is it ok to use a different type of water softner salt?

[tan8856]

Hi

We have a Harvey's water softner and have been buying the block salt which is designed for our type of softner. The salt costs around £5 for 2 blocks (8kg) however we are getting through 4-6 (16-24kg) blocks a month which is much more then we had anticipated (we are 2 adults + 2 young kids & are careful about how much water we use).

A friend says they buy a 25 kilo bag (£25) of tablet/granular salt for their softner and it lasts them around 3 months! They are also 2 adults & 2 kids. They DONT have a Harveys softner though.

My question is can we use tablet/granular salt in our Harveys softner? What could possibly go wrong if we did? Are Harveys known for being high in their salt usage or is there possibly a problem with our softner?

I did ring Harveys and they seemed to think that 4-6 blocks is normal for our household. I just cant see why we are spending £15 a month & using 24kg on salt when friends are spending £25 and using 25 kg in 3 months!

Thanks

 

[Leccy758]

There is not really anyway that we could say whether it uses more salt than other softeners without the specs for them all.

You may be using more water than your friend so unless you are both metered and compare usage plus ensure you check and fill the salt up as soon as it is low and not leave it for a while its hard to give any advice or comment.