Water Softeners

What is a water softener?

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.

The benefits of a water softener

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

How does a water softener work?

A water softener works by passing incoming hard water through a sealed container (called a resin vessel) which contains thousands of little ion exchange resin beads. These beads attract and retain ‘hardness’ in the water i.e. scale and scum meaning 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 waste brine and hardness is then automatically flushed away.

To keep your Monarch water softener functioning at its best all you have to do is ensure the softener is kept full of salt. The Ultimate (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 salt cleans the resin. During the cleaning of the resin, the waste salt, scale and scum is discharged automatically down the drain.

At no time does the salt enter the water supply.