I'm considering a water softner..

Any experiences good or bad ? recommended makes etc ?

Thanks

Deano

I have one made by a company called Kinetico.

Not cheap - about £850 last year. They offer a free 1 month trial which will be long enough for you to see the benefits.

They are very cagey about the price so ring as many dealers as poss and play them off each other. I found one lots cheaper mail order (From Dorset Water - Link below) and then invited a local dealer round. He wanted £150 installation, which is fair as there is a half days work and I got two outside taps fitted, any way I explaind that if I took him up on his free trial it would be installed for free then I could send back his now secondhand unit and buy one mail order then slot it in myself. He was a little slow to realise at first that he would then be out of pocket but I eventually got him round to my way of thinking and we done a deal.

http://www.kinetico.co.uk/

I have an older model not the one shown here but the internals look the same.

This is the one I have - http://www.dorset-water.sageweb.co.uk/kbss.htm

http://www.clemsoft.co.uk/kinetico.php

http://www.webvert.co.uk/simplysoft/


A Small review - http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/electronics/small_kitchen_electrical/kinetico_water_softener/

Is your drinking water supplied via the water softener?

I hear this is not a good thing from a health point of view.

Yes mine is. It doesn't have to be, you can have whatever you want - for example my garden taps aren't softened.

The only health concern AFAIK is if you have a young baby in the house and you use powdered milk.

my in laws have a house wide water softener.

Logically they're brilliant - saving pipes/kitchen appliances n all that.

Apart from the logical reason tho, I hate it! take 'kin ages to clean hands, rinse teeth, rinse hair/body and tastes awful.
They do have a 'normal' tap in the kitchen for drinking water tho'.

I guess they pay for themselves by saving pipes and appliances. Don't they actually get rid of existing limescale after a period of time too?

The idea is that you use less soap products - and you do. Washing powder is halved, as is shampoo etc. The shower cubicle stays clean - no scum marks. No limescale on the taps.

It does free up the existing scale too that is correct.

We don't notice any change in water taste here, the wife likes to drink bottled anyway. It certainly doesn't bother me.

To be honest it has to be one of my better investments - I am converted. We are in a very heavy scale area though.

Mine is installed in the garage so no intrusion into the house either.

Stu...

WAtch the sault consumption, mine costs about £1.50 to £2.00 per week in salt.

The recommendation is to have the kitchen tap by-passing the softener.

Also some steam irons do not like softened water.

All the best

John Catlin

Thanks chaps.

Free trial to get the plumbing then buy one mail order sounds like a cunning plan ;).

Water is very hard where I live and we're spending a fortune on viakal :rolleyes: so salt consumption might even work out evens. Good point about the outside tap though. I would certinly leave at least one tap free for drinking water.

Deano

My salt consumption isn't anywhere near that high - I spend about £3.50 every 6 to 8 weeks.

The good thing about the Twin Tec is it doesn't work on a timer for regeneration it works on the quantity of water passed through so it is more economical & it doesn't use any electricity.

Stu..