Search the Community

Really don't want to spend £800 on a unit, so have been looking out for used units. There's a local one up for grabs which needs a new Harveys h20 twin tank (not electric): Regen: 17; Resin BS How does that tie in with hardness levels? If not adequate, can I change any settings on the unit? @PeterStarck I recall you had a Harvey with your hardness at 320ppm (mine is 301) - are you able to reset the regeneration cycling/timing? Currently sold as spares as according to the chap selling it, the riser tube ( described as 'the small tube that runs from the bottom to the top external to the two big tanks') is cracked. Would that be this part? https://www.wrekinwatersofteners.co.uk/wrekinwatersofteners/final.asp?id=1906 I know @JSHarris has some experience with repairing these units. Are these fairly easy to repair or engineered in such a fashion that you have to break it even more to repair it? If this unit can deal with hardness just over 300ppm, I'll have a visit this weekend to inspect it.

I have a non-branded non-electric twin tank (tablet salt) water softener that I purchased from EMWC in 2005. EMWC appear to still sell the same model under the name "Homewater" but the installation instructions refer to it as the "300" model. Various other companies also currently sell "Homewater 300" models, some of them state this is manufactured by Harveys. The main components inside mine are marked as H20-750 (Regen=17, Resin=135 or B5 or BS hard to tell, B/V=1) and searching for this has led me to various sources of information that state the main innards are indeed manufactured by Harveys. My serial number ends in 34191, so earlier than the one shown in the photo at the top of this thread: https://forum.buildhub.org.uk/topic/9729-used-water-softener-harvey-twin-tank-worth-a-risk/. The innards look almost identical, but the threaded connections to the valves on the meters are different on mine (long and narrow, as opposed to short and wide). I think I may also have an older brine valve/float assembly to the one shown in that thread (and it is not located between the 2 tanks, instead on its own at the back corner of the cabinet). My softener was purchased new at the end of 2005. It was in servce until we moved in 2009. It was then stored in my new garage until 2018 (never quite got around to plumbing it in!). I finally installed it in the "new" house in late 2018 (and sanitised it) and it has been in service working well until now. So 4yrs in service at old property, 9yrs in storage, and 2yrs in service at new property. I have come across the Wrekin Water site where I see they stock a good selection of spares for this softener, but I wonder if anyone can help me identify which component might be at fault if I explain the problem? Recently I noticed a drop in water pressure/flow at all soft outlets in the house. But it was intermittent. It has been getting worse over the last few weeks, it is now barely a trickle when at its worst, but at other times it has excellent flow. A bit of trial and error has led me to think that one of the tanks (or parts associated with the flow through just that tank) has an issue. If I do a manual regeneration to swap to the other tank, the soft water flow is amazing. If I do another manual regen to swap back, the flow is dreadful again. These are the characteristics I have noted when in the 2 states: Regen of Tank A, service from Tank B: Trickle at soft outlets upstairs. Downstairs outlets start OK then fade (so water being drained from the pipes). Brine tank gets drained, then refilled, regen completes in <20mins, draining stops. Still poor flow at soft outlets after regen. ... Regen of Tank B, service from Tank A: Excellent flow at ALL soft outlets. Brine tank doesn't appear to be getting drained, or atleast it is taking a very long time. Some time later (I got bored of watching), the brine tank refills. I assume regen has completed BUT... There is still a continuous (slow) flow out of drain. I couldn't find anythin like a service manual online but I did manage to find the patent associated with the apparatus and reading this through and looking at the diagrams I think I have a reasonable understanding of how this is supposed to work now. So I was thinking whether this would likely be a fault with the shuttle valve, or the mechanical meter(s) and/or valves therein that control the shuttle valve? Meter lever/valve service kit is £48. Replacement shuttle valve is £132. I have a few options: 1) Diagnose (with your help!), purchase offending replacement part, fit/service myself 2) Call someone in to do the same 3) Get my unit fully reconditioned (Sandy's on eBay do a full mail-off recondition for £480) 4) Buy a second hand serviced/reconditioned unit (£300+) 5) Buy a new unit (£640-£800) Given that my unit is so old and was in storage for some time I am concerned that 1) and 2) might only be a temporary solution and something else may go wrong later (e.g. the resin). I'm nervous of a second hand unit for similar reasons. I was thinking of getting my unit fully reconditioned but what with a new lockdown being announced I'm a little concerned this may take much longer than the stated ~1wk turnaround. So I'm almost resigning myself to buying a new unit. They can be had for ~£640 with 1yr warranty, or ~£800 with 5yr warranty and fitting kit. I don't need another fitting kit and I'm not sure if a 5 yr warranty is worth the extra cost? I would really appreciate any help on the likely fault, and advice on the way forward from members of this forum. Thanks.