Water Softeners
In some areas of the UK the water is naturally soft. Where the underlying geology is mainly hard rock like granite it will be noticeable that clothes are softer when washed and retain their colour for longer. The water feels silky and as a result it is less harsh on textiles than hard water, that often feels rough and gritty.
If you make a cup of tea with hard water it will form a layer of film on the top and will stain the cup and teapot as well as leaving an unpleasant chalky residue at the bottom of the cup. Once the hardness is removed the tea will look clear and brew more quickly as well as giving a fuller flavour. Of course there is the added bonus that the kettle will continue to look like new and boil more quickly with less electricity used.
When the water is totally soft it seems that bathrooms require hardly any cleaning effort. Water marks and limescale deposits on shower screens and taps are usually only removed using harsh chemicals and serious elbow grease. These no longer appear and even the unsightly rings around the water line in the toilet are eradicated.
How an ordinary electric softener works
Ordinary softeners only have one resin cylinder, which requires an electrical supply to power a mechanical or computerised timer. The timer is needed to control the regeneration process. Single cylinder softeners cannot regenerate during the day whilst water is likely to be used, so they are regenerated at night.
With this type of softener, if water is used during regeneration it will be hard. This process typically takes an hour or more in an ordinary softener and during this time no soft water is available. Neither can they use the full capacity of the resin because it could exhaust itself during the day and would produce hard water.
To avoid this possibility they are programmed to trigger a regeneration when a proportion of the resin has been used, which is inefficient. In homes with a water tank in the roof or with a pressurised system, using water during regeneration will harden all of the stored water, hot or cold and it can take some time for the water to become completely soft again.
Twin-cylinder softeners do not suffer with this problem because, when one cylinder exhausts itself the other takes over. This uses the full capacity of the resin and the unit can regenerate at any time, even when water is being used in the house.
Twin Tank Softeners
Twin cylinder softeners do not suffer the same limitations of electric water softeners for the reason that when one cylinder exhausts itself the other takes over. This uses the full capacity of the resin and the unit can regenerate at any time, even when water is being used in the house.
The benefits of having two resin tanks:
- Soft Water 24/7 – you will never run out of soft water
- Only regenerates when necessary – you will use less salt and you’ll never have to reset timers
- Enables a large capacity from a small softener – it could be installed under your sink
- One size fits all – you won’t need to upgrade or downgrade if your family situation changes
- Simple to disconnect, no electrical wiring – take it with you if you move and the guarantee stays with the unit
NO ELECTRICITY
Non-electric water softeners use the flow of water to operate the control module.
This is how the softener can cope with fluctuations in water demand in any household, without the need to alter time clocks or computer controls.
These units will cater for a household of 1-10 people and require no programming or maintenance other than keeping them topped up with salt blocks.
As an example, if you go away on holiday the softener will not waste water or salt by regenerating unnecessarily, it will wait for you to return and start using your water again.
Hard vs Soft
In some areas of the UK, the water is naturally soft. Where the underlying geology is mainly hard rock like granite it will be noticeable that clothes are softer when washed and retain their colour for longer. The water feels silky and as a result, it is less harsh on textiles than hard water that often feels rough and gritty.
If you make a cup of tea with hard water it will form a layer of film on the top and will stain the cup and teapot as well as leaving an unpleasant chalky residue at the bottom of the cup. Once the hardness is removed the tea will look clear and brew more quickly as well as giving a fuller flavour. Of course, there is the added bonus that the kettle will continue to look like new and boil more quickly with less electricity used.
When the water is totally soft it seems that bathrooms require hardly any cleaning effort. Watermarks and limescale deposits on shower screens and taps are usually only removed using harsh chemicals and serious elbow grease. These no longer appear and even the unsightly rings around the water line in the toilet are eradicated.
Shaving is an absolute pleasure with soft water and not only does it drastically reduce and even eliminate razor burn but it also lengthens the life of razor blades many times over and requires a fraction of the shaving foam or gel to get a rich lather. The same is true for shower gels, soap and shampoo which produce a richer and more effective lather for washing with far less product.
Washing machines require less than half the normal dose of detergent and a drop of fabric softener will be plenty to make the laundry smell fresh. Apart from the savings on all these expensive products, the machine itself benefits greatly since the drum and other parts don’t clog up with scum. This is the solid mass that forms between the chalk in hard water and detergent. In washing machines it can be seen on the glass door and all around the rubber door seal. The heating element will not scale up so it will heat quickly saving money on electricity bills and because it is not working as hard it will last longer. The drains will remain clearer too because there is less solid waste to block them up.
Dishwashers benefit in many of the same ways as washing machines in that soft water also prevents them from becoming clogged up. Again they are far more efficient in terms of power saving and product usage. Half a tablet would be plenty for the detergent, rinse aid setting can be set to minimum and there is no requirement for extra salt.
Any plumbing that comes into direct contact with water will benefit from the removal of chalk. Taps and shower valves become stiff over time as limescale builds up in them so more regular maintenance or replacement is necessary. The same is true for toilet and tank valves which clog up, fail to shut the water off and then overflow which wastes water and results in another service charge from a plumber.
Block Salt vs Tablet Salt
For many years granular or tablet salt was the only option for filling a water softener, but the invention of block salt in more recent years has provided a modern alternative with many advantages.
- Easier to handle - Blocks weigh just 4kg each and there are two blocks in each pack. This makes an 8kg pack of salt with its convenient handle far easier to lift and move than awkward 25kg bags of tablets.
- Less storage space - Block salt packs are similar in size to shoe boxes and can be stacked neatly on top of one another compared to the tablet bags which take up a huge area in comparison.
- No more mess - Salt blocks are solid, meaning no clean-up is necessary. The tablets, however, no matter how careful you are, seem to create mess that needs sweeping up every time you load the softener.
- Less residue - Block salt is densely packed and dissolves slowly so it creates brine as required and therefore doesn’t leave a mass of undissolved silt at the bottom of the brine cabinet. Tablets and granules leave a residue which builds up in the cabinet and, without maintenance, this can hamper the operation of the brine valve.
- Easier to load - It takes just a few seconds to load two blocks, even when water softeners are situated in confined spaces. Salt tablets, on the other hand, can be very time consuming and awkward to use especially when you have to ‘ladle’ tablets a few at a time.
TwinTec
We are proud to be an authorised distributor for TwinTec water softeners and filters from the British manufacturer, Harveys.
Infinity T4
We are extremely privileged to be able to offer the latest Infinity water softeners and related drinking water products from the Kinetico range.
