Water Softeners : What Softener is Right for Me?

Once you’ve made the decision that you’ve had quite enough of scaly taps, dull hair, and itchy skin, thank you very much, it is time to decide on what softener is right for you.

As our blog last week summarised quite succinctly – a water softener softens water, so if they all do the same thing, how hard can it really be to find the right one for your home or business?

Well, it could be a bit trickier than just grabbing the cheapest unit out there and stuffing it under your sink. Whilst all softeners function in the same way, and have all the same components, those components can vary in size. But why?

Take, for example, our domestic water softener, the CA200. It would be perfect for a one or two-person apartment with little storage space. But it would be pretty useless in a 400-room hotel. This is because whilst different softeners perform the same job, they have different capacities.

Ideally, a softener should regenerate (recharge the resin bed with negative ions and wash away the positive ones) every three to four days. If the capacity of your softener is too small, your softener will regenerate more often.

If you did have a softener that was too small for your property – it would still give you soft water. But by pushing the softener to its limit, you are potentially reducing its lifespan.

The second contributory factor, and probably the most practical, to consider is where you plan on storing your water softener. We manufacture several different softeners, many which have very similar capacities, but can be found in different sizes.

Our CA500 and SD530 softeners are very similar in capacity and efficiency. But the CA500 would be the better choice for a smaller space that has no access to a plug socket.

The third consideration, particularly for commercial installs, is whether you’d like a twin tank system. Our domestic softeners are all single tank, set to regenerate in the early hours of the morning because, in general nobody is using water during those times.

However, many commercial properties use a lot of water or use water continuously and cannot afford to deal with the down time of a regeneration during opening hours.

This can be solved with a twin tank system. Soft water is generated by one tank whilst the other regenerates, switching between the two to ensure a constant service.

In essence, all water softeners soften water – but the nuances of how much water you use and how much space you have to store a softener are the key to deciding which softener is best for your property.

We know that with such a wide range of water softeners on offer from various companies, it can be difficult to determine exactly what is the best fit for you, and that is why we offer free site surveys. One of our expert engineers will visit your property and discuss your personal needs and determine a bespoke solution just for you.