Water Softener Help

Achy_2

I've just moved into a house with a water softner... and I haven't got a bloomin' clue about it.

It looks quite old fashioned.

It has a a box with salt in it with a soft pipe coming out.
A big compressor looking thing with valves and taps all over it.

I turned the power on to it last night and turned some valves but it just gurgled away for an hour or so until I got fed up with it and switched it off.

Any ideas... there are no markings or brand names on it.

I can take some photos if it helps !? Ta.

moonrakerz

If it is the standard electro-mechanical type it should look like this:

http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=5xdc47m

If so:

1. Plug it in, should start ticking - only the clock, don't panic !.
2. Pull out clock dial , set to time of day. Doesn't need to be exact. Set day of week dial to correct day.
3. There should be three taps on the pipes to the softener. One on a pipe leading into the back of the machine and another on a pipe coming from the machine. These taps should be 'on'. There should be a third tap on a pipe which joins the other two together - like the crossbar on the letter 'H'. This tap should be off.
There should also be two plastic pipes both connected to a waste pipe (like the washing machine). One of these is for the waste water when the softener regenerates itself. The other is the emergency overflow from the salt tank - in the unlikely event of a power failure when the salt tank has water going into it.
4. Push knob at bottom left in, and turn to "start" position, this may be easier to do with a screwdriver. It can be quite hard to turn. If the knob is in some intermediate position, which it may be from your description, just leave it - go to step 6.
5. Softener should now make a series of gurgling noises for about an hour and a half. This is the machine "regenerating" itself.
6. Knob should stop on "conditioned water". Softener is now full operational.
7. Set days of the week that you want softener to regenerate. Push shiny metal pins 'in'. Usually 2/3 times a week, try Fri/Sun/Wed to start with. Depends how much water you use and when. Softener will regenerate in the middle of the night.
8. Top up with salt every x weeks. Get this from your local salt merchant or agricultural merchant. 25kg bag will be £6-8. Don't buy it from a supermarket, a 1kg bag will cost about £1 !!!
9. Only use half as much soap powder/washing up liquid/shampoo/soap as you did before.
10. Save lots of money !

Kimberley

I would like a water softener, anyone know if they are expensive to run and where you get them?

Avoriaz

Kimberley wrote: »

I would like a water softener, anyone know if they are expensive to run and where you get them?

Am I allowed say that I sell refurbished Kinetico water softeners?

I think they are the best type as they are non electric. The use the kinetic energy in the mains water to operate.

They are quite cheap to run, All you need to buy is salt, A typical family may spend £30 a year on salt, More or less depending on water usage.

moonrakerz

A bag of salt is about £6-8 (25kg) and will last about 3 months (ish), depending on how hard your water is and how much water you use.
Set against this, is the fact that you will be using a lot, lot less soap powder, shampoo, bath cleaner, soap, fabric softener, salt in your dishwasher etc, etc.....

The best place to get one is B & Q, theirs are Permutit, one of the longest standing manufacturers. DON'T get seduced by slick salesmen trying to sell you a twin cylinder one, "it changes over automatically". You pay twice the price for something that is completely unnecessary.
Also don't forget that the unit will be in a cupboard or tucked away in a corner somewhere so you don't need one with a stainless steel case and 'go faster stripes'.

PS: some softeners require special blocks of salt which can only be obtained from the manufacturer - at a price !
Get one that uses granular or tablet salt.

Avoriaz

moonrakerz wrote: »

A bag of salt is about £6-8 (25kg) and will last about 3 months (ish), depending on how hard your water is and how much water you use.
Set against this, is the fact that you will be using a lot, lot less soap powder, shampoo, bath cleaner, soap, fabric softener, salt in your dishwasher etc, etc.....

The best place to get one is B & Q, theirs are Permutit, one of the longest standing manufacturers. DON'T get seduced by slick salesmen trying to sell you a twin cylinder one, "it changes over automatically". You pay twice the price for something that is completely unnecessary.
Also don't forget that the unit will be in a cupboard or tucked away in a corner somewhere so you don't need one with a stainless steel case and 'go faster stripes'.

PS: some softeners require special blocks of salt which can only be obtained from the manufacturer - at a price !
Get one that uses granular or tablet salt.

Your comments on the cost of the salt being offset by savings in soap etc are spot on. Plus you get the pleasure of showering, washing and bathing in luxurious soft water. Sanitary ware, kitchen sinks etc will need a lot less wiping and cleaning. Water pipes, washing machines etc will all last longer as they won’t clog up with scale.

B&Q are quite expensive for most things. In my experience you can shop around and usually find the same thing a lot cheaper. However I have no idea how they price their water softeners so they may well be competitively priced on them.

The single versus twin cylinder is an ongoing debate and there are pros and cons to each system. I prefer the twin cylinder though the issue is a bit too detailed to cover here. There is little wrong with the single cylinder systems so I won’t disagree with you too much.

Most softeners designed for block salt will happily also use tablet or granular salt. I have a block salt Kinetico at home but I normally use tablet salt in it as it is half the price, although slightly less convenient. 25kgs sacks of salt are heavy.

We would not be without our water softener so I strongly recommend them to everyone who lives in a hard water area. Very roughly speaking the further south and east you are the harder is the water. Google for more precise details.

MPwannasavemoney

I get through 1 bag (£25kg) of salt in around 6 weeks - Surrey has hard water and with 5 people in the house with a power shower and washing machine running all day it gets through a lot of water - as confirmed by the size of the water bill!

As per saving money on using less soap etc etc - nope can't say I've noticed as wife still squirts loadsa stuff on without a care in the world.

Mind you I don't think these things can remove all the hardness - we've got limescale building up slowly on taps, however this could be 'cos I forget to refill the softener with salt sometimes as it needs doing so frequently!

Re comment about block salt - this should be generally available in fact this type is easier to load up.

moonrakerz

MPwannasavemoney wrote: »

I get through 1 bag (£25kg) of salt in around 6 weeks - Surrey has hard water and with 5 people in the house with a power shower and washing machine running all day it gets through a lot of water - as confirmed by the size of the water bill!

As per saving money on using less soap etc etc - nope can't say I've noticed as wife still squirts loadsa stuff on without a care in the world.

Mind you I don't think these things can remove all the hardness - we've got limescale building up slowly on taps, however this could be 'cos I forget to refill the softener with salt sometimes as it needs doing so frequently!

Re comment about block salt - this should be generally available in fact this type is easier to load up.

It might be worth you getting a water hardness testing kit and checking the hardness of your supply water and seeing what you are getting out of your softener.
At first glance your salt consumption does seem very high - but - I have just checked my softener and I put 4 bags in it last year (I note on the underside of the salt tank lid, before you ask !). My water is very hard but we only have 3 in the household now; have showers not baths, etc, etc - I suppose if your water usage is twice mine then your salt usage isn't too unrealistic !

Keep an eye on your good lady though, she is wasting your money ! We use half measure of powder (Filetti) in the washing machine and about quarter measure of conditioner.
Same with Fairy Liquid - just a small squirt !

moonrakerz

Jayme wrote: »

... of the premium Water Softener Salt that we use (Aquasol tablets and Granulite Granules) in our softener and with free UK delivery at watersoftenersaltuk.co.uk . They also have local collection branches for those who prefer to pick it up themselves... comes in handy if you are completely out. The website is user friendly and the prices good considering there is no delivery charge! It was cheaper than my usual stockist who never seems to have any stock in.

I think that they sell water softeners too. Worth checking out :j.

VERY STRANGE ! - Four posts all recommending the same supplier.........

SPAM !

Must be desperate too - this thread is 3 years old