water softner help in chosing and is this true

Doc_N · 20 March 2017 at 4:43PM

Aphid wrote: »

I am on the verge of buying a water softener, actually a BWT WS355. Although I understand that the plumbing part is quite straightforward (for a plumber, anyway) I am aware that this and similar models require a 12V power supply. Having one fitted by an electrician sounds like it could be expensive(???), given the nature of kitchen units making access to electrics very awkward. Under my sink there are no power sockets - understandably - although there are power sockets on the walls above the base units, and a socket a few base units along, powering the dish washer. Has anyone come up with an ingenious way of running a power supply without the need for an electrician?

Couldn't you just use an extension cable - most softeners just plug in, rather than being wired in.

Aphid · 20 March 2017 at 5:00PM

Something like an extension cable is what I have in mind. I have a spare socket on the wall nearby. Maybe I could run the cable through the worktop, down the back of the base unit, underneath the base units and back up into the unit that will house the softener. Plug on one end, socket on the other? That way cable hidden out of sight. The other option I am weighing up is similar with an extension positioned under the base unit emerging through a small hole and into the plug. The 12V socket would them be fed over the back of the base unit to plug into the extension underneath the same unit. My only concern there is the remote possibility of a water leak.

dca860 · 27 May 2017 at 7:10PM

I'm 10 years late in replying, but for other potential buyers, the Crown, Harveys, TwinTec, DualFlow, Calsoft, MiniMax etc are all the same inside and are all manufactured by Harveys in Old Woking, Surrey.
In my view, they are better than Kinetico (the same chap designed both but his later development has left Kinetico behind on technology

Annie1960 · 27 May 2017 at 8:21PM

Very old thread, but if anyone is thinking of getting a water softener someone I know said he made a mistake getting it fitted where the mains comes into the house as he had no tap without softened water.

This made it difficult for drinking water, cooking, making tea etc, so it may be a good idea to keep the main kitchen tap free of softener.

malc_b · 28 May 2017 at 9:51AM

The kitchen tap should not be softened as this adds sodium to the water which is not advised for people sensitive to sodium (i.e. who need low salt diet) such as those with high blood pressure and babies. You might consider an in-line filter for the kitchen sink. These are usually for taste but some filters say they are anti-scale too. Inline filters claim to remove chlorine and fluorine so you might want to look at the effect drinking this water has on children (i.e. will they be missing fluoride so have weaker teeth?).

Bykerlass · 28 May 2017 at 5:07PM

I've read the whole of this thread on water softeners....I really need to get a life.
I now at least feel a bit better informed. I need to first find out exactly where to put the thing, my kitchen is fitted with the intergrated washing machine on one side of the sink cupboard and the dishwasher at the other. Looking under the sink. It unless the waste taps etc can be remodelled to make room for it I'm stumped:(

Doc_N · 28 May 2017 at 6:39PM

Bykerlass wrote: »

I've read the whole of this thread on water softeners....I really need to get a life.
I now at least feel a bit better informed. I need to first find out exactly where to put the thing, my kitchen is fitted with the intergrated washing machine on one side of the sink cupboard and the dishwasher at the other. Looking under the sink. It unless the waste taps etc can be remodelled to make room for it I'm stumped:(

No doubt about it, they do require a bit of space. A decent plumber will advise you what's feasible, and what's not, and he may be able to rejig the plumbing to cope with the softener if there's physically a gap to get it into. It may have to go somewhere else entirely, but that's likely to involve a lot of cost and pipework.

Often if there's an integral garage the rising main will be there, and if so there's likely to be a bit more room.

Head_The_Ball · 28 May 2017 at 6:49PM

Annie1960 wrote: »

Very old thread, but if anyone is thinking of getting a water softener someone I know said he made a mistake getting it fitted where the mains comes into the house as he had no tap without softened water.

This made it difficult for drinking water, cooking, making tea etc, so it may be a good idea to keep the main kitchen tap free of softener.

Not only is it a good idea, it is standard practice.

It is also advisable not to feed softened water to any outside or garden tap used for cleaning, watering etc as it wastes salt and some plants don't like soft water.

Bykerlass · 29 May 2017 at 12:26AM

Doc_N wrote: »

No doubt about it, they do require a bit of space. A decent plumber will advise you what's feasible, and what's not, and he may be able to rejig the plumbing to cope with the softener if there's physically a gap to get it into. It may have to go somewhere else entirely, but that's likely to involve a lot of cost and pipework.

Often if there's an integral garage the rising main will be there, and if so there's likely to be a bit more room.

Im favouring your recommended softener, Tapworks:) I'm guessing it's going to be more complicated with regards siting it and plumbing. Our garage is not intergrated but it does having plumbing as we considered siting the washing machine there. need to speak to my brother in law as he is a plumber and knows our system and I seem to recall him saying something about being not straightforward.
I can't ask him to install it as he's up to his eyes in work:(

Doc_N · 29 May 2017 at 7:23AM

Bykerlass wrote: »

Im favouring your recommended softener, Tapworks:) I'm guessing it's going to be more complicated with regards siting it and plumbing. Our garage is not intergrated but it does having plumbing as we considered siting the washing machine there. need to speak to my brother in law as he is a plumber and knows our system and I seem to recall him saying something about being not straightforward.
I can't ask him to install it as he's up to his eyes in work:(

It's not so much whether the garage is integral or not, but whether the main water supply comes into the house that way (the rising main) - it's common enough with integral garages but less common where the garage is separate.

The point is that the softener has to soften the water for the whole house (excluding the kitchen cold tap and any outside taps) so it usually has to be fitted near to where the supply enters the property. That might be under the sink, it might be in the garage, or it could be somewhere else. Your brother-in-law's doubtless right - but nothing's impossible in plumbing terms. Just expensive and maybe unsightly. Good luck!

water softner help in chosing and is this true

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