usage!

I'm not saying that its a significant amount of water, but why cause the softener to regen more often by wasting soft water and adding salty water into a system filled with steel. Watering my garden with softened water would cost pennys but I still don't do it because there's no need. The same reason why you don't boil a full kettle to make 1 cup of tea, to save a minuscule amount of electric.

Each to their own I suppose.

 

[Agile]

Most people boil a kettle to make one cup of coffee.

The garden is a waste of softened water. But the main reason to use raw water is that the plants like the calcium and trace elements in the water. Even Harvey says that in his installation instructions.

 

[Tom Mawson]

Most people boil a kettle to make one cup of coffee.

I said a full kettle, most people use a kettle as cold coffee isn't very nice.

 

[Agile]

But the problem is that most kettles are about 2 litres and cups about 0.6 litres.

But to cover the kettle element most models need nearly 1 litre. But I got a 0.7 litre mini kettle for my lodger as a saving device.

I heat a single cup of water in the microwave.

 

[oilboffin]

Yes you want an unsoftened feed for rads it's the residual salt that kills the rads and always use plenty of inhibitor if in doubt ask harveys for advice

 

[empip]

bsi corrosion test report.

Note 'Conditions of Issue'
https://docs.google.com/viewer?doce...s/NewFolder/BSi-Corrosion-Report-12.12.12.pdf

-0-

 

[Tom Mawson]

bsi corrosion test report.

Note 'Conditions of Issue'
https://docs.google.com/viewer?doce...s/NewFolder/BSi-Corrosion-Report-12.12.12.pdf

-0-

That's good to know, but as I said earlier, there is no need to fill the central heating system with softened water, its easy enough to put it on bypass. The real problem would be if softened water was unsuitable for the hot water side, as it would mean you wouldn't be able to use soft water in the hot side and thus there would be little point in having a softener anyway.

Based on the evidence in that report and others it seems softened water can be used in both central heating loops and in the HW side with no detrimental effect

 

[JohnD]

Softened water means no limescale deposits.

 

[evtilsley]

I suppose, on the hopefully rare occasions when you need to top up the boiler/radiators, you could put the softener on "bypass" and run the taps to flush it through, before opening the filling loop under the boiler

I've got bypass valves.. but how long do you reckon the taps needs run for ? My softener is a fairly long way from the boiler - it's on the ground floor at the back of the house, Boiler is in the roof at the front of the house). As the crow flies I'd say 20m, but with the pipework could be 25m + as a guesstimate.

 

[Agile]

I would run through about 20 litres just to be sure.

In theory you should be able to taste the water and identify that.

But at the Harvey day, they start by giving you two glasses of water to compare.

Perhaps, because I never add salt to food, I am over sensitive to the taste of salt ? But the Harvey softened water was not very pleasant and I would certainly not want to be drinking it.

As I like to drink nice wines, I would like to think that I may have an above average sensitivity to tasting things, but that may just be a hope!

Tony

 

[evtilsley]

I invested in an RO filter system also DELICIOUS pure water

 

[AGAS]

FFS it gets worse

 

[evtilsley]

'cos of my RO water?