Water filter/softener question on removing limescale

C

car

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Am investigating water filter/softener systems for the house. Central heating system probably has a few year of limescale build up in it at this stage as the water is pretty bad in my area.

Most softener units claim to "free up limescale in CH systems", does this mean the limescale that currently exists in the pipes will be broken down and removed somehow or is there a clean/flush process required to remove the limescale from the pipes before the softener is installed?
 
reply to own post, apparently the softeners do break down existing scale according to info on here
 
Ive looked at 4 different systems.

1 from a crowd called water pure, dont have a link, guy called out to the house, quite pricey at 1890e but lots of guarantees and sales talk.

[broken link removed] 485e.

That GE one from water2buy 490e

[broken link removed] 1050e.

Im leaning towards the GE one at the moment but theres a filter on aquaeuro Im interested in for about the same price as the softener so may see if I can get a deal off them if I buy the 2.
 
from looking at the websites, there seems to ones double the price aswell, how do you work out whats best for a normal family of 4/6

looking at the ones above, the aquaeuro looks the best, based on whats said on the websites
 
Trust a woman to remember something a fella said nearly 3 years ago.

Project water softener never left the list, just got pushed down a little, its back at the top now as wife talked to neighbour friend who found her hair feeling lovely since getting a water softener in. Also, dry skin suffered by all in the house which is only now being linked to the hard water after reading up.

Project decking and project new kitchen pushed down list.


from looking at the websites, there seems to ones double the price aswell, how do you work out whats best for a normal family of 4/6

looking at the ones above, the aquaeuro looks the best, based on whats said on the websites
Click to expand...

I rang aqua euro yesterday and they asked what size family was it before recommending the above linked softener. We're 2 ad+2 ch, I read on one of those sites that 2+3 use 6000 litres per week so we're prob not far off that. From talking to the other companies as well, they say the salt changes are due about once a month.
The metered aquaeuro unit regens itself every 1600 litres and uses 1.6kg each time. It holds 20kgs so thats about 12 and a bit changes. If we use between 5-5.5k litres a week, that would mean a salt change roughly every month which is about right.
I believe the salt costs around 8-9e per 25kg bag, so lets say a bag a month, should be around 100e per annum for salt.
 
I'd say avoid water pure. Sounds somewhat like pure H2O under another name. €2000 is way over the odds for a water softener. He'll probably push you to get an RO unit as well.

Where abouts are you based?
 
does anyone not see the glaring issue with the claim that softeners "free up limescale in CH systems".......??

your central heating system is a closed system. The chances of you ever changing the whole water in the system even once over its lifspan is remote. theres usually a connection to a little tank in the attic in order to keep it topped up if theres a small leak, which should be remedied anyway......

most (properly installed) central heating systems never need any new input of water over their lifspan......

i would only be purchasing a softener if it affects kettles / washing machines etc..... it should do nothing for central heating systems....

if there is a build up of limescale in a central heating system its a symptom of a wider problem, treat the cause and not the effect......
 
Im in ashbourne, meath. Water quite bad up here, symptoms.
1. Tap water bad taste
2. If we clean kettle, one boil with unfiltered water leaves about a 1/2 teaspoon of scale.
3. Dry skin/hair.
4. Bathroom/ Shower / tap areas need additional cleaning to rid of scale.
5. Rads not heating up as much as they should, which indicates other issues but may be related. There is scale flushing fluid which can be used for heating systems, I'll try that first.
 
Is softened water safe to drink, due to the sodium addition? Have been looking but cannot get a definite answer. Is it safe to use boiled softened water? If its unsafe for babies then why should accept it...its the addition of sodium that worries me..

We were advised to keep a hardwater tap in the kitchen and utility to use for drinking and making babies bottles and that the other cold water taps could use the softened supply ie bathroom taps.

Any opinions welcome
 
If there are young kids in the house, they advise an RO (reverse osmosis) system in addition to a softener. That gives you a sodium free feed through a 'drinking water' tap on the sink, no increased salt for any members of the family so. The filters are changed every 3 months, so there's a cost implication, its about 60 euro every time for me. The salt usage and costs quoted here is about right. The figures saved on shampoos/detergents and cleaners contribute to that cost, maybe even exceed it.

They're worth the money if you're in a hard water area, or in an area where water supply has had quality issues. We should be able to depend on clean potable supplies but ask the people in Ennis, Galway and elsewhere about that!!
 
the water quality in the area is fine, we will have filtered water through the fridge for drinking, so that covers that, but obviously you would be using softened water for boiling kettles for tea etc
 
I also have been considering getting some sort of water softening system into the house. I have a huge problem with limescale, the heating system seems less efficient then when I moved in almost 7 yrs ago (I've had the boiler serviced etc), the shower heads are constantly getting blocked and having to be cleaned. The element in the immersion had to be changed as it was caked in the stuff as have a few kettles. I dread to think what the washing machine is like but do use calgon every second or so wash - don't like using it with certain items being washed.
I got a recommendation from a plumber and as a result got a quote from water treatment centre in Kilbeggen, Westmeath. They quoted 1900 for small unit and 2250 for medium unit, Fully installed outside (where I want it as I don't want to lose press space) with a protective insulated surround and a yrs supply of salt. There is a 15 yr guarantee.
I'm wondering has anyone gone ahead and used this company and if so how did things fair out.
I'm wondering if I can/will get it set up so I have normal water coming into the kitchen and filtered going else where throughout the house after having read about sodium content of water and preferring not to drink the filtered stuff.

Any thoughts would be grateful.
Thanks
 


The world's number one medical website - http://www.mayoclinic.com/ - gives a good idea about sodium in softened water.

see - [broken link removed]

They are Americans so they use the "grain" measurement which equals 17.1 mg per grain. So 20 grain hardness which is found commonly in the hardest parts of the country such as the West of Ireland, is about 342 mg per litre.

Softened water has 40% of the sodium of this figure so 137 mg per litre. Tesco bottled still water has 85 mg per litre, and sodium at trace levels is classed at around 100 mg per litre.

Mayoclinic.com quote - "One survey found that, as a general rule, an 8-ounce glass of softened tap water contains less than 12.5 milligrams of sodium. According to the Food and Drug Administration nutrient guidelines, this is in the very low-sodium range."


We require 2400 milligrams of sodium in our diet each day, so the general rule is that one glass of softened water gives around 1/200th of our daily sodium requirement, or we would need to drink around 200 glasses to exceed it.


The EU Directives for sodium in drinking water supplies are based on 200 mg per litre, so softened water in the hardest parts of the country are well below the strictest levels set. Many bottled waters exceed 200 mg per litre, some are over 1000 mg per litre.
 



Many companies now offer top of the range metered systems from the U.S. with 10 and 20 year warranties, free salt for a year, 7 days back up service etc, with the "McLaren F1" models selling from under 1,000 euros.

If a water softner cost over 1,200 euros nowadays, it would have to have the best of everything along with gold plating.

Salesmen tend to add huge commissions, so if you pay 2,000 euros, you are getting sucker punched by con artists.
 
Thanks Zenn, bought one int the end, moving into house in two weeks so we'll see, renting at present and wife finds the hard water a nighmare esp on her hair!!!lol
 
Hey ,car , Im in ashbourne also just wondering did you ever buy that water softner and which brand ??

Thanks Stuart
 
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