Frequently Asked Questions

We’re pleased to offer a 2 year warranty on our range of domestic water softeners, to give you peace of mind. Our warranty covers the product for two years from the date of installation for defective materials and workmanship under normal use, when installed and operated within recommended parameters. For more information please visit our warranty information page.

Water softeners work using a technology called ‘ion’ exchange. This means that ‘hardness forming’ molecules such as calcium carbonate and magnesium are removed from your water and replaced with sodium molecules. The process uses cleverly negatively charged beads that form the resin bed of your water softener. You can read a more detailed explanation of this process in our how water softeners work post on our knowledge hub.

Water softeners are safe for use in domestic and commercial settings. If your water hardness is above 400ppm then a hard water line should be kept at the main outlet for drinking (eg; your kitchen tap). Drinking water from your water softener (where the water hardness is below 400ppm) is not harmful for general consumption, but should not be used for preparing baby formula or consumed by people on a low sodium diet. If you have any concerns be sure to speak with a member of our team to ensure you get the right advice before purchase.

All the while that water is flowing through your water softener, the cleverly charged resin beads are picking up hardness molecules and exchanging them for sodium ions – generating soft water in the process. As there is only a set amount of these resin beads in your softeners ‘resin bed’ the amount of hardness molecules they can take on is finite. So every now and again regeneration occurs to dislodge all of the hardness molecules from the resin beads so that they can continue to do their work softening your water.

During regeneration a brine solution is used to wash the resin bed, cleaning it of the hardness molecules it has removed and sending them down the drain, this recharges and prepares it to get to work softening your water again.

Some customers may have a requirement for 24 hour softened water and wish to avoid downtime for regeneration, meaning their property and appliances are constantly protected from the problems associated with hard water. To solve this we offer a range of domestic and commercial ‘duplex’ or ‘twin tank’ systems which have two resin tanks. This means that whilst one is offline for regeneration the other tank is operational ensuring soft water is delivered to your property 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Reverse osmosis works by forcing water at pressure through a ‘semi-permeable’ membrane. The pores in the membrane are incredibly small (about 0.0001 micron) and trap an array of dissolved ions and minerals such as fluoride, nitrates, dissolved metals and a whole lot of others! With reverse osmosis there is a percentage of waste water, this water is concentrated with all of the minerals and ions that have been removed from the purified water (or permeate) that you retain. Reverse osmosis systems are commonplace in the home for drinking water and in commercial applications for specialist processes. Read more about reverse osmosis on our knowledge hub here.

Salt free water softeners do not actually remove the hardness molecules from your water, instead they are designed to alter the chemistry of the hardness molecules so that they do not ‘precipitate’ or form limescale. No salt is required for this process, however to be defined as a ‘water softener’ the hardness molecules need to be removed from the supply, making this type of technology fall into the ‘water conditioning’ bracket instead with ‘salt free’ being more of a naming convention. Water conditioners or salt free water softeners offer a popular alternative as they can be installed in any property, don’t increase the amount of sodium in your water and require no drain line or overflow.

Water softener regeneration is typically controlled by either a timed or metered valve. Timed regeneration means the softener can be programmed to regenerate at specific time-based intervals such as at 2am when no one in the home is using water. Metered regeneration occurs after a specific volume of water has passed through the system, ensuring that every last drop of water has been softened before regeneration occurs which is why they are regarded as more efficient than time based systems.

Softened water is generally safe to drink and has a sodium content comparable to a glass of milk. If the water being supplied to your softener is 400ppm or more, then you’ll want to keep a hard water line for drinking or consider using a reverse osmosis system to remove the excess sodium content prior to consumption. If your water hardness is less than 400ppm then softened water is fine to drink, however it shouldn’t be used to prepare baby formula or consumed by people on a low sodium diet.

By replacing your filters at their recommended intervals you can ensure that your water remains an optimal quality. With the rigours of everyday life however, it can be hard to keep up to date with when your filters need to be changed. For this reason, we offer a free filter change reminders service that allows you to choose an interval that works best for you.

For customers that are looking for installation please refer to our water softener installation page for more information and for booking requests. If you are having issues with your system or you think your current unit might require a service then we suggest taking a look at our water softener servicing page to find out more information on possible next steps.

Water softeners are generally simple to install, taking most professionals only a couple of hours. We always recommend the use of a professional plumber, to ensure the softener is installed correctly. Please note we offer a range of installation kits for our water softeners which includes all hoses and fittings required for an effective installation.