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Buying a water softener...

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craigyroberts

Hi

I've recently purchased my first home and have had a combi-boiler fitted. I'm now wanting to install a water softener as my water is hard in the Wiltshire area. I am looking to go for the Kinetico 2020c and I think that the HF model is the best option for me. However I'm looking at buying it 2nd hand from ebay and all I can find is the HE model. Is there a simple way of changing a HE to HF? Or do I need to wait until a HF model comes available?

Thanks,

Craig
 
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Welcome to the UKPF. Hope you are having a lovely Easter?
I know nothing about that product so cannot advice. In my home, I have Harvey Water Softener. It does it's job but I'm not proud of it.
Why not try this product? I haven't tried it but recently, most of my customers have it fitted by Thames Water.

http://www.scaleguard.co.uk/
 
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I've fitted a few Harvey's water softeners & customers are all very pleased...but they're not cheap. I think the kinetico is very similar. Don't know about the kinetico model differences though. You'll need to check with the boiler manufacturer that the warranty won't be affected with softened water....or make sure bypass is used when topping up. Installer should have put a scale inhibitor on cold to boiler to protect dhw heat exchanger...but might not have done if you went with the cheapest quote.
 
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craigyroberts said:
Hi

I've recently purchased my first home and have had a combi-boiler fitted. I'm now wanting to install a water softener as my water is hard in the Wiltshire area. I am looking to go for the Kinetico 2020c and I think that the HF model is the best option for me. However I'm looking at buying it 2nd hand from ebay and all I can find is the HE model. Is there a simple way of changing a HE to HF? Or do I need to wait until a HF model comes available?

Thanks,

Craig
Click to expand...

Stand to be corrected but think some combi boiler manufactures don`t recommend water softners to be used.
 
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Yes, absolutely fantastic. Would not be without one. Go for a non electric model, either Kinetico or Harvey derivative. Expensive? Yes, but consider it a 20+ year investment. Have had various models over the past 40 years (now with Kinetico for past 15 years)
Sadly many boiler manufacturers seem to be frightened by the thought of artificially softened water going through their boilers, so err on the safe side in their ignorance. Having said that the more enlightened ones actually indicate their boiler has no problems with soft water.
My boiler manufacturer says that the use of artificially softened water will invalidate the warranty. It also says that the warranty will be void if excessive scale causes a breakdown. Go figure!
So when filling the system I use hard water by bypassing the softener and adding the appropriate additive.
It is possible to convert the Kinetico HE into a HF unit. Mine has been done and it is not expensive if you go through a Kinetico agent.
No more scale in your kettle or scum in your bath. More importantly (this is a plumbers' forum anyway) no furring up of the central heating system.
Good luck in your quest for soft water.
 
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I fitted a coral 15L premium. it does the job and only cost about £7.50 25kg in salt every couple of months, I live in a bonker hard 360-400ppm area. my friend has a kinetico but it uses block salt at about £7 for 8kg. so too expensive to run for me.

also be careful of claims by kinetico and others about water usage. mine will do about 2000L before regen and use about 53L of water. a kinetico will regen about every 400L and use 18L. so yes it looks like it uses less water but its doing 4 regens.

there is a thread on money saving expert about WS's. upshot is ones like mine with autotrol valves, which are easy and cheap to fix, are the best bet or Wrekin.

should cost about £450 with a 22mm kit for a 15L.

p.s. the higher the grain capacity the more efficient they are, less regen's. also the reason boiler MF's don't like softened water in the heating side is because some older additives reacted to the softened water.
 
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I fitted Harvey water softener at mine, and when I installed my Ideal boiler two years ago, I filled the damned thing with softened water? Why I hear you ask? Well, I have an email from Harvey saying it's ok. So if anything goes wrong and Ideal voids my warranty, I will get Harvey to foot the repairs cost.
 
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Frelon said:
What was in the link?
Nothing showing on my iPhone[emoji214]
Click to expand...

It`s an electronic water conditioner recommended by Thames Water but it is one of those wrap wires around the pipe and plug in things which I thought were a waste of time and money but I`m forever asked if they work.
 
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It is only salt based water softeners that will do the job. Almost all of the others are rather like snake oil or smoke and mirrors!! AFAIK none have been proven to soften the water, despite many people fitting them in the hope that they will.
Do a Google search on "water conditioners do they work?" and you will get a variety of answers. Mostly negative!!
 
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WAter conditioners like the coiled wire and others do soften water (slightly) they can reduce the hardness by 1- 3 degrees . But when in a hard water area of 20 degrees of hardness. 17 is still blooming hard water.
like above get a good quality metered water softener .
any with an autotrol control are good in my view .
 
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Question asked by you is a valid one, still choosing a water softener that comes at low price may actually cost you more.

Most of the water softener system include complex structure in it. And with increase in the complexity, there will be increase in the programming. And finally, the system will cost you more more bucks.

Also, do not fall for the cheap products, as it may end up in high maintenance for you. Go for quality product like Fleck Water Softener if there is no budget constraint. Hope this answer may help you in a right way.

Regards,

Bella
 
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I note Bella that you are from Texas The Fleck softener may be good but for those of us in the UK very costly and not likely to fit in the small kitchen cupboards we have over here! Probably unable to get it maintained either!
We recommend a twin tank non electric (Kinetico, Harvey's, Twin Tec etc) as probably the best in the UK. May be expensive but over a 20 year period a great investment
 
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