water softner help in chosing and is this true

HP_Source

The matter of electric/non-electric refers to how the main control valve is operated. The large majority of softeners use electrically operated valves. The cost of the electricity used is trivial - I worked it out at around £3 per year.

Non-electrically operated softeners are really only useful where there is no convenient electrical supply.

The Monarch Midi is electrically operated.

atsgmo

Thank you for your reply

As I re read through the previous posts in this thread I wonder if there's something else to consider . The problem with my current softener is the tank is not emptying and overflowing with water . Judging from the comments on this thread there is little that can go wrong with there machines(i have a Mayfair supreme) so I wonder if it's just a question of the tank /pipes needing to be cleared or if there is a blockage somewhere . I can't see anything obvious but is there an obvious place I should look? thank you.

HP_Source

The most likely problem is the control valve. It's supposed to run a measured amount of water into the salt tank, let the water sit there for a while to dissolve some of the salt then suck up the salt water and trickle it through the resin.

I suspect the valve is not sealing properly and is letting a small amount of water through into the salt tank continuously thus resulting in the water flowing out of the overflow pipe.

If that's correct the cure is either to rebuild the valve or replace it.

atsgmo

thanks - that doesn't sound like something I need to buy a whole new unit for!

The dealer wasn't very interested in repairing it, but is this something a plumber could do?

HP_Source

Whether a plumber can do it will depend on his knowledge and experience. I think I'd be looking for a locally based water softener engineer.

These valves are quite complicated and it may be that a refurbishment or replacement isn't viable financially. A decent engineer will be able to tell you this and also confirm exactly what the problem is.

atsgmo

Ok thank you

Chance89

atsgmo wrote: »

thanks - that doesn't sound like something I need to buy a whole new unit for!

The dealer wasn't very interested in repairing it, but is this something a plumber could do?

I would recommend using a specialist water softener service engineer rather than a plumber for an assessment of your softener. I would also suggest that you ask them to check the resin of the softener as this has a life expectancy of 10 - 15 years and can be the difference between a viable repair or potential replacement

werlynne

I am buying a water softener for our newly bought cottage. I have been trying to wade through the 48 pages of advice but I could do with an opinion on a couple of questions.
Firstly I seem to have narrowed it down to 2 makes and models that seem to be popular and reasonably priced. Both are single tank.
The Atlantis 350 and the Tapworks Infinity which I think is a newer model to their AD15. It is for a house with 3 bathrooms.
Is it worth paying extra for a twin tank machine?
I cant seem to find out any info on the amount of water used for a regen on the Tapworks machine, at the end of the day are both these machines broadly similar and quite frankly either will do a perfectly acceptable job with roughly similar running costs?
I would prefer the Atlantis as I believe it is made in the UK.
Many thanks

malc_b

Standard advise is that twin tanks are not worth it. The large the tank the more efficient the unit is as large tank means fewer regeneration cycles. Each regen cycle throws water away and bigger tanks mean fewer. Although bigger tanks use more wash water, overall wastage is less.

The downside of a single tank is while in regen you get unsoftened water which is why the cycle runs at 2am - how much water do you use at 2am anyway?

You should also look for a meter controlled unit as those are more efficient too. BTW don't let people tell that water usage isn't significant. Cost wise I reckon that water is 20-30% of the running costs. Better to be at the 20% end. And those are figures for meter controlled units.

HP_Source

I agree with malc_b's comments.

One thing the does get overlooked in the discussion is the practicalities of fitting and using the softener. Make sure you get one that fits neatly into the space you have with good access to the shut-off and bypass valves and is easy to fill with salt when fitted.

When recently replacing our softener I had a list of about four makes/models that were ideal from a performance point of view. In the end I went with an Atlantis based on the practicalities mentioned above.