Water Softeners

Your guide to choosing a water softener

Hard water is caused mainly by dissolved calcium and magnesium. These minerals are naturally present in many UK water supplies and are not normally a problem for drinking water quality, but they can create limescale when water is heated or evaporates.

If you're unsure what these terms mean, our guide explains the differences between hard and soft water and how water softeners change the characteristics of your water.

A conventional water softener tackles the cause of the problem rather than simply trying to remove existing scale. By reducing calcium and magnesium from the incoming supply, it provides softened water throughout the areas of the home connected to the softened supply.

The right water softener system for your home needs to be correctly sized. A system that is too small may regenerate too frequently, while an unnecessarily large unit may cost more, take up extra space and offer little practical advantage.

What is a water softener?

A water softener is a treatment system designed specifically to reduce water hardness.

Inside the softener is a bed of ion-exchange resin. As hard water passes through the resin, calcium and magnesium ions are captured and exchanged for sodium ions. The treated water then leaves the softener with greatly reduced hardness.

This is very different from ordinary water filtration.

A water softener is designed to deal with hardness minerals and limescale. It should not be expected to remove chlorine, PFAS, pesticides, fluoride or other drinking water contaminants simply because the water has passed through a softener.

If improving drinking water quality is also important to you, a separate drinking water filtration system can be used for that purpose.

How does a water softener work?

During normal operation, hard water flows through the resin inside the softener. The resin attracts calcium and magnesium ions and exchanges them for sodium.

Eventually, the resin becomes loaded with hardness minerals and needs to be refreshed. The softener does this automatically through a process called regeneration.

During regeneration, a concentrated salt solution, or brine passes through the resin. This releases the accumulated calcium and magnesium and restores the resin so it can continue softening water.

The waste brine and hardness minerals are then discharged to the drain.

Modern domestic water softeners can monitor water usage and regenerate automatically when required, depending on the model and control system.

For a detailed step by step explanation, read our How Water Softeners Work guide.

What are the benefits of a water softener?

The most obvious benefit is a reduction in limescale.

In a hard water home, scale can appear on shower screens, taps, sinks, kettles and other surfaces where water is repeatedly heated or allowed to dry. Softening the incoming supply greatly reduces the hardness minerals responsible for these deposits.

Less limescale around the home

With significantly reduced calcium and magnesium in the water, there is less mineral scale left behind on taps, shower heads, screens and sanitary ware.

Reduced scale in water heating equipment

Hardness minerals can form scale when water is heated. A water softener can therefore help reduce scale accumulation in suitable water heating systems and appliances.

Easier cleaning

Less scale generally means less time spent removing chalky deposits from bathroom and kitchen surfaces.

Soap and detergents lather more easily

Hardness minerals react with soap and can reduce its effectiveness. In softened water, soaps and detergents generally lather more readily, so you may find that you need less product.

Softer feeling laundry and bathing water

Many people notice a difference in the feel of softened water, particularly when washing, showering and doing laundry.

Choosing the right water softener system for your home

There is no single best water softener for every household.

The correct system depends primarily on your water hardness and the amount of water your household uses.

Before choosing, consider the following:

How hard is your water?

Hardness varies considerably around the UK.

Knowing the hardness of your mains water is one of the most useful pieces of information when sizing a softener. Your water supplier may publish this information.

The harder your water, the more calcium and magnesium the softener needs to remove before regeneration is required.

How many people live in your home?

Household occupancy provides a useful indication of daily water consumption.

A one or two person household will normally use considerably less water than a family of five or six, so the same softener may not be the best choice for both.

What is your peak water demand?

Average daily use isn't the only consideration.

The softener also needs to provide an adequate flow rate when several outlets are being used. A larger household, multiple bathrooms or high flow showers can all increase peak demand.

Check the maximum or service flow rate of the individual water softener against the requirements of your property.

How much installation space is available?

Cabinet water softeners combine the resin vessel and salt reservoir within one enclosure and can be a practical option where space is limited.

Before ordering, check the dimensions of the softener and allow additional room for connecting pipework, access for servicing and adding salt.

Metered or timed regeneration?

Where options are available, a metered water softener monitors the amount of water used and regenerates according to actual demand.

A timer controlled system regenerates according to a predetermined schedule.

For many households, metered regeneration can make more efficient use of salt and regeneration water because the system responds to actual usage rather than simply regenerating on a fixed timetable.

How much salt does a water softener use?

Salt consumption varies between water softener systems.

It depends on factors including:

• The size and efficiency of the softener
• Water hardness
• Household water consumption
• Resin capacity
• How frequently the unit regenerates
• The amount of salt used during each regeneration

For this reason, there isn't a meaningful single figure for how much salt every household will use each month.

When comparing models, look at the manufacturer's salt consumption per regeneration together with expected regeneration frequency for your household.

The salt reservoir then needs to be checked and topped up periodically so that sufficient salt is available to make the brine used during regeneration.

Water softener installation

A domestic water softener is normally installed close to the point where the mains water supply enters the property so that it can treat the appropriate household water before distribution.

A conventional ion-exchange softener will typically need:

• Suitable connections to the incoming water supply
• A bypass arrangement
• Access to a drain for regeneration wastewater
• Space to access and refill the salt reservoir
• Protection from freezing and extreme temperatures
• An electrical supply where required by the particular system

The precise installation arrangement depends on your property and the water softener you choose.

Correct sizing is also important. A softener that is too small may regenerate unnecessarily often, while an oversized system can take up more space and cost more without providing a corresponding benefit.

For detailed fitting advice, see our Water Softener Installation Guide.

Maintaining a water softener

Modern domestic water softeners are largely automatic, but they still require some routine maintenance. If you experience a problem with your system, our water softener troubleshooting guide covers common issues you can check.

The main ongoing task is keeping the brine tank supplied with the correct water softener salt.

It's also sensible to periodically check the salt level and look for issues such as salt bridging, where a hardened layer forms above an empty space in the brine tank and prevents salt dissolving properly.

Other maintenance requirements depend on the particular model and control valve, so always follow the manufacturer's instructions.

A correctly maintained softener can continue regenerating its resin and treating hard water for many years.

Can you drink softened water?

This question deserves a little more thought than a simple yes or no answer. If you'd like a more detailed explanation, our guide on can you drink softened water looks at the subject in more detail.

Ion-exchange softening replaces calcium and magnesium with sodium, so softened water contains more sodium than the original supply. How much is added depends on how hard the incoming water is.

In many homes, the kitchen drinking water tap is left supplied with unsoftened mains water, particularly where drinking water taste or sodium intake is a consideration.

If you want filtered drinking water as well as softened household water, a separate drinking water filter can be installed on the appropriate supply.

If you have a medically prescribed low sodium diet or another reason to restrict sodium intake, seek appropriate professional advice before using softened water as your main drinking water supply.

Water softener vs salt-free vs hard water filter

Not sure which approach is right for you? Here's how the three options compare at a glance.

	Water Softener	Salt-Free System	Hard Water Filter
Removes hardness minerals?	✔ Yes	✖ No	✖ No*
Produces softened water?	✔ Yes	✖ No	✖ No
Controls limescale?	✔ Yes	✔ Yes	✔ Yes
Uses salt?	✔ Yes	✖ No	✖ No
Regenerates?	✔ Yes	✖ No	✖ No
Produces regeneration wastewater?	✔ Yes	✖ No	✖ No
Best if you want	Genuinely softened water	Salt-free scale control	Limescale control without conventional softening

*Hard water filters can use different scale-control technologies. They are designed to reduce the effects of hard water rather than calcium and magnesium in the same wasy as an ion-exchange water softener.

Water softener or salt-free alternative?

This is an important distinction because the terms are often used interchangeably when they shouldn't be.

A conventional water softener uses ion exchange to reduce calcium and magnesium from the water. It uses salt, regenerates periodically and produces genuinely softened water.

A salt free scale control system works differently. It does not remove hardness minerals in the same way and therefore shouldn't be expected to produce the same water characteristics as an ion-exchange softener.

A conventional water softener may be the better option if your priority is:

• Maximum reduction of water hardness
• Genuine softened water throughout the appropriate household supply
• Reducing scale caused by calcium and magnesium
• The characteristic washing and bathing feel associated with soft water

A salt free system may appeal if your priorities include:

• No regular salt top-ups
• No regeneration cycle
• No regeneration wastewater
• Retaining hardness minerals in the water
• Controlling scale rather than conventionally softening the water

Neither approach is automatically right for every home; they solve the hard water problem in different ways.

If you specifically want a no-salt option, see our Salt Free Water Softener for details of that alternative.

Water softener or hard water filter?

This is another distinction worth making.

A conventional water softener uses ion exchange to remove the hardness ions responsible for hard water.

Products described as hard water filters or scale control systems may use different technologies such as siliphos crystals or template assisted crystallisation (TAC) to reduce the effects of limescale without actually removing calcium and magnesium from the water.

If your priority is genuinely soft water, choose an ion-exchange water softener.

If your priority is primarily controlling scale while avoiding salt and regeneration, a hard water treatment or salt-free system may be more appropriate.

Why trust Fountain Filters?

Choosing a water softener is not simply a matter of buying the largest model available.

Correct sizing depends on your water hardness, household water consumption, required flow rate and the way your home's plumbing is arranged.

At Fountain Filters, we specialise in domestic water treatment and can help you compare the options based on your actual requirements rather than simply recommending one system for every property.

When you buy a water softener from Fountain Filters, you benefit from:

• Specialist knowledge of hard water treatment
• Advice on selecting the right size water softener
• Clear technical specifications to help you compare models
• Salt-based and salt-free options for different requirements
• Installation and maintenance guidance
• Replacement parts and water softener salt
• UK based support before and after your purchase

If you know your household size and water hardness, we can help you narrow down which water softener system is likely to suit your home.

FAQs

What does a water softener do?

A water softener reduces the calcium and magnesium ions that cause hard water. Conventional domestic softeners use ion exchange to replace these hardness ions with sodium, producing softened water.

What is the best water softener for a home?

There isn't one best model for every household. The right water softener depends on water hardness, household water consumption, peak flow requirements and available installation space. Correct sizing is more important than simply choosing the largest softener.

What size water softener do I need?

The required size depends mainly on your water hardness and how much water your household uses. The number of occupants is a useful starting point, but flow rate and local hardness should also be considered.

Does a water softener remove limescale?

A conventional water softener reduces the calcium and magnesium responsible for limescale, helping prevent new scale from forming in the softened water supply. It does not instantly remove deposits that have already built up inside appliances or pipework.

Does a water softener filter drinking water?

Not in the conventional sense. A water softener is designed to reduce hardness minerals rather than contaminants such as chlorine or pesticides. If you also want to improve drinking water quality, a separate drinking water filtration system may be required.

Does a water softener need salt?

A conventional ion-exchange water softener does. Salt is used to produce the brine required to regenerate the resin. Salt-free scale control systems operate differently and do not produce conventionally softened water.

How often does a water softener regenerate?

This depends on the softener, water hardness and household water usage. Metered systems regenerate according to the amount of water used, while timer controlled models operate according to a programmed schedule.

Will a water softener reduce water pressure?

Any treatment equipment can cause some pressure loss. A correctly sized water softener should be selected with your required household flow rate in mind so that it does not create an unnecessary restriction.

Where should a water softener be installed?

A water softener is normally installed close to the incoming mains supply, with suitable access to drainage, plumbing connections and space for servicing and adding salt. The exact arrangement depends on the property and softener.

What is the difference between a water softener and a salt-free water conditioner?

A water softener uses ion exchange to remove calcium and magnesium and requires salt for regeneration. A salt-free system uses a different treatment method to control the effects of hardness without removing the minerals in the same way.

Need help Choosing a Water Softener?

Choosing the right water softener system for your home starts with two pieces of information: how hard your water is and how much water your household is likely to use.

If you're unsure which model is suitable, contact Fountain Filters and tell us your water hardness, household size and anything relevant about your property or water usage.

We'll help you compare the available options and choose a domestic water softener that's appropriately sized for your home.