We get asked this a lot. The best way to answer this is by coming to see you, there are lots of different answers depending on the installation and other factors. Please fill in the quote form or call to arrange a home visit.

We like to install them as close to the rising main/stopcock as possible. If you're not sure where this is then fill out the quotation form and we will arrange a home visit as we are very good at finding these.

Yes we guarantee full limescale removal, so everything will sparkle and shine.

Yes, when we install the water softener we fit it with a set of valves called the bypass set.

YES you can.

Advice from the Water Regulations Advisory Scheme (WRAS)* is:
*June 2007 No 9-07-01 ISSUE 1
• Drinking water must comply with regulations, these state that the
maximum limit of sodium is 200 mg/l (milligrams per litre).
• This sodium limit will be exceeded where the water is extremely hard, for example above 425 ppm. This is assuming that the sodium level in the public water supply is zero. Your demonstrator will test your water for hardness.
• We will ensure your water will not exceed 200 mg/l when softened. A separate unsoftened drinking water tap can be fitted if the sodium limit does exceed 200 mg/l or if you would prefer a hard water supply. This should preferably be at the kitchen / utility sink.
• It is recommended that softened water is not used for baby feed preparation, particularly for those six weeks and under. Take a look at the baby feed instructions
for advice. Some babies’ kidneys are not fully formed and the baby feed is created
to contain the correct amount of sodium. The additional sodium in softened water
upsets this balance and some babies have been known to suffer from dehydration.
• If you have been advised by a doctor to be on a low sodium diet, it is recommended not to drink softened water.
Yes
Softened water doesn’t contain unhealthy amounts of sodium:
In an average hard water area a 250ml glass of softened
water would contribute to 1% of your daily sodium intake.*
*Recommended daily intake by the NHS (2015) is 2,400mg of sodium.

Some people prefer the taste of hard water
Instances where softened water isn’t suitable eg. mixing with baby feed
• Some fish may require hard water in their tanks. If in doubt, please get advice from your supplier
• For watering indoor plants or your garden
• Some irons may be self-descaling and therefore designed for use with hard water, check the instructions to be sure.

For every 100 mg/l of calcium carbonate hardness taken out of the water, 46 mg/l of sodium goes in. Add this to the level of sodium already in the water (to find this out call the customer
service number for your water supplier) and you have the total sodium level after softening. Softflow Softeners can help you with this.

What do the regulations say?
The WRAS state that “water that has been softened on site should only be used for drinking purposes when the treated water is wholesome”, this applies to where the water hardness is particularly high and exceeds 400 ppm. Other than that, softened water would be considered ‘wholesome’ by the WRAS. In this context, wholesome means healthy and drinkable.

How softened water compares
250ml glass of softened London water - 25mg sodium
200ml glass of skimmed milk - 80mg sodium
200ml glass of whole milk - 100mg sodium

Read Fact Sheet

This is the latest information that is not wildly know but we are trying to change peoples attitudes.

“Is it ok to use softened water in a boiler?”
This is a question we are regularly asked by customers and installers alike.
Advice has changed over the years, and separating fact from fiction can be difficult without some expertise in the subject. We’ve done the hard work for you with the following information:
The simple answer is yes, it is perfectly acceptable to use softened water in your boiler as long as you observe the following advice from the Heating and Hot Water Council (HHIC):
“Where a water softener is present in the dwelling, ensure that the heating system primary circuit is filled with mains water via the general bypass valve as required in BS 14743.”
Note: A water softener installation must comply with BS 14743 (this states that there must be ‘a general bypass valve which enables the softening unit to be isolated from the mains, while maintaining water supply to the end user’. For installation requirements, refer to WRAS Information and guidance Note No 9-07- 01 “Information for the installation of ion-exchange water softeners for systems supplying water for domestic purposes”.
Put simply, using a water softener is fine as long as you fill your central heating (radiators) with unsoftened water. A reputable installer (ourselves included) will always fit a general bypass valve which makes this process easy.

Prior to the introduction of aluminium heat exchangers during the late 1980’s it was considered normal practice to fill the central heating system with softened water whenever a water softener was present in the household.
Up to that date, the central heating chemical inhibitors were designed for use with hard water and the combination of an aluminium heat exchanger and chemical inhibitor led to some corrosion problems. It was therefore put into the 1992 BSI standard for water treatment (BS7593:1992) that softened water should not be used where there is an aluminium heat exchanger.
This led to considerable confusion as many installers and householders did not know whether or not the boiler contained an aluminium heat exchanger so to play it safe most people recommended that the heating system is filled with hard water