Which Water Softener

[jaynana]

this has been covered, i know..

thing is - products change, new products come in, some products go bad..

i'm going to install a water softener. i know what features to go for- twin cylinder, metered re-generation.

the question is? which brand?

is kinetico any good (i picked up the name from this forum)? they're coming in tomorrow for a free survey..

cheers

j

 

[bathjobby]

See my post here //www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=576500#576500 and a few others. Still delighted and service 1st class.

 

[swanny65]

I have a Monarch metered water softener installed. About 10 years old and as good as new. Uses about 1 bag of salt tablets a month. A good investment. I even left it for 6 months without adding any salt (don't ask why.) When I added salt, did a couple of manual regenerations, the water test result was as good as new.

Had a metered Waterside softener in my previous home that was just as good.

 

[jaynana]

thanks guys, so atleast no adverse feedback on kinetico plus i don't see a huge recommendation on any other outweighing my thinking


in summary, my conclusion so far:
- Kinetico 2020c HF ****)
- most important features (commonly available these days with most brands..):
1) twin cylinder (un-interrupted water flow even during regeneration);
2) metered regeneration (not timed regeneration which wastes salt)
- US based company
- UK manufactured
- supposedly one of the leading brands
- 30+ years in service
- one year full + 10 year parts warranty

fixed and warranted in this region by independent installers *****
price is good, i think i like it..

j

 

[hazetimesfive]

ive fitted only one, kinetico on 2" stainless pipework..

it works, thats all i can say.

 

[swampydrill]

I'll second the Monarch review, good, only been in 5 yrs but no issues, seems very good.

 

[jaynana]

thanks guys for all the advise,

i have fitted a kinetico 2020HF today.

only problem is - the HF is recommended for combi boilers whereas i have a loft tank and a gravity fed system.

thing is, its old and i do plan to change next time i have to mess around with the boiler.. so there was no point in going for a non HF either as that would have been short term.

im told the HF unit and the overhead tank are a deadly mix for salt usage!

this is because the time the water trickles into the tank is rather long, and that time is counted as usage time by teh kinetico's usage meter (its metered regeneration)

lets see how it goes..

 

[JohnD]

that doesn't make sense to me

I have a metered softener. It measures litres of water that have gone through it.

Who told you that story about measuring running hours?

 

[petertheplumber12]

A Replaceable cartridge is best salt can be costly and cause corrosion of pipe work and children aren't allowed to drink it but a cartridge converts lime scale and renders it harmless. 1 make is at this web site:-http://www.aquabion-uk.com/#

 

[jaynana]

cheers john, i thought the same re metering: it surely must be some rotating fan in the waterway turning as water flows. and not a 'clock' based timer. afterall these are water pressure powered devices...

so in effect combi or old fashioned boiler - either way, the regeneration would depend purely on teh amount of water consumed...


its the guy who installed it who said this (im worried now about the installation ..)

peter - i did check on those particularly aquabion! see this thread:

//www.diynot.com/forums/plumbing/water-softners.352172/#2647798

 

[JohnD]

...salt can be costly and cause corrosion of pipe work and children aren't allowed to drink it ...

There is no salt in the output water supply from a softener (unless it has an abnormal fault)

there is however a tiny amount of Sodium Bicarbonate, as found in indigestion tablets and cakes.

I understand that the amount of sodium in a day's worth of softened water is less than is found in a bowl of cornflakes, or two slices or bread, or a dollop of tomato ketchup; and far far less than is found in a McBurger.

It is not recommended for people on a low-sodium diet, such as those with kidney failure and bottle-fed babies, who also have to avoid most ordinary food and drink.

I think those water-purifying cartridges look great, especially if you are in an agricultural area where there might be traces of pesticides in the water.

 

[jaynana]

i have bypassed the kitchen tap and the garden tap anyways. so they remain hard.

my preferred route would have been to fit a 3-way tap in the kitchen.

i didn't cos:
on one side the type of design i have is about £500 for a 3-way!!!
on the other side is the potential that the wrong water would be consumed.. ok that was my excuse although i agree its lame

anyways i have hot, soft, hard water plumbed into the kitchen. one fine day i might replace the mixer with a 3-way tap.