Friday 26 April 2013

Softened water and drinking water - what is the difference?


Here at Fountain Softeners, almost on a daily basis we are asked whether water from a water softener systems and water from a filtered drinking water system are the same thing – and the answer is no, they are not.

Water Softener systems operate by removing the elements that cause limescale, predominantly calcium and magnesium and do this very effectively. These are installed somewhere near where the water comes into the property in order to ensure that the maximum benefit is gained from the softener throughout the property - but are only designed to soften the water, not filter it. Once you remove the calcium and magnesium from your water, your soft water will protect your appliances from scale, you will use less detergent and your shower door and kitchen / bathroom taps will be gleaming!

Drinking water filters on the other hand tend to be installed near the point of use, i.e. to feed a single tap, and generally are designed to make your drinking water taste better by removing elements, mainly chlorine, which can give mains water a lot of its nasty taste. All drinking water through your mains supply will have chlorine present to prevent the colonisation of bacteria within the water pipes.

There are various filters available with varying degrees of filtration, from the single taste and odour filter to the 5-stage Reverse Osmosis drinking water system.  This is one our most popular systems if you want 99% pure water. As the name implies, it has 5-stages of filtration and as with all filters, allows you to have control over the quality of your drinking water.
Whatever your size requirements and budget, there is a filter to suit you. There are also filters to remove particular things that may be of concern - hardness, nitrates, hormones, heavy metals - the list is endless!

The boom of bottled water also triggered a huge influx of plastic bottles being dumped into our environment, which allows chemicals to leech into the ground and water supplies. So don’t buy expensive bottled water – filter you own!
At Fountain we stock a wide range of water softener systems, water softener salt, drinking water systems, water filters and domestic UV equipment.

See our ecommerce web site selling to customers all over the UK and Europe. Or call us for a chat on on 0845 10 80 685 (local call rate) or 01306 889090 and one of our friendly staff will gladly talk you through your options.

Friday 12 April 2013


‘Once you have had a water softener, you will never be without one’. That was a quote from a customer some years ago and one we constantly use here at Fountain Softeners.  

We stock a wide range of Water Softener systems to suit all situations. From a small 2 bed house to a large 7/8 bedroom house with multiple bathrooms.  The size of softener you need is actually based on the number of people in your household, because that estimates the amount of water used. It also depends on the amount of space you have, but most softeners can fit in a kitchen cupboard or under a worktop.

Situated as close to the incoming water main as possible, softened water will save you time and money.

Now, the science bit - hard water contains dissolved lime, chalk and other minerals and quickly causes scale to form on all surfaces which come into contact with it, from sinks and taps to granite worktops and shower doors. The unseen and potentially more costly examples of hard water are clogged pipes and failure of central heating elements/pumps. British Water's Quality Group estimate that just 1.5mm of scale reduces the efficiency of your boiler by almost 10%.
 
You will also use less detergents, soaps, and other cleaning products as the water will lather using smaller quantities. Softened water will eliminate the build-up of limescale in your pipes and on heating elements found in dishwashers and washing machines, leading to fewer expensive engineer call-outs and spare parts.
 
Once installed the benefits of your water softener systems will be immediate.
  • Your shampoo will lather up really easily when washing your hair and will leave your hair feeling and looking fabulous.
  • Softened water can leave your skin feeling, smooth glowing and health.
  • Softened water can clear up minor skin problems such as irritation and dryness, and itchy skin associated with Eczema symptoms.
  • Your washing will feel softer, cleaner and you will use less detergent.
  • Cut down your cleaning time with no more stubborn limescale hard water marks.
  • Your sinks, taps and shower doors will have their sparkle back!  
We stock the most technologically advanced softeners including Harveys non-electric brands, along with the Coral electric softeners, both timed and metered models.  For people on water meters, the new Coral Water Save model would be ideal as it uses 40% less water than standard metered water softener systems!

At Fountain we also stock water softener salt, drinking water systems, water filters and domestic UV equipment.

Call us for a chat on 0845 10 80 685 (local call rate) or 01306 889090 and one of our friendly staff will gladly talk you through your water softener options.