Tapworks Water Softeners
Tapworks Water Softeners – Helping you Save Energy Fuel and Money!
Householders are becoming ever more aware of the problems of hard water in their homes. That’s the conclusion many in the heating and plumbing sector are coming to as sales of water softeners hold up well in these more difficult economic times.
Building regulations now specify that in areas of the country where the mains water exceeds a hardness of 200 ppm, you must do something to address it, to maintain the efficiency of new heating systems and new boiler installations, which along with the key kitchen appliances, will begin to suffer quickly if hard water effects are not addressed. If you live or work in a hard water area – which is around 60% of the UK including most of London and the south east and East Anglia – you will already know about hard water. Here at Buyaparcel we are based in Lowestoft in Suffolk which is has a water hardness of around 350-400ppm. Some of the day to day effects of hard water include scum in kettles, scaling up of shower heads and limescale marks in sinks and toilets. Problems with washing machines and dishwashers. And that’s where you can see the problems.
Water Softeners Reduce Maintenance Costs
It doesn’t bear thinking about, what damage is being done where you can’t see it, inside heating systems, prime targets for hard water damage.
Boilers, radiators, pipework, pumps – they all begin to scale up quickly if nothing is used to stop it. The simple answer is to address it. Having softened water in the home can cut heating bills and reduce maintenance costs on heating systems and on all appliances. It will also prelong the life of your shower – one of the main reasons for electric shower failure is down to limescale buildup
Water softeners can contribute significantly to energy efficiency. They will save energy usage in the average home and as a direct result save money on your energy bills. It’s not uncommon for new water softener owners to save 15%, even up to 20% on energy bills, just by installing a water softener.
The problem with hard water is the limescale suspended in the water. Water is naturally soft when it falls from the sky. But when it falls on and runs through limestone based rocks which we are blessed with in large areas of the UK, before it is pumped out of boreholes or gathered from rivers and streams, gathered in reservoirs across the country, cleaned and used as mains water, it becomes hard water – with the degree of hardness depending upon the amounts of calcium or magnesium it picks up on its travels on route to the taps of Britain.
Limescale in heated water takes on a crystalline form and attaches itself to metal surfaces which make the inside metal surfaces of heating systems a prime target for scale build up unless it’s treated effectively or removed from the water flowing around our homes. Just a 1.6mm build-up of scale – not much more than a thin covering – can cause a 12% loss in heating efficiency in pipes and radiators and result in the increase in fuel bills required to heat not just the water but the limescale, to allow the heat to make its way out into the home.
As well as in the heating system, if there is an associated hot water cylinder in the home, scale will also form around the heating coil and eventually fill that cylinder. It’s estimated that the annual amount of hard water used by an average family of four contains a whopping 70kg of scale and if that is deposited inside a heating system, there’s no way that system will be energy efficient, however expensive a boiler has been installed and whatever the energy efficiency claims of the boiler manufacturer, or the pump or radiator manufacturer, it will begin to lose its optimum energy efficiency performance within a few weeks of installation and after 12 months it will be operating at well below its designed efficiency levels.
You can install a water softener at any time. They are quick and simple to install – usually no more than half a day’s work for a competent installer. A minimum water pressure of 1.7 bar (2Spsi) and access to the mains water supply, drainage and electricity are all that’s required. Many installers fit a water softener as part of the ‘package’ when they install a new kitchen or bathroom, because they know that a water softener will help keep their customers investment as good as new. But if you call them to undertake remedial work that has been caused by hard water, particularly replacing a boiler, a radiator or sections of pipework – that’s also an excellent opportunity for you to talk them through the benefits of a water softener.
There are a number of water softener options and some require no electricity called Non Electric Water Softeners. The majority of Water Softeners sold are electric metered units which is mainly due to the cost daving.
The clever electronics in a Tapworks Water Softener automatically works out on average how much softened water you use in the household and when the unit needs regenerating – this is called a Meter Controlled Water Softener. lt also uses significantly less water to regenerate itself than some other water softeners – so it saves water and salt, which you need to top up all softeners from time to time to replace the calcium and magnesium ions that have been removed from the hard water in the softener, with sodium, which softens the water flowing through it.
Once installed they are simple to use and maintain. All the owner needs to do is occasionally add salt to aid the regeneration process. And selecting the right softener for a home is straightforward – water softeners come in a range of different sizes.
The one recommended will depend on the size of the family and the property. The Tapworks AD11 is the main domestic water softener unit that will accommodate family sizes of 1-5 people and is available with a 15mm installation kit for gravity fed systems and a 22mm hi-flo installation kit for unvented or high pressure systems.
The range also includes the Tapworks AD15 which is slightly larger unit and the Ultra 9 which is a small conpact unit for customers with restricted space to install a water softener.
Buyaparcel Blog
The latest radio from Milwaukee – C12-28 DCR is now available at Buyaparcel! You can utilise your current Milwaukee M12, M14, M18, M28, V18, V28 & PBS 3000 batteries as well as running from the 240v mains. We are offering this great radio bare (no batteries) or with various battery and charger combinations – of course, you can make up your own pack by buying batteries and chargers separately from our website or call our sales team on 01502 527629.
