Minimax Innova Made by Harvey Water Softeners

Features

Many features of this product make it unique, so let's look at those in detail:

Curved mini-block salt

There are many reasons why the Minimax Innova uses the latest shape and design in water-softening salt.

1. The bags are lighter, making them easier to handle. Each bag weighs just 4.3kg and holds 2 x 2.15kg salt arcs.

2. The salt is curved, and the shape is patented, which means it cannot be copied.

This is very important because as block salt has become more common in the United Kingdom in recent years, the industry has seen more imported salt entering the market, much of which is of poorer quality. As a result, there has been an increase in circumstances where the quality of the salt is beginning to impact the performance of the machines and thus affect the warranty of customers’ softeners.

The curved salt protects the customer from these cheaper, uncontrolled, and dubious imports. It conforms to the British standard BSEN973 for water-softening salt, which means we can guarantee 99% purity or better!

Best of all, the salt price will not be higher than traditional block salt. This is done for an excellent reason… Harvey wants to grow the curved salt market, just like he did the original block salt market in the early 2000s. They also want to take control of salt quality so that customer warranties of their machines are not affected by poorer quality imports. Read more about the importance of salt quality: Which salt is best for my water softener?

3. The salt cabinet is very cleverly designed to take four blocks of curved 'arc' salt, which means that it holds more salt capacity than typical block salt softeners, which only take 2 x 4kg blocks – which means that it’s easier to keep the softener topped up and not run into hard water.

Reduced carbon footprint

New recycling technology, coupled with its clever design, reduces the Minimax Innova’s footprint on our planet by cutting plastic usage by a massive 38%. It is also made from 62% recyclable materials, including recycled Polypropylene from a clean source, making it the most environmentally friendly cabinet on the market!

Combined, the Minimax Innova is the world’s first eco-friendly water softener, and we’re proud to support the internationally-backed ‘Less Plastic’ campaign.

IoT technology

Launching in the Summer of 2021 is a significant industry first… Smart technology comes with this non-electric block salt softener and an Apple and Android IoT app for your smart devices. Compatible with all Minimax Innova softeners (we'll send you a replacement lid free of charge), your softener will be ready for the exciting developing world of IoT technology—the "Internet of Things."

Using embedded software, your softener will securely connect and exchange important data with Hydroworks over WiFi, including allowing you to order salt directly from within the App or book a maintenance call if necessary. As a valued Hydroworks client, we will supply all our customers who have purchased a Minimax Innova from us with a complimentary replacement lid once the new IoT system has been released.

We are very excited about this technology as it is one of the most sought-after wish-list items customers have requested in the past ten years.

Smart-shuttle metering

The Harveys Minimax Innova takes advantage of further advances in engineering excellence plus the latest technology to ensure maximum flow rates are combined with a lower pressure drop than any other softener in its class.

This is important because the lower pressure drop makes it perfect for those homes with bathrooms on the top floor!

In addition, your softener will be specified to match your local water hardness. Some companies try to say only they can do this, but that's not true. Hydroworks can, too, and even better, we can fine-tune the softener afterwards if need be! That's a real advantage of Hydroworks' supplied Minimax Innova.

Accurate metering for maximum flow rates

Using the identical type of water meter used by water authorities in meters fitted in customer homes, the Minimax Innova is designed to accurately measure every drop of water that goes through your home, including very slow dripping ball valves in loft tank situations and even modern unvented high flow cylinders that work on a similar principle.

Typically, when softeners are purchased, they are done so based on the water usage in the home at that moment in time. Still, as the Minimax Innova softeners have an exceptional life expectancy, in our experience, water usage can change quite significantly as the family grows up and leaves the nest. Other times, water usage can change if you change your heating system or move home. The Innova is compatible with it all!

Every other water softener in the marketplace tends to struggle to accurately and consistently measure floor rates below 10 L per minute. However, Harvey has created a softener designed for every plumbing system in every home in the United Kingdom.

The Minimax Innova uses the latest technology to ensure the water quality is always as soft as possible and no excessive water is wasted.

Advanced resin bead formula

The quality of the resin bead is critical to the quality of the water and the longevity of the softener, and it is all too frequently the area where most manufacturers scrimp and save.

The Harveys Minimax Innova uses the highest grade of resin, which makes it more efficient at capturing limescale and highly chlorine-tolerant. Importantly and uniquely, the Minimax Innova also offers a 10-year guarantee on the resin—including against chlorine contamination, which every other manufacturer classifies as a non-manufacturing defect should the resin fail.

This is one of the most significant selling features of the Minimax range of softeners, as it offers customers the best peace of mind possible.

Industry-leading impact testing

Nobody tests their softeners as much as Harvey does to ensure the longevity of their softeners.

Whereas the previous models of the Minimax range were pressure tested at low impact to 100,000 cycles at 10 bar (which in itself significantly exceeded British standards requirements), by taking advantage of the latest technology and innovations in plastics engineering, the new Minimax Innova is pressure tested (at high impact, which is a significant achievement in itself) to 1-million cycles at 10 bar, which is the equivalent of over 100 years of softened water excellence and continuous use.

No one can reasonably expect a softener to last 100 years, but what we love about this testing to the extreme is that the Harveys Innova is built to last. That is a significant achievement for British engineering!

The latest in twin-cylinder design

The benefit of twin-cylinder softeners is that you have softened water 24 hours a day, seven days a week – which means there is never any hard water and no downtime.

The Minimax Innova leads the pack forward from the original Harvey softener creations. Designed by William Sargeant of Harvey Softeners, the Minimax Innova is expertly engineered to produce the best-quality softened water we have encountered in the industry. From our experience of over 9,000 customers across every make and model of softener available, it produces beautiful, softened water fresh to your home.

‍But more than that, it does it consistently—everyone can make softened water, but few do it well, let alone exceptionally well.

Non-electric

Working very cleverly on water pressure alone through its highly accurate metering system, the Minimax has no timer to wastewater unnecessarily, no motors to jam up or corrode, and requires no adjustments or complicated programming.

It also doesn't need to backwash, unlike other softeners in the market. The reason for this is that it is designed for British and European water quality. Here in the UK, the water is safe to drink straight from the tap, whereas where other softeners are manufactured, the water is often dirtier, so softeners must backwash in those countries. The problem with backwashing is that not only is it unnecessary for softeners fitted to mains water in the UK, but it is also wasteful of water.

Some companies try to turn backwashing into a selling feature simply because their machines have to backwash as they are imported. However, their story is increasingly becoming irrelevant, especially as the UK government is setting water efficiency targets for water usage in the UK to reduce from 160 L /per day per person to 100 L. All unnecessary water wastage will increasingly put pressure on water softener manufacturers.

WRAS approved

As you would expect from any manufacturer, your Minimax water softener is approved by WRAS, the water industry regulator, to provide reliable, fully tested technology that requires no annual maintenance.

Manufactured in Britain

The Harveys Minimax softeners are manufactured in Woking, Surrey, and hand-built by a team of people who really care about what they do.

Having walked around the factory many times while managing the dealer network at Harvey's, I got to know the factory team personally very well. I'm very proud that my business, Hydroworks, has been selected as just one of 28 companies in the UK to be an Elite Dealer of the Harvey Softener brand and that we can bring you the best of the industry’s technology.

While we are independent and sell every make and model of softener to our customers, the litmus test for what Hydroworks recommends is based on what I would put into my own home, or my folks' home for that matter (or my in-laws!!).

I expect the manufacturers I work with to give the dealer network the very best in everything: the best quality of backup support, the best in leading technology and engineering advancements, the best-in-class performance and efficiency, and, very importantly, the very finest quality of softened water.

Harvey softeners tick all of those boxes, and that is why we are very proud to partner with the only British manufacturer in the industry.