WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF HARD WATER?

The visible signs are scale, scum and tidemarks around baths, basins and taps etc. The mineral contained in hard water manifests as scale when heated or when water is left standing to leave evaporation stains. What you see in your kettle is an excellent guide to what is happening in other parts of your water system.

ALL AROUND YOUR HOME

Hard water has a detrimental effect on anything in which it comes into contact.

There are numerous examples of this that can be seen every day, as well as those you don’t see inside your system.

To name but a few,

• Misted glasses, streaky plates, and spotted and stained
  utensils.
• Blocked showers and shower heads
• Leaking ball-valves
• Scaled up cylinders and immersions
• Dull finish to the bath, basin etc
• Tide lines around your bath and basins
• Spots and stains on the shower screen
• Low water flow out of the hot tap because the pipe is
  scaled up
• No lather when you wash
• Dull and dingy clothes

HARD AND SOFT WATER

Hard water is water that contains dissolved chalk, lime and other minerals.

Rainwater is naturally soft but, as it percolates through the ground, any chalk and limestone it passes through becomes dissolved to create hard water.

Soft water (natural) is rain that falls onto rock and cannot enter the ground.

Examples of this are areas such as Wales, Scotland and The Lake District etc. As a guide only 40% of the country has natural soft water, leaving the remaining 60% to suffer with hard water.

SOFT WATER BENEFITS

• Saves time. With no scum marks or evaporation
  stains to clean away, housework is reduced.
• Can save up to 50% of washing powder, soaps,
  shampoos and conditioners etc.
• Will protect your and increase the life of your system by
  removing existing scale.
• Saves money on hot water bills – with no scale to heat
  first. Just 1/16"of scale will cause a loss of efficiency
  of 12%.
• Rinses away without staining.
• Can help dry skin conditions including eczema
• Makes laundry brighter and fresher.
• Has a clean silky feeling, and makes bathing a luxury
  without the need for expensive bath oils etc.

THE GENTLE TOUCH OF SOFT WATER

There is no clearer benefit of soft water than that shown by a dishwasher with soft water.

Shiny dishes and plates, clean clear glasses and cutlery you are proud of, all come from soft water.

If soft water is doing this to your dishwasher, just imagine what it is doing in the rest of your system, and do not forget, that with your dishwasher using soft water, you do not need to put anymore salt in it.

This also applies if you prefer to wash by hand. Gone are dry cracked hands you get with hard water.

Clean, bright clothes, gentle on your skin, every time with soft water.

Soft water gives you cleaner, brighter, fresher fabrics, simply because your washing powder can concentrate on washing your clothes, not fighting the effects of hard water every time.

Remember that with soft water flowing through your washing machine and de-scaling it, it will work better and last longer!

With soft water, you can cut your soap powder by nearly half, which proves that SOFT WATER SAVES YOU MONEY.

FOR MUM …

Smooth complexion, bubbles in the bath, lower household bills, soft towels …

FOR DAD …

A smooth wet shave. And with the appliances running like never before, he hasn’t got to worry about the next repair bill.

AND THE CHILDREN TOO …

Lovely fresh soft clothes ensure their delicate skin is being cared for, all day every day, even when they are tucked up in bed in those crisp clean sheets.

HOW MUCH DOES A WATER SOFTENER COST?

The cost will be less than other home improvements and will considered an investment.

A family of 4 in an average hard water area can save over £200 a year! Compare these savings against the outlay of the softener, and you will see that it is arguably the most cost effective home improvement you can make.

HOW CAN I JUSTIFY MY INVESTMENT?

Most people who have a water softener would simply say that to wash and bathe in scum free water is enough. However, a water softener fulfils many functions and gives substantial savings.

The long term benefits are the increased life of appliances, protection of taps, bathroom suites, your boiler etc, not to forget the daily savings on household bills by reducing soap consumption to name just one by up to 50%

WHAT ABOUT MAINTENANCE?

A water softener is working automatically 24 hours a day. All the homeowner has to do is ensure that the unit is kept full of salt.

IF I MOVE HOUSE CAN I TAKE IT WITH ME?

The simple answer to that is yes.

Taking your water softener with you when you move is as easy as taking other appliances i.e. washing machine.

Simply disconnect the flexible hoses from the isolating valves and away you go.

In many cases a water softener has been known to assist in the sale of the house, prospective buyers will undoubtedly be impressed with scale free taps, gleaming baths and sinks etc.

WHY NOT SOFTEN JUST THE HOT WATER?

Some people do this. But as soon as they run cold hard water into the hot soft water they are reducing the obvious benefits of soft water considerably.

I HAVE LEAD PIPES, IS THIS A PROBLEM?

You should not use soft water in lead pipes. About the only benefit of hard water there is, is that scale on the inside of the lead pipe stops the lead leaching into the water. Grants may be available from the local council to replace any lead pipes in the house.

If you have a lead outside main, this will not pose a problem to the installation of a softener.

WILL SOFT WATER AFFECT MY CENTRAL HEATING
SYSTEM?

Soft water will have no adverse effect on your heating system, providing a corrosion inhibitor is used.

MUST I HAVE A HARD WATER TAP?

Yes. It is accepted that the majority of people can drink artificially softened water with no adverse effect.

However, there are two groups of people who we would recommend do not drink artificially softened water.

Namely, bottle fed babies (powdered milk already has its maximum concentration of sodium) and anybody on a low sodium diet.

The BEWA Code of Practice also requires that, for all new water softener installations and wherever else reasonably practicable, a pipe leading to a mains water tap for an un-softened supply should be used for a hard water drinking supply.

WILL THOSE WHO PREFER TO DRINK SOFT WATER BE
DEPRIVED OF ANY MINERALS DEEMED NECESSARY FOR
GOOD HEALTH?

No. The minerals necessary towards your daily diet come from your food.

Neither hard nor softened water provide any significant quantity of minerals. For example, a glass of milk contains 4 times the amount of calcium, as does a glass of water!

HOW MUCH SODIUM IS THERE IN SOFT WATER?

A normal daily intake of sodium for an adult is approx. 3,000 mg.

Many natural and manufactured foods and drinks contribute to this daily intake. As a guide, you would need to drink 75 glasses of softened water to achieve your daily intake!

Typical examples of sodium levels are: -

One glass of milk contains 160 mg
One slice of bread contains 190 mg
One glass of softened water contains only 40 mg.

WILL SOFT WATER HELP MY DRY SKIN?

It is difficult to say that it will definitely cure dry skin conditions.

However, many dry skin / eczema sufferers notice a considerable improvement in their condition once a water softener is installed. Due to the complexity of eczema it is difficult to say exactly why soft water helps.

Opinion suggests the following contributing factors:

• Water softeners eliminate scummy soap curds and
  produce a clean lather that is kind to skin, reducing dryness and itching.
• The amount of washing powder can be reduced by up to 50% when using soft water, therefore when the washing machine is in the rinse cycle; it finds it easier to wash away excess soap.

IS A WATER SOFTENER EASY TO INSTALL?

Modern water softeners are small and compact enough to fit inside either a kitchen / unit or in the utility room. An ideal site is near to the rising main, with access to a drain and a power supply (13 amp socket)

WHY DO I NEED ELECTRICITY?

This ensures that the softener regenerates at the correct time of day. Even meter control models regenerate at 2am; the only variance is the frequency of days between regeneration.

DOES A WATER SOFTENER NEED A SPECIFIC WATER
PRESSURE?

A water softener needs a minimum pressure of 20 psi (1.4bar). If water pressure exceeds 70 psi (5bar) then a water pressure limiter needs to be fitted – ref PLV

WILL THE INSTALLATION COMPLY WITH LOCAL
BYELAWS?

Providing the installation complies with the diagram enclosed you will be O.K.

CAN A WATER SOFTENER DRAIN INTO A SEPTIC TANK?

Yes. Regeneration wastewater from a water softener will have no adverse effect on a septic tank.

With up to 50% less detergents etc being discharged, a water softener is in fact beneficial to households who use septic tanks.