If you live in a hard water area, it may be harming your health, home and your pocket. The experts from Harvey Water Softeners explain their solution
- What is hard water?
- Water starts soft but picks up minerals as it moves through the ground, making it hard. Places like the South East of England and London often have high water hardness. However, areas like Scotland, Ireland, and Wales usually have naturally soft water. Hard water, containing minerals like magnesium and calcium, can cause problems for home pipes, attendances, and also for people’s skin and hair.
- What areas are most affected by hard water?
- Traditionally, the south and east of England are affected by Hard water, however as time goes on and more properties are built, population increases or water sources change, our water providers may pull hard water into traditionally soft water areas. So even if you’ve grown up in an historically soft water area, you may find that, over time, the water hardness has changed drastically.
- What are the health and economic implications of hard water?
- Hard water, while a natural occurrence, is a bit of a trickster. Economically, it’s a wallet-drainer, causing scale build-up in pipes and appliances, leading to costly repairs and replacements. Think of your water heater working overtime or your washing machine taking an early retirement—ouch! Health-wise, hard water isn’t a smooth operator either. It has a tendency to dry out skin and hair, potentially exacerbating conditions like eczema. Plus, those soap scum battles in the shower are no fun. But don’t despair! Installing a water softener can turn the tide, making life gentler on your skin and kinder to your wallet.
- How do Harvey water softeners work?
- As soon as your water softener is installed, the microscopic beads inside the twin cylinders start doing their job. The twin-cylinders inside a Harvey™ Water Softener are filled with millions of microscopic resin beads. Each bead has a negative charge, while calcium and magnesium carry positive charges in water. This means that, as the calcium and magnesium passes through the resin beads, they are attracted to one another. All that exits the water softener is pure, softened water, while the minerals stay behind in the beads. Sodium taken from the Harvey™ block salt completes the exchange. A water softener simply has two jobs – to soften water and regenerate itself. Single cylinder water softeners need to pause the water softening process to regenerate, our innovative twin-cylinder design means that the regeneration process can take place at any time without interrupting your enjoyment of softened water. Our patented duple-parallel operation will regenerate one cylinder while the other continues to soften your water, providing your home with beautifully fresh softened water 24/7, without interruption.
- How are they fitted?
- Water softener installation is a straightforward process. The water softener is installed at the mains water supply; usually under the kitchen sink and is plumbed into the pipes there. You can also install a water softener at any other point in your water supply, such as in your garage, utility room or pantry. The best way to install a water softener is to have a qualified installer do it for you. This is because there are clear regulations around the installation of a water softener that should be followed; all of our installers are trained, experienced, and compliant with WRAS guidelines.
- How much do they cost and what are their running costs?
- The cost of installing and running a water softener can vary depending on a number of factors, including the plumbing systems in your home, how many people are in your household and your water usage. We always get our professional demonstrators to assess your home and provide you with a quote that’s specific to your home and your needs. They can tell you how much it costs to install a water softener with the right capacity, that will fit into the available space. They’ll highlight any unusual features of your plumbing or water system and make sure the planned installation can accommodate them. In our experience, one-off quotes and special offer deals don’t take into account additional plumbing work or maintenance. The headline water softener price might look great, but you could end up with unexpected costs further down the line that haven’t been budgeted for. If you’re getting a quote for a water softener, make sure you check that everything’s included. A Harvey Water Softeners team member will always fully assess your individual set–up and talk to you about the costs of your water softener and the processes for installing and running it. A quality water softener may seem expensive at first, but it’s an investment that helps you reduce bills and maintenance costs around your home.
- How can I monitor salt levels in my Harvey water softener?
- With a simple and easy-to-use dashboard, the myHarvey app provides a clear view of current salt levels and when it’s time to top up so you never have to manually check again. Get instant notifications to your smart device, sending you reminders when it’s time to replace iLid batteries, top up salt, or other alerts that need your attention such as the lid being open or WiFi being disconnected. Even better, it makes topping up your supplies even easier by ordering salt directly from the myHarvey app with just a click of a button. Enjoying softened water has never been more convenient or hassle-free! You can also link this to your smart home voice assistant like Alexa or Google Nest so you can ask for updates even if your phone isn’t around.
- Is softened water safe to drink?
- Softened water is considered safe to drink in the majority of cases. There are a few precautionary exceptions but it’s a mainly a matter of preference whether you choose to drink it. Many people choose to have a drinking water tap installed at the same time as their softener, because they prefer the taste of harder water and Harvey Water Softeners are renowned for offering a direct hard water line drinking tap with your install so you’ll always have the choice.
- What’s the story behind Harvey?
- Harvey Bowden moved from notoriously soft water area, Cornwall to hard water area Surrey. His wife Ann noticed limescale around the home that came at an unwanted cost. As a plumber, Harvey then invented the Twin Cylinder Water Softener that has since become synonymous with high quality 24/7 water softening. The vision is to have softened water in every home in the UK. Harvey says everyone “would benefit from a water softener, if it makes sense for one person, then it makes sense for everybody. Water is used every day and softened water does any job better than hard water.”
- Where can I find out more about Harvey?
- You can find out more about Harvey Water Softeners and how soft water can benefit your home, your health and your finances here: https://hrvy.ws/soften
