Domestic Water Softeners – Non-Electric

A water softener is a self contained unit which is attached to the water supply of a building to ‘soften’ the water as it passes through the unit.

Water softeners can be installed in domestic and commercial buildings and are especially beneficial in hard water areas. Water softeners are available in a range of sizes to suit your requirements (building/family size, hardness of water etc). They can be installed easily and quickly by a plumber or DIY enthusiast and conveniently positioned for ease of maintenance.

The water softener removes calcium, magnesium and certain other metal cations in hard water. The resulting ‘soft’ water is more compatible with soap, will not form scale on surfaces like tiles and taps and extends the efficiency and lifetime of plumbing and appliances.

There are many benefits to installing a water softener ranging from lifestyle benefits to energy efficiency and improved lifespan of appliances and hygeine.The key benefits can be summed up as follows:

• Luxury, softer feeling water
• Cleaner tiles, showers taps and basins
• Less soap – more rich lather
• Protect your boiler and white goods
• Softer finish to laundry
• Save on energy bills
• Can help alleviate certain skin conditions

An Ultimate HE water softener works by passing incoming hard water through a single high capacity sealed container (called aresin vessel) which contains tens of thousands of little ion exchange resin beads. These beads attract and retain ‘hardness’ in the water i.e. scale and scum, ensuring it does not enter the water supply within the building.

When the beads become saturated with hardness they need cleaning and regenerating for continued use. This cleaning process is carried out automatically within the water softener by rinsing the beads with a weak solution of brine (salt and water). The used brine and hardness is then automatically flushed away. During the cleaning process, the softener switches to automatic bypass to ensure a continuous supply of water.

To keep your HE water softener functioning at its best, all you have to do is ensure the softener is kept full of salt. The Ultimate HE (electric) models use tablet salt, whereas the Plumbsoft (non-electric) models use either tablets or blocks, both of which are available from your nearest plumbers’ merchants. It is important to note that salt does not soften the water. The resin cleans/softens the water and when required
the brine cleans the resin. During the cleaning of the resin, the brine, scale and scum are discharged automatically down the drain.

At no time does the brine enter the water supply. The amount of salt used to create the brine in a HE softener is always linked to how much soft water has been used since the previous regeneration. This is called Opti-Brining and is unique to Monarch. It is the most accurate form of salt use in any single cylinder softener available.

The Monarch Solo & Ultra are duplex standby softeners meaning that one cylinder is always working whilst the other is on standby. This guarantees soft water every minute of every day. Please do not confuse these models with duplex parallel non-electric models that have a tendency to run into hard water whilst one cylinder regenerates, exactly at the moment you need soft water!