Water Softener similar to Harvey/Kinectico?

farazfastian

Hi Guys,

Do we've alternatives similar to Harvey/Kinectico they're both very good but very expensive. Both are charging £1700+ to fit one.
I even tried local installers of Harvey/Kinectico but they're charging similar amount.

I'm looking for an alternative which is bit cheaper but don't wana compromise on quality for e.g. it must be twin tank, block salt, and non-electric.


Thanks
Faraz

jk0

They're fairly easy to DIY if you have some plumbing experience. Failing that, maybe a couple of hours for a tradesman. You can buy the Harveys softener online here for £825:

http://www.fountainsofteners.co.uk/harveys-crown-water-softener-c2x17510096

That said, I now wish I had a timed softener rather than my Harveys. I have a combi boiler, so the hot water flow is not brilliant at the best of times. I find it infuriating when my softener decides to regenerate itself while I'm running a bath or shower. It takes 20 minutes to run a bath sometimes.

farazfastian

Thanks for your feedback, I'm surprised though. I thought the whole point of twin tank that you get constant supply of water?

I never thought about water pressure problem, i can't compromise on that. Does pressure drops only when it's regenerating or all the time? Have you got more than two floors, as this really worries me now as i've loft bathroom as well.

Thanks
Faraz

jk0

The pressure is slightly reduced all the time, though of course when regenerating it is just like having another tap on. Only two floors here.

macman

I've just had a Harveys-based one installed as a Kinetico replacement for around £1K. In my case it's 'own-branded' by the installers.That price is ludicrous, if you already have a softener then it's pretty much a straight swap, should take an hour at most.
Where are you in the UK?

farazfastian

I'm in South London and this is the first time i'm getting one.
Why did you switch from kinectico to harvey?
also do you drink soft water or you've hard water tap too?


Thanks
Faraz

jk0

I did drink the soft water for a few years... and used to get terrible headaches. When I stopped drinking it my headaches cleared up.

Last month I spent the night in a hotel. I noticed that the kettle had no scale at all, and sure enough I woke with a headache after just a few cups of hotel tea.

I believe it's the Sodium ions which end up in the water, which aren't good for you.

manda1205

Read through this thread, lots of helpful advice;
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/370187

Just to add we have a combi boiler and our mains water pressure is very good. We have never had a problem with a reduction of pressure and our water softener only regenerates in the middle of the night. It's a metered Monarch midi. The only time it might regenerate during the day is if you've used a lot more water than normal, so it needs to regenerate early, if you're running water though it will pause the regen so not to alter your water flow.
The "norm" is that you leave the cold water tap in your kitchen to use for drinking and cooking, we do and we then use a filter jug for the kettle.

jk0

manda1205 wrote: »

Read through this thread, lots of helpful advice;
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/370187

Just to add we have a combi boiler and our mains water pressure is very good. We have never had a problem with a reduction of pressure and our water softener only regenerates in the middle of the night. It's a metered Monarch midi. The only time it might regenerate during the day is if you've used a lot more water than normal, so it needs to regenerate early, if you're running water though it will pause the regen so not to alter your water flow.
The "norm" is that you leave the cold water tap in your kitchen to use for drinking and cooking, we do and we then use a filter jug for the kettle.

That Monarch looks just the job Manda. Is it able to take big salt blocks or just granular salt?

manda1205

It takes the small salt tablets. We have a family of 3 plus animals and we use roughly one 25kg bag every 6 weeks. It usually regens every 2/3 days.

farazfastian

Thanks Manda, any idea how much you paid for the Monarch? Was it via monarch or you got local plumber to install it?

Thanks
Faraz