water softner help in chosing and is this true

AquaN

Hello

I have just had a Kinetico 2020c water softener fitted and am very pleased with it. It is way too early to see what the salt block consumption will be, but based on the fact that we live in a very hard water area (Suffolk) and with a family of four (2 adults and 2 young children) it will be quite high. The installer used disk 5 in the unit following the water hardness test.

I wanted a water softener that did not require power and would fit neatly in a cupboard which for me the Kinetico met and had a good reputation/warranty.

Within an hour of installation the cold water was noticeably different for the better and I believe because we have a Megaflo system the hot water will take a little longer to become fully softened.

I also checked as did the installer that our Glowworm boiler would be unaffected by the soft water. I had heard that aluminium heat exchangers could be affected - but ours is stainless steel so no worries.

The unit takes block salt and also tablet so I am not limited to one type.

The installer was also very professional and efficient.:)

WoodyMax

Hello everyone, just to let you know I bought 5 x bags of 25kg salt worked out at £8 each (for the pebble salt) and the Water Softener took a full 25 KG bag!! I was a bit shocked at that but it's in there and yesterday afternoon was making some noise so I hope it is doing something useful!

zillon

Hi.

can anyone tell me the real difference between the mini B and the 2020c... I guess it's a Resin thing as there's an 8 year difference in the warranty... also what do you think about the crown. I see crowns and the mini B at about £650. I was told the 2020c was > £1000 and this seems excessive.... any help in finding specs I can compare would be appreciated - Please don't recommend timed / single tank options because I've already decided I don't want them

thanks\z

urbanmac

So I found this thread and after reading the first 15 pages I admit I skipped to the last page as there is such a lot of differing advice!.

Can someone just recommend me a model based of this:
South Cambridgeshire - so very hard water
4 bed house, 3 residents
Want something that is easy to maintain, cheap to run and quiet (are they noisy?)

Also a recommendation for a local plumber would be helpful.

semo

Hi joe t,

Could you let me know if your water softener problems have been resolved? I assume you have the following model
http://www.299softeners.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=231

I'd be interested in your salt usage if possible as I'm considering buying the 15l coral from that company (what a dodgy site though... I hope I'm not making a mistake!).

Thanks!

kaya

save your money, you have managed to get through life for all these years without one, the element would probably have gone on your washing machine once in the last 20 years anyway despite the water hardness, your dishwasher has an inbuilt softner already, and you probably could buy a new boiler every ten years with the money you will spend on salt and water for the regen cycle, its just another gadget to go wrong, my mum had one fitted five years ago and nothing has gone wrong in her house due to limescale buildup, but nothing has gone wrong in my house either and i dont have one fitted, the calgon man is just an advert, its not real life and after 20 years of repairing washing machines and appliances i can tell you he is full of sheet, its just another "must have" but "not nessacery" sales gadget, go buy some nice new clothes with your money or something that will make you feel good rather than the salesman for the softner company

joe_t

semo wrote: »

Hi joe t,

Could you let me know if your water softener problems have been resolved? I assume you have the following model
http://www.299softeners.com/shop/product_info.php?cPath=37&products_id=231

I'd be interested in your salt usage if possible as I'm considering buying the 15l coral from that company (what a dodgy site though... I hope I'm not making a mistake!).

Thanks!

hi semo my salt usage is now as i should have been ie 25kg is lasting about 5 weeks, the problem was as stated earlier that it was doing a doublecycle.
yes the site is not great, you should ring or email them with direct questions they are very helpful and not pushy at all.
joe..............

semo

Thanks joe t.

kaya, I've lived for a long time in a hard water area and I couldn't care less about the washing machine. I hate that dry skin feeling after a shower, descaling the shower heads, cleaning up the mess hard water creates, having shine only last 5 minutes after cleaning taps/sink. I can tell if I'm using hard or soft water just after one shower. Not all people can tell the difference but I can. Cleaning the house should also be easier and less scale on heating elements means my immersion heater will remain efficient for longer.

So why not get a water softener and hold?

Doc_N

kaya wrote: »

save your money, you have managed to get through life for all these years without one, the element would probably have gone on your washing machine once in the last 20 years anyway despite the water hardness, your dishwasher has an inbuilt softner already, and you probably could buy a new boiler every ten years with the money you will spend on salt and water for the regen cycle, its just another gadget to go wrong, my mum had one fitted five years ago and nothing has gone wrong in her house due to limescale buildup, but nothing has gone wrong in my house either and i dont have one fitted, the calgon man is just an advert, its not real life and after 20 years of repairing washing machines and appliances i can tell you he is full of sheet, its just another "must have" but "not nessacery" sales gadget, go buy some nice new clothes with your money or something that will make you feel good rather than the salesman for the softner company

An interesting viewpoint, but from personal experience of hard and soft water over many years I'm more than happy to pay for the salt and water used - just for the softness of the water. No scum around sinks (much easier to clean), much, much nicer to wash with, and big savings on detergents and washing powders.

The longer lasting washing machines and hot water cylinders are just an added bonus!

silps

Has anyone any experience of a Monarch Water Silk (Midi) water softener? I have been quoted £500 incl fitting. We have a family of 5 and do use a lot of water, any ideas on how often it would need salt or how many 25kg bags a month?