Water Softening - scam?
Hi I had a company (Harvey Water softeners) come round today offering to put a device on my mains that softens water. She did a test on my water and said it's pretty hard. If I use their system which costs c. £29 0r 38 per month (spending on a few factors) or a one off fee of £1500 she said I will get the following benefits:
- less limescale
- descaled pipework after two years
- more froth when using soap
- would need to lose less detergent in the wash
- would have healthier skin and fair (for what thats worth!)
- could extend the life of my washing machine by a third
- would not need to use calgon in my washing machine
- hands and body feel softer after shower.
She did a test using detergent showing considerably less froth in my water than in the water which came out of her softener. When I did the same test using my cover washing up liquid the result was the same. I also started questioning the solution when she did one test using cold water and the another test (on her system) using hot water. When I questioned this she said she did not like putting her hands in cold water.
I have bad limescale and would love to do something about it but she did a few things which made me question whether her solution was a scam.
Has anybody installed a water softener and been impressed? Does anybody know this company (Harvey).
Any thoughts welcome!
Thx
Comments
What is soda and where can I purchase it? I know my Mother used to use soda of some kind in cleaning, (50 something years ago in rural Ireland) but I presumed it wouldn't be on sale today. Oh Vivian you are so right bout the vinegar though. wonderful stuff!!
Baking soda is what I use to clean everything from a bathtub to my teeth. In North America it comes in big boxes for cooking and cleaning.
Christine G - if you feel it is beneficial to your wash and the life of your machine - go for it .. don't use as much detergent and some have said that you don't need a fabric conditioner. Try it for a week - see what you think. Calgon comes in tablet form I have seen so don't know what the dosage is.
Robin - yep - find that in Devon .. the hand cleanser foam I use can last until the water runs cold - the answer is to use less then it rinses out properly.
Anna - ordinary household soda - in a blue and white packet from the supermarket. Have just thrown my pack out so I can't tell you exact .. but I know what I am looking for. It is sold in packs similar to flour packs. In the detergent aisle.
Washing Soda is Sodium Carbonate. Hard water is largely caused by Calcium Carbonate suspended in the water. Adding Sodium Carbonate helps to rediuce the impact of the suspended Calcium Carbonate on the lather and also its tendency to deposit itself as limescale inside pipework and washing machine fittings. Baking Soda is Sodium Bicarbonate which will do a similar job even more effectively because of its chemical structure but it is generally more expensive for the quantities needed for water softening. Calgon uses a more complicated compound which has the same ion exchange qualities as soda but could be more effective. The big advantages of water softeners are that they use an ion-exchange resin which can be regenerated and used time and again simply by adding salt. Salt is very cheap.
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