Help with water softener and water filter

tallac

We want to install a water softener for the whole house to avoid the typical limescale issues. As I understand it, while drinking softened water isn't an immediate health concern, it does add sodium to the softening process so long term it might not be good. Therefore, I was thinking of having a drinking water tap at the kitchen which by passes the softener. All the other water outlets would be from the softener.

Then I learnt that you can get plumbed in drinking water filters which have a secondary tap at the kitchen sink. This would filter the water in a different way but it would be suitable for drinking.

My question is, what is the normal setup for a water softener and a drinking water filter? Is it as I describe above where you have a secondary drinking water filtered tap at the kitchen sink and all other water outlets go through the softener?

Any advice or suggestions on this?

giraffe69

We had a softener fitted recently(A Tapworks model). We also had a separate tap for drinking water which has a Brita filter (actually because the old tap was a bit rickety we have a combined function new tap). This has worked well thus far.

Belenus

tallac said:

We want to install a water softener for the whole house to avoid the typical limescale issues. As I understand it, while drinking softened water isn't an immediate health concern, it does add sodium to the softening process so long term it might not be good. Therefore, I was thinking of having a drinking water tap at the kitchen which by passes the softener. All the other water outlets would be from the softener.

Then I learnt that you can get plumbed in drinking water filters which have a secondary tap at the kitchen sink. This would filter the water in a different way but it would be suitable for drinking.

My question is, what is the normal setup for a water softener and a drinking water filter? Is it as I describe above where you have a secondary drinking water filtered tap at the kitchen sink and all other water outlets go through the softener?

Any advice or suggestions on this?

That is the normal method with one exception. If you have an outside or garden tap, feed that from unsoftened water if possible. Otherwise you are wasting salt when you use that tap to wash the car etc and also some plants don't like the sodium content of softened water.

A plumbed in (inline) filter for the unsoftened drinking water (but not the outside tap water) is a good idea although not essential.

tetrarch

It really depends on the location of your rising main and where you plan to locate your water softener.
Garden and kitchen tap should be fed with unsoftened water and then your filtered water tee'd off from that supply.
However, you really want your dishwasher and washing machine fed with a softened supply.
My Kinetico 2020 has just died, but has given me over 10 years of service. I will be buying another in due course

Regards

Tet

ComicGeek

I have a triple lever tap in the kitchen, so filtered water supply from an undercounter cartridge unit, softened cold water and softened hot water. Replace the cartridge every 9-12 months.

The filtered water is for drinking water, but I still use the softened cold water to make tea/coffee to avoid limescale buildup in the kettle/coffee maker. The risk of drinking softened water is more an issue for very young children and pregnant women.

Unsoftened feed to the external water tap for watering the garden, although I find the softened feed is better for washing the car and leaves fewer streaks - but our water here is really, really hard.

tallac

I can see the benefit with having the outside tap as both unsoftened (plants, garden etc) and softened (washing the car). I wonder if it's worth installing one tap for each.

ComicGeek said:

I have a triple lever tap in the kitchen, so filtered water supply from an undercounter cartridge unit, softened cold water and softened hot water. Replace the cartridge every 9-12 months.

The filtered water is for drinking water, but I still use the softened cold water to make tea/coffee to avoid limescale buildup in the kettle/coffee maker. The risk of drinking softened water is more an issue for very young children and pregnant women.

Doesn't the filtered drinking water tap remove limescale too (in a different way to the household water softener)? That's what I thought?

Slinky

tallac said:

I can see the benefit with having the outside tap as both unsoftened (plants, garden etc) and softened (washing the car). I wonder if it's worth installing one tap for each.

ComicGeek said:

I have a triple lever tap in the kitchen, so filtered water supply from an undercounter cartridge unit, softened cold water and softened hot water. Replace the cartridge every 9-12 months.

The filtered water is for drinking water, but I still use the softened cold water to make tea/coffee to avoid limescale buildup in the kettle/coffee maker. The risk of drinking softened water is more an issue for very young children and pregnant women.

Doesn't the filtered drinking water tap remove limescale too (in a different way to the household water softener)? That's what I thought?

Our water softener is installed externally as we had no space under the sink and nowhere else it could realistically go. When we want to water the garden we whip the cover off and flick the 3 plumbing levers into their opposing positions and water will then flow straight through it bypassing the resin so it doesn't use the salt. 

As far as drinking water is concerned, we have an additional tap at the sink and use a Phox water jug (which has a refillable filter so less plastic waste). It removes a lot of limescale - we're in a very hard water area.

Doc_N

fs13jfw said:

Yes this is a normal set up! you can actually get a separate mini tap or a 3 way tap. 3 way taps are easier and look better - means you have one tap for hot cold and then filtered water. I got my water softener, tap and filter form a great online company called Spam Water Softeners. They had some good online deals but I called direct and got a good discount which they could show online! Worth a look to save money and get the best brands I think the website is spam.co.uk and they have quiet a few options to choose from

Yet more spam.

tallac

Quick question with a water softener. How much does it affect the water pressure of the house? I'm thinking of getting a Harvey (dual cylinder variant). Thoughts?