water softeners

[wards]

looking for recommendations on these,i am contemplating installing one in my own home and would appreciate all opinions/views.
regards simon

 

[Gedpen]

I have one in my home there great, the one I have runs from the water pressure going in needs no electrics, just salt every 3-5 months or so made by harvey softners, based in Woking, Surrey. But be careful if you have in aluiminum rads or heat exchanger.

 

[Plouasne]

Sil-Phos balls, change the water without softening it, the water is permanently hard, and so does not precipitate the lime on heating, just a word of caution the quacks recommend the there is at least on cold water tap coming directly of the cold water main, apparently soft water can be bad for the heart

 

[Robtheplumb]

Sil-Phos balls, change the water without softening it, the water is permanently hard, and so does not precipitate the lime on heating, just a word of caution the quacks recommend the there is at least on cold water tap coming directly of the cold water main, apparently soft water can be bad for the heart

Not just the Quacks, it is part of the regs.

I have a Monarch softener fitted in my house, these are ok for the money, I also fit Culigan softeners, again these are ok. I don't have to many problems with any softeners on my patch. If you have a Combi boiler and an Aluminium heat exchanger then Monarch do a softener that works on Magnesium flakes instead of salt.

 

[oilman]

what a water softener does is resin exchange ions so you start with calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate, you end up with sodium bicarbonate in the tap water, this is in your kitchen cupboards and is used in cooking to put bubbles into cakes. If you add sodium bicarbonate to your bath water it will bubble as well. Hard water is better for you medically although we stand a greater chance of getting stones. Siliphos is a treatment for water that stops scale and is half the price of a water softener Water management at its best - Cistermiser
Sodium bicarbonate is also used to clean teapots it is not meant to be drunk
siliphos treated water is a medically approved foodstuff and totally safe

 

[oldplumber]

i used to live in hants and boy was the water hard there, used a magnetic water treatment divice in all my houses in this area and never had any scale problems with heat exchangers or kettles scaling up. Didnt need to put any chemicals in my water or top up sofeners ever. cant understand why every one doesnt use magnetic/electric treatment. Works on the same principle of ionisation of the carbonates preventing them causing scale build up.

 

[fat tony]

i used to live in hants and boy was the water hard there, used a magnetic water treatment divice in all my houses in this area and never had any scale problems with heat exchangers or kettles scaling up. Didnt need to put any chemicals in my water or top up sofeners ever. cant understand why every one doesnt use magnetic/electric treatment. Works on the same principle of ionisation of the carbonates preventing them causing scale build up.

What sort/brand of magnetic device did you use? There are also the type where you wind an electric coil around the mains pipe.

Just trying to figure out what to get (as I definitely want to reduce limescale deposits in 3 new bathrooms I'm having installed), as some people say neither work! But I don't really want to go the hassle/expense of a full-blown salt-based softener (purchase cost, installation, salt tablet consumption, water consumption, etc).

Thanks

 

[bcp]

Tony, all of the different types work to differing degrees. Do take note of the Ali heat exchanger/boiler/salt issue- it is important. The full blown 'salts' installations are more effective than the magnet/wind round current types, but these latter do work to a degree too and are a hell of a lot cheaper. Depending on how your house/flat is plumbed, go get a magnetic type for the heating side and put a wind round electric type for the supply pipe (rising main). If your heating system is sealed/unvented, then if properly inhibited, the primary side should not need any further treatment on the pipes. The cylinder/hot water side will benefit though.
We fit Culligan but I have magnetic and wind round electric at home. As to the docs, yes hard water is more beneficial for cardiovascular systems, BUT have you ever tried to operate on a calcified heart or blood vessel?????? not good so as ever it's a balancing act. Where did hear that rumour that Grundfos had developed a copper heart replacement? BCP.

 

[bcp]

Did you say 3 NEW BATHROOMS????? are you in the banking business

 

[fat tony]

Sorry, did not mean to brag! Its one main bathroom, one en-suite shower room and one en-suite bathroom. Believe me, its a newish build and they are quite small.

As to Banking business - how did you guess?!

 

[oilman]

i fit lots of Combimate siliphos or they now call it "Combiphos" dispensers in Berkshire.
BEWARE if you fit a full water softener as stated in other replies the sodium chloride (SALT) steals the carbonates from Calcium carbonate and Magnesium carbonate because it is a more reactive element ( remember the chemistry table at school ?) because it is more reactive it is also more corrosive and Fernox and other competitors will not sanction using their system protectors "F1" as the water is more corrosive and your heating system wil corrode unless you keep it on hard water.

 

[photogenius-uk]

SILIPHOS BALLS. when removed from a combimate after 6 months or so most of them still look the same size as new. If cleaned up would they still work OK?

 

[waterguy22]

Well, i used to live in hants and boy was the water hard there, used a magnetic water treatment divice in all my houses in this area and never had any scale problems with heat exchangers or kettles scaling up.

 

[rpm]

Well, i used to live in hants and boy was the water hard there, used a magnetic water treatment divice in all my houses in this area and never had any scale problems with heat exchangers or kettles scaling up.

Which one did you use?

 

[rpm]

Edit double post

 

[Frelon]

Post from 4 years ago [emoji15] probably sorted by now!

I wonder what he ended up with?

 

[rpm]

Post from 4 years ago [emoji15] probably sorted by now!

I wonder what he ended up with?

Waterguy posted 19hrs ago, this is the reply I quoted !!!!

 

[rpm]

Post from 4 years ago [emoji15] probably sorted by now!

I wonder what he ended up with?

Waterguy posted 19hrs ago, this is the reply I quoted !!!!