Clean It Up

UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: FCS on July 16, 2012, 10:10:07 am

Title: Softener - worth the hassle or not?
Post by: FCS on July 16, 2012, 10:10:07 am

For those that vote, please add a comment about your input tds so we can see where you're coming from..
Thanks!

Title: Re: Softener - worth the hassle or not?
Post by: Lee GLS on July 16, 2012, 02:12:54 pm

my tds is 400. softeners are not worth the hassle, i used one for a few months, but they need flushing through too regularly. my 4040 ro is 2 years old and the water is coming out at 8, the same as it was when new, so a softener really wouldnt have made much difference in the long run.

Title: Re: Softener - worth the hassle or not?
Post by: FCS on July 16, 2012, 02:21:55 pm

Quote from: Lee GLS on July 16, 2012, 02:12:54 pm

my tds is 400. softeners are not worth the hassle, i used one for a few months, but they need flushing through too regularly. my 4040 ro is 2 years old and the water is coming out at 8, the same as it was when new, so a softener really wouldnt have made much difference in the long run.

Thanks for your opinion, you're in a similar situation to me then I think..

Don't forget to vote!

Title: Re: Softener - worth the hassle or not?
Post by: poole bay on July 16, 2012, 03:54:12 pm

for the uses of a softner is only in a hard water area only and will not bring down your tds reading it only to soften water stops ro clogging up in my case a must have my ro will last about 3 months and then will not work ;)

Title: Re: Softener - worth the hassle or not?
Post by: Spruce on July 16, 2012, 04:10:37 pm

We live in a soft water area so a softner isn't necessary.

A softner (badly named IMHO) doesn't soften the water as poole bay pointed out. It removes the calcium and magnesium from the water and replaces them with sodium ions. Your TDS will remain the same, but the r/o membranes can deal better with this water.

If I was in this position I would fit an automatic softener that automatically flushes itself, although you still need to replace the salt at regular intervals. I would also consider plumbing it in somewhere so the rest of the house would benefit as well, but this would need to be done in accord with legislation governing water softeners.

Spruce

Title: Re: Softener - worth the hassle or not?
Post by: FCS on July 16, 2012, 09:57:27 pm

Thanks for the comments folks, I'm presuming (due to no votes) not many windies actually use a softener then......

Title: Re: Softener - worth the hassle or not?
Post by: poleman on July 17, 2012, 01:00:15 am

I would normal have said NO but you really need to test your water hardness to really make your mind up if you need one

I have a 40-40 ro and got a watersoftener from gaps water and more than happy with it!

Title: Re: Softener - worth the hassle or not?
Post by: FCS on July 17, 2012, 07:54:06 am

what's your tds poleman?
and thanks for the votes folks..

Title: Re: Softener - worth the hassle or not?
Post by: traps7 on July 17, 2012, 09:51:18 pm

I got an automatic softener from Gaps also but have always used it so have never known any different in the 3 years since I switched to WFP.

My TDS is roughly 350 from tap.

But as already stated, I think hardness is separate to TDS.