Water Softner for whole house

tekie

I'm looking to buy a water softener for my home, but I'm overwhelmed by the options. How can I choose the best one for my needs?

Specifically, I'm interested in understanding the different types of water softeners and how they compare in terms of efficiency. What factors should I consider regarding salt consumption and the amount of wastewater they produce?

I've narrowed down to 3 companies

Harveys - UK made and the most expensive £2200 -installed with 6 salt blocks as starter kit

Kinetico - US product but claims to be as good as Harveys, but the efficiency in terms of salt and waster Harveys has the edge - £1700 fully installed with 2 months Salt supply

Twintec - Appraently uses the same system as Harveys but cheaper.

If you could share your experience that'll be great.

Rodders53

My softener man supplies and installs Kinetico and Twintec.

The Twintec softener was here when we moved in.  It developed a fault (brine tank overflowed to the outside, wasting some salt block, before I noticed) and the installer basically rebuilt it all free of charge under the 10 year warranty (which it was approaching).

Other than that it just does the job.  Ours uses the standard big salt blocks so not overly expensive per kg.

Other softener types are often far cheaper and have lower salt costs due to single tank and large bags of pellet salt rather than blocks.

tekie

I'm looking for the under-the-sink modern twin tank solutions, but really trying to understand whether Harveys has any significant advantage over the other brands. Apparently they are the only ones that are manufactured in the UK and dominate the market; I'm not prepared to pay a premium just for that unless they are using significantly better technology.

FreeBear

tekie said:  really trying to understand whether Harveys has any significant advantage over the other brands.

I'd suggest looking at the running costs - If you are having to buy specially shaped salt blocks from a single source, it could be very expensive to run.

Belenus

FreeBear said:

tekie said:  really trying to understand whether Harveys has any significant advantage over the other brands.

I'd suggest looking at the running costs - If you are having to buy specially shaped salt blocks from a single source, it could be very expensive to run.

Block salt is available from multiple sources. It isn't unique to Harveys.

It is more convenient but more expensive than pellet/tablet salt. The blocks weigh 4kgs each and are easier to store and handle than a 25kg sack of pellet/tablet salt. Maybe pellet/tablet salt is available in smaller than 25kgs sacks. (see edit below)

You can use pellet/tablet salt in a Harveys softener if you wish. Salt is salt. Just make sure that the salt is suitable for water softeners. Don't use table or de-icing salt etc as they have impurities or additives that might clog up the softener.

Edit: I just googled and Screwfix do 10kg sacks of tablet salt although the price is about the same per kg as I pay for block salt.

Chickereeeee

I really don't get the point of twin tank water softeners. I had one that measured the water used and regenerated, when needed, over night at the next opportunity.  So the water may have been harder for a few hours  - so what?

tekie

Belenus said:

FreeBear said:

tekie said:  really trying to understand whether Harveys has any significant advantage over the other brands.

I'd suggest looking at the running costs - If you are having to buy specially shaped salt blocks from a single source, it could be very expensive to run.

Block salt is available from multiple sources. It isn't unique to Harveys.

It is more convenient but more expensive than pellet/tablet salt. The blocks weigh 4kgs each and are easier to store and handle than a 25kg sack of pellet/tablet salt. Maybe pellet/tablet salt is available in smaller than 25kgs sacks. (see edit below)

You can use pellet/tablet salt in a Harveys softener if you wish. Salt is salt. Just make sure that the salt is suitable for water softeners. Don't use table or de-icing salt etc as they have impurities or additives that might clog up the softener.

Edit: I just googled and Screwfix do 10kg sacks of tablet salt although the price is about the same per kg as I pay for block salt.

While comparable systems from manufacturers like Kinetico employ readily accessible standard block salt, the most recent Harvey model uses curved sold blocks, which limits your options for purchasing it elsewhere and will ultimately cost more.

bob_a_builder

Do you know anyone with a Costco card ?
We have this one - £550
https://www.costco.co.uk/Home-Improvement/Kitchen/Water-Softener-Filtration/Kinetico-Kube-1-Non-Electric-Water-Softener-For-Households-with-up-to-2-Bathrooms/p/275228
Paid an extra £200 or so some years ago for it to be installed 

silvercar

I have a Hague maximiser that takes the pellet salt. Many places sell it quite cheaply. I either use screwfix/ wickes or order online from simply salt.

tekie

bob_a_builder said:

Do you know anyone with a Costco card ?
We have this one - £550
https://www.costco.co.uk/Home-Improvement/Kitchen/Water-Softener-Filtration/Kinetico-Kube-1-Non-Electric-Water-Softener-For-Households-with-up-to-2-Bathrooms/p/275228
Paid an extra £200 or so some years ago for it to be installed 

I appreciate the link! I wasn't aware that Costco offered water softeners. However, my current need is for a twin-tank system with a substantial warranty. I'm leaning towards a Kinetico twin-tank model that provides a 10-year warranty on parts and 5 years of onsite support.

A key feature they offer is a built-in drinking water filter with a dedicated tap, which seems to be the standard setup offered by other local dealers I've contacted. This integrated filtration system is a must-have for me

silvercar

tekie said:

bob_a_builder said:

Do you know anyone with a Costco card ?
We have this one - £550
https://www.costco.co.uk/Home-Improvement/Kitchen/Water-Softener-Filtration/Kinetico-Kube-1-Non-Electric-Water-Softener-For-Households-with-up-to-2-Bathrooms/p/275228
Paid an extra £200 or so some years ago for it to be installed 

I appreciate the link! I wasn't aware that Costco offered water softeners. However, my current need is for a twin-tank system with a substantial warranty. I'm leaning towards a Kinetico twin-tank model that provides a 10-year warranty on parts and 5 years of onsite support.

A key feature they offer is a built-in drinking water filter with a dedicated tap, which seems to be the standard setup offered by other local dealers I've contacted. This integrated filtration system is a must-have for me

When we had a filtered water system (reverse osmosis) we had to have the filters changed every 6 months. Annoying and expensive. I'd check on whether the system you are looking at is the same.

We've now decided to drink softened water, after reading up that it is safe to do so. We have an outside tap that is outside the water softener if we ever wanted hard water.