Where do you get your softener salt?

[Adsibob]

We don’t have a Harvey’s unit, but our softener was supplied with 4 blocks (ie 16kg) of Harvey’s block salt. I’m about to run out and have a prime account so ordered from Amazon prime 6 blocks (24kg) at £27 inc “free” delivery. Works out at £1.125 per kilo.

Is that a good price? Or can I get it cheaper elsewhere? Is all salt the same, it is it worth sticking with Harvey’s. 

 

[MikeSharp01]

Think we looked at this a few weeks back. @JanetE posted this: 12 packs of salt blocks last a year. They are £72 from: Greens, https://water-systems.co.uk/ on the thread: 

 

not sure how it compares as weight not know but I guess a quick look will help.

[joth]

I buy it from my local shop, as good a price as anywhere online and it saves me having to hold a tonne of it in stock myself 

 

https://www.totalsoftwater.com/products/block-salt/

 

(Also feels good to patronage a local store rather than emperor Bezos's emporium where I can)

Edited July 6, 2022 by joth

[Onoff]

  On 06/07/2022 at 08:16, Adsibob said:

We don’t have a Harvey’s unit, but our softener was supplied with 4 blocks (ie 16kg) of Harvey’s block salt. I’m about to run out and have a prime account so ordered from Amazon prime 6 blocks (24kg) at £27 inc “free” delivery. Works out at £1.125 per kilo.

Is that a good price? Or can I get it cheaper elsewhere? Is all salt the same, it is it worth sticking with Harvey’s. 

 

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You mean you don't have Korean bamboo salt, especially imported?

[jack]

I've always used: uk-water-softeners.co.uk

 

Good prices and they do their own deliveries (although the delivery area is limited because of this).

[Dan F]

Does you water softener take salt tablets salt too, or are blocks a must? Our softener (Great Water Pro Series 1400) takes blocks or tablets.  May be worth checking the instructions.

 

If you can use tablet salt, this is avaiable at 60p/kg in 25kg bags at Costco and Wickes amoung other places.  https://www.wickes.co.uk/Hydrosoft-Water-Softener-Salt-Tablets---25kg/p/221263

 

[SteamyTea]

  On 06/07/2022 at 10:39, Onoff said:

Korean bamboo salt

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Himalayan sea salt, but only works if you pronounce it correctly, otherwise it is just salt.

[Adam2]

@Dan F I'm looking at the same softener - are you happy with it? A concern is not wanting to reduce pressure/flow rate so like the 1" connections.

cheers

[Dan F]

  On 08/08/2022 at 16:11, Adam2 said:

@Dan F I'm looking at the same softener - are you happy with it? A concern is not wanting to reduce pressure/flow rate so like the 1" connections.

cheers

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All good so far. Water pressure is good and it accepts tablet salf which is cheaper than the block salt.  Wasn't as expensive and some other brands either from what I remember.

[Adsibob]

  On 08/08/2022 at 16:11, Adam2 said:

@Dan F I'm looking at the same softener - are you happy with it? A concern is not wanting to reduce pressure/flow rate so like the 1" connections.

cheers

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I went for one which supposedly had a 1" connection, specifically to avoid reducing our flow rate. This is what was marketted as a 1" connection:

https://www.eastmidlandswater.com/1-inch-water-softener-fitting-kit/1383

 

I was surprised to see that once installed one of the parts (of which there are two, one on the inlet and one on the outlet) is definitely narrower than an inch. See photo below. The photo makes it look like only 20mm but it's probably a 22mm at it's widest point, connecting two pieces that are an inch thick. Now an inch is only 3.4mm more than 22mm. So an additional radius of 1.7mm. Ignoring the thickness of the fitting, the cross section of the fitting would have an area of  380mm2 vs 507mm squared. So whilst the 3.4mm different doesn't sound like a lot, it works out at a difference of 33% which is a lot! So I'm minded to complain to the company that sold me the softener.

 

[dpmiller]

Inch BSP is not inch diameter...

[Onoff]

I got mine from @Gone Westand I still haven't used it...

[Adsibob]

  On 08/08/2022 at 17:50, dpmiller said:

Inch BSP is not inch diameter...

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So what else is it meant to be? The shoe size? Bloody ridiculous.

 More seriously though, could this be having an impact on flow rates? It’s just a 1cm long fitting, but for that 1cm length, the diameter of the pipe is less than the rest of the system.

[dpmiller]

have a look at this on sizing:

 

https://www.stevensonplumbing.co.uk/bspt.html

 

 

but tell us, how much flow do you actually need and where would you see a restriction cause an issue?

[Gone West]

  On 08/08/2022 at 18:24, Onoff said:

I got mine from @Gone Westand I still haven't used it...

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Christ that was a long time ago. I'd forgotten about that, I can't even remember what model it was. Bad news, they don't like being unused for a long length of time. Living here, with naturally soft water, saves us around £70 a year on salt.

[Onoff]

  On 09/08/2022 at 07:04, Gone West said:

Christ that was a long time ago. I'd forgotten about that, I can't even remember what model it was. Bad news, they don't like being unused for a long length of time. Living here, with naturally soft water, saves us around £70 a year on salt.

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I've read up on reactivating or whatever the resin, you can get a special "stuff" 😂

[SteamyTea]

  On 09/08/2022 at 08:24, Onoff said:

read up on reactivating or whatever the resin, you can get a special "stuff"

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Called a new unit.

[Adsibob]

  On 09/08/2022 at 05:49, dpmiller said:

have a look at this on sizing:

 

https://www.stevensonplumbing.co.uk/bspt.html

 

 

but tell us, how much flow do you actually need and where would you see a restriction cause an issue?

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I spent an absolute fortune on widening our connection to Thames Water. I was told by them I'd have over 60L a minute. I thought that was an exaggeration, particularly because when I asked them to confirm it in writing they wouldn't. In general flow rates in the house are fine. I've not measured, but everything except one fitting seems to work as it should. But our shower is a rain shower and the experience of showering under it is not great. So that's where an extra litre or two per min would be nice. (Appreciate this is controversial in current drought times.)

Only other option is to change the limit on the PRV. I think it's currently set to 3.0 bar. We could possibly move it up to 3.2 bar, but I doubt we will get much more than that as we never had more than 3.2 prior to the TW connection upgrade and I don't think my issue is lack of pressure, it's lack of flow which is obviously different.

[Adsibob]

  On 09/08/2022 at 05:49, dpmiller said:

have a look at this on sizing:

 

https://www.stevensonplumbing.co.uk/bspt.html

 

 

but tell us, how much flow do you actually need and where would you see a restriction cause an issue?

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this suggests I've really been short changed, as the connector i've been supplied is less than an imperial inch, let alone a BSP inch which according to this URL is 33.25!

[Dan F]

  On 08/08/2022 at 17:01, Adsibob said:

I went for one which supposedly had a 1" connection, specifically to avoid reducing our flow rate. This is what was marketted as a 1" connection:

https://www.eastmidlandswater.com/1-inch-water-softener-fitting-kit/1383

 

I was surprised to see that once installed one of the parts (of which there are two, one on the inlet and one on the outlet) is definitely narrower than an inch. See photo below. The photo makes it look like only 20mm but it's probably a 22mm at it's widest point, connecting two pieces that are an inch thick. Now an inch is only 3.4mm more than 22mm. So an additional radius of 1.7mm. Ignoring the thickness of the fitting, the cross section of the fitting would have an area of  380mm2 vs 507mm squared. So whilst the 3.4mm different doesn't sound like a lot, it works out at a difference of 33% which is a lot! So I'm minded to complain to the company that sold me the softener.

 

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The steel hose supplied with ours is 3/4inch I.D.   It's the softener connector and vave that are 1" supposedly.  The other end of the supplied hose is 3/4inch.  Specific model is Falcon H-3405 Water Softener Flex Connectors.

[Adsibob]

  On 06/07/2022 at 11:38, Dan F said:

Does you water softener take salt tablets salt too, or are blocks a must? Our softener (Great Water Pro Series 1400) takes blocks or tablets.  May be worth checking the instructions.

 

If you can use tablet salt, this is avaiable at 60p/kg in 25kg bags at Costco and Wickes amoung other places.  https://www.wickes.co.uk/Hydrosoft-Water-Softener-Salt-Tablets---25kg/p/221263

 

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Now priced at 80p/kg. That's an incredible 33% inflation in just 4 months!

[markc]

  On 14/11/2022 at 10:02, Adsibob said:

Now priced at 80p/kg. That's an incredible 33% inflation in just 4 months!

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Don’t tell me, the war in Ukraine! It is being used as an excuse for any price increases 😞

Edited November 14, 2022 by markc

[cherryfountain]

Try here https://siwasaltdirect.com 

 

[Adsibob]

  On 14/11/2022 at 10:20, cherryfountain said:

Try here https://siwasaltdirect.com 

 

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good recommendation, thank you.

[SteamyTea]

  On 14/11/2022 at 10:02, Adsibob said:

Now priced at 80p/kg. That's an incredible 33% inflation in just 4 months!

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Probably because it is quite energy intensive on the processing.

No need for water softeners down here, must be all the salt in the sea doing it.