Water softener?

bouicca21

There is a blue plastic cylinder plumbed in next to the stopcock. It is about 28 cm tall and maybe 10cm in diameter. I can't see any kind of manufacturer's name. I have been told it is a water softener. I have no instructions for it.

I'm thinking of removing it, partly because it's obstructing the space that could be used for a water meter, partly because it is really noisy when I run the dishwasher or washing machine, but mainly because, with no instructions, I don't know whether it needs any attention, like changing a filter, to prevent the build up of bacteria. I suspect it was installed about three years ago.

Does any one have any idea how I can find out more about it? I'm in a hard water area, so a softener makes a certain amount of sense. And in case it's useful to know, I'm in a small block of flats with a communal water supply.

Davesnave

Get a photo hosted and put it on here, so those in the know may ID it for you.

It's worth having, if you can find instructions and it's functional.

Head_The_Ball

If it is a just a blue plastic cylinder then it is more likely to be a water filter and not a water softener.

A water filter will usually have only two connections, mains water in and filtered mains water out.

A water softener will be contained withing a plastic tank and, as well as hard mains water in and softened mains water out, will have a discharge pipe connected to the waste pipe and an overflow drain. It will also have a lid on it in order for salt to be added when necessary. It might also have an electrical supply although some models don't require power.

It could be one of those pseudo scientific water conditioning products that do nothing much.

You say it is next to the stopcock. Is it plumbed into the mains pipe above the stopcock?

A picture would help.

bouicca21

It's way above head height so I had to stand on the loo to get a picture. Even so it was difficult to get a shot of the top of the cylinder.

Here is a link to photobucket
http://s304.photobucket.com/user/Bouicca/library/?sort=3&page=1

The water company say it is a softener. It's located where a water meter would have to go, but in the meantime I am allowed an imaginary meter and even that has more than halved my bill.

bouicca21

I've now loaded a 3rd picture that shows the whole setup. A filter seems much more likely than a softener, but presumably needs its innards changing from time to time(?). Even if I bought a step ladder I think I'd find it hard to get sufficient access to get the lid off and back on.

saverbuyer

bouicca21 wrote: »

I've now loaded a 3rd picture that shows the whole setup. A filter seems much more likely than a softener, but presumably needs its innards changing from time to time(?). Even if I bought a step ladder I think I'd find it hard to get sufficient access to get the lid off and back on.

Yeah, that's a filter. Probably needs changed every 6 months or so.


I'd unscrew and see if you can get a part number. It there nothing on the top?

bouicca21

The thing is sited above the loo. In order to get at it properly I'd have to buy some sort of ladder, as it is is still way above my head when precariously standing on the loo. And the loo is in an alcove so I'm not even sure I could position a step ladder properly.

So I think it comes down to the question of is it worth bothering? And given that I've been living here for two years without changing any kind of filter, and it was probably installed about a year before I bought the place, is the water that is going through it likely to be contaminated? How useful is this kind of filter?

bouicca21

Having trawled the Internet for information about mains water filters I have come to the conclusion that the difficulty of identifying the necessary cartridge, let alone the physical difficulty of replacing one, means that the risk of bacterial build up is pretty high. So I think it should be removed.

Head_The_Ball

Yes, you should remove it as soon as possible as its filtering capacity will have long been exhausted and it is possible that it will contaminate your water with bacteria. Not a high risk as the chlorine in the mains water should kill most bacteria.

Whole house water filters are not really necessary. It is useful to have one for a drinking water tap at the kitchen sink as they remove most contaminates and usually make the water taste nicer.

We have a water softener that provides soft water to the whole house apart from the cold supply at the kitchen sink and the outside tap. We also have a water filter supplying filtered cold water to a drinking water tap at the kitchen sink.