Use our water hardness checker to find out how hard the water is in your area. At a level of 100ppm or more, you could benefit from a water softener.
Buy a water hardness testing kit to see how hard your water is and what benefits a Harvey Water Softener can bring to you and your family.
It’s likely that, being in a hard water area, you see a lot of limescale in your home – in your kettle, around your taps, on your shower, etc. Limescale is a white powdery build up caused by the higher levels of magnesium and calcium present in hard water. Your hard water means you’ll need to clean more frequently to keep limescale at bay.
Hard water is much less kind to your appliances and pipes than soft. This is because the increased levels of magnesium and calcium in hard water cause build ups that can reduce the effectiveness and lifespan of your pipes and appliances. You may find your appliances don’t last as long as they would in a soft water area, and you should keep an eye on the inner-workings for any build up.
Harder water is likely to contribute to higher household bills because you need to use more of common household goods like shampoos and cleaning products. You’ll also find your appliances don’t last as long or perform as effectively as they do in a soft water area, meaning higher maintenance and replacement bills.
Your water can have a huge impact on the condition of your skin. Water in Brighton is hard which means it has higher levels of magnesium and calcium which can damage the skin’s protective barriers, leading to dryness or skin conditions. Look out for deep nourishing treatments and try using gloves when washing up. Softening your water can also help.
Household products tend to be much less effective in hard water areas. Things like shampoos, conditioners, soaps, bubble bath products and cleaning products will all struggle to lather as they would in a soft water area and you’ll find you need to use more of them to get the same effect. This means more plastic bottles and more chemicals in your home.
Benefits of Softened Water
Your Harvey water softener won’t just prevent new limescale deposits. The softened water in your system will gradually dissolve old limescale so your pipes and appliances run freely again.
Research shows a link between hard water and skin conditions like eczema. Softened water is less drying and abrasive on skin and hair – you’ll feel the difference with every wash.
With less limescale and residue in your bathroom and kitchen, you’ll save time and effort on scrubbing and scouring scum away.
Say goodbye to the visible dullness and white build-up that hard water causes. You’ll see the difference in your kettle, on taps and surfaces in bathrooms and kitchens.
Save on cleaning products and toiletries because you’ll need less of them to create a lather with softened water. You’ll cut the cost of appliance repairs and replacements caused by hard water damage – and you can strike expensive descaling products off your shopping list.
Banishing limescale means appliances like showers, washing machines, dishwashers and hot water systems last longer, work better and need fewer repairs.
There are various factors that affect the hardness of water coming into your specific property
Are there any downsides to water softeners?
The only factors in owning a water softener that might be considered ‘downsides’ are the ongoing cost of salt, the cost of the softener and the space that it needs. However, the overwhelming feedback we get from our customers is that they are delighted with the benefits of their softener, so we’ve broken down why this ... Read More >
Does softened water have an unnatural, slippery feeling?
When people make a switch to softened water, they sometimes comment that it has a different feeling, describing it as silky or slippery feeling water. This is entirely normal and safe. The softer feel is explained by the presence of minerals in the softened water rather than the harder deposits of calcium and magnesium that are found in hard water. It’s the process of ... Read More >
Does it take long to remove scale when you start using softened water?
You will start to notice the softened water removing existing scale from your home within two weeks. The time it takes to disappear completely will depend on the amount of scale you already had in your home. Typically, you can expect In 6 weeks, scale will be gone from your kettle. In 6 months, scale will be gone from your hot water cylinder ... Read More >
Can I use a water softener with my boiler if it has an aluminium heat exchanger?
Yes, you absolutely can. There is a great deal of misinformation regarding central heating and water softening. A boiler that has an aluminium heat exchanger will perform better with softened water. Please see Beama list the HHIC position on the matter on their website also. Our water softeners help you around the home in so many ways. ... Read More >
Can I use softened water for mixing baby feeds?
We don’t recommend using softened water for baby formula milk or baby food. Why not? While softened water is healthy and safe for most children and adults to consume, there’s an exception for babies (particularly for those six weeks and under). The Drinking Water Inspectorate sets out a limit for infants of 200 mg sodium per litre in the Drinking Water Regulations. This limit was ... Read More >
Can I use softened water for the chilled water dispenser in my fridge?
You can plumb your softened water supply into the water chiller compartment of your fridge. This means that your drinking water will be softened. If your fridge or fridge freezer has an ice maker that runs from the water supply, the ice will also be made from softened water. Unless you are on a low or zero ... Read More >
Can you use softened water in a dishwasher?
Softened water can be used in a dishwasher – in fact, it’s good for your machine, your dishes and your wallet! When you add salt to your dishwasher, the dishwasher uses it to create its own softened water supply. If you install a water softener, you won’t need to do this anymore because the water that comes into the machine ... Read More >
Can I use softened water in my aquarium?
Some types of fish, particularly tropical and exotic fish, require special water conditions. Before filling a fish tank with softened water, we advise checking with your specialist provider. If you keep fish in an indoor aquarium or outdoor pond, check with the aquatics store where you bought them, or consult a vet or aquaculture expert. Softened water may not ... Read More >
Can I use softened water in my garden?
You can use softened water for gardens, but it might be advisable to limit the amount. In the UK, an increase in sodium in the soil is unlikely to cause a problem for plants, because of the amount of natural rainfall we get to dilute it. As long as your garden and pots are well drained, there should not be any significant sodium build-up. ... Read More >
Installing a water softener in a first-floor flat
We can install a Harvey water softener in a flat, apartment or in any kind of property, it doesn’t matter what floor you live on. The only requirement is that the property has its own water supply, with its own stopcock somewhere that turns off the water to the property. It cannot be a shared supply, with one stopcock for more than ... Read More >
Supplying unsoftened water in multiple places
This is usually possible. Our installation team are very skilled with even the most complex installations. During your demonstration, our Harvey expert will look at the area in your home where the water softener and tap will go to confirm what installation options are open to you. When we install a Harvey water softener, we fit a hard ... Read More >
Why is hardness expressed as different measures?
In the UK, there are different ways of measuring water hardness. Parts per million (ppm) is the modern metric system. Before that, the degree Clark method was used to measure hard water Parts per million This scale is used to measure very small amounts of something in a larger quantity of liquid. It is used to measure dilute ... Read More >
Hard water contains higher levels of magnesium and calcium minerals. Hardness is measured in parts per million (ppm) – water with levels of 200ppm or more is described as hard. Hard water is created when natural soft rainwater falls on porous ground and picks up magnesium and calcium particles from it. It retains this hardness in reservoirs where it’s stored and when it enters your home in the mains supply.
In general, hard water is bad news for your home. It creates limescale build-up that stains and dulls surfaces. Limescale deposits can collect in pipes and in appliances like washing machines, showers and kettles. It can cause corrosion, which can damage them and make them less efficient. Hard water can be harsh on your skin. Some studies have shown there’s a link between hard water and dry skin conditions like eczema. Hard water doesn’t lather well, so you typically need to use more detergents, toiletries and cleaning products.
Overall it’s been a good investment
The day after the installation, you could tell
