Softening water can provide a wide range of benefits, for both body and bubble baths, but what about reducing your carbon footprint and household costs with water softeners?

Increased longevity of household appliances

Do your washing machines live longer with Calgon, or is it a very clever marketing ploy? Well, according to The Water Quality Association there is very real evidence to prove that “softened water can save you money by keeping appliances at top efficiency, and making them last longer” Every household has numerous appliances that utilise water supply, and as we spend thousands of pounds a year, both purchasing and insuring these appliances, why wouldn’t you want them to keep them in tip top condition.

The damage caused by hard water

To determine whether you have a hard water supply there is a simple test –

1. Half fill a clean bottle with the water you wish to test.
2. Screw on the lid, or cover with your thumb and shake.
3. Empty out the water.
4. Half fill the bottle again and add 6 drops of washing up liquid.
5. Shake the mixture.
6. If the soap suds flow out of the bottle, your water isn’t hard. If you have to shake the bottle a few times to get soap suds then your water is hard. The rule is- the fewer suds you have, the harder your water supply is.

How do you know if your water is damaging your appliances? Keep an eye out for the following signs –

• Is the water taking longer to heat, or is your boiler not producing hot water.
• Clothes are not being cleaned as well as previously.
• Dishes are not being cleaned as efficiently as previously.
• The kettle takes longer to boil.
• The shower head becomes clogged.

It’s the limescale build-up produced from hard water that does the damage to appliances and water pipes. By adding a water softener into your water supply, your washing machine, dishwasher and boiler will be effectively limescale free, allowing for a free flowing water supply.

Saving money with softer water

By removing clogging limescale from pipes and showerheads, a much stronger and consistent flow of water is produced. By clearing limescale away from the element in kettles and appliance heaters, it improves productivity and cuts down on the energy used in operation. This will eventually help to reduce your energy bills as well as your carbon footprint.

There seems to be a bit of confusion written about using softened water in a boiler. Let us try and shed some light on this. It’s now seen as perfectly acceptable to use softened water in your heating system, and with Kineticos statistics of an average boiler repair costing  £235.37 and a brand new boiler costing between £1,800 and £3,500, households are looking for any help possible in avoiding these costs.

When limescale builds up from hard water inside the internal workings of a boiler,

efficiency is affected, forcing a higher level of energy consumption. If this is then left unchecked it can eventually lead to internal  blockages causing irreparable damage.

The loss of a boiler, not to mention the expense, is a high risk to households, when simply installing a water softener could eliminate any of these risks.

So there are many benefits of a water softener, ranging from bigger bath bubbles to efficiently functioning boilers, and of course for many people soft water tastes better.

For help and advice please contact us.