Complete Home Package installation
Our client in Headcorn near Ashford chose to have the Complete Home Package which included a Minimax Innova, Quooker Pro3 Tank with Fusion Round boiling water tap, plus we fitted a Surestop, the modern alternative to the brass stopcock. Lastly, we fitted a 12-month slimline drinking water filter, giving the customer the very best softened-filtered drinking water, often described as cool and refreshing.
Installing a softener under a kitchen sink
Installing a softener under a kitchen sink is one of the more common places they tend to go. Here we have fitted a softener in the most compact way possible, and even given the customer half a shelf on two levels too! The incoming water main was difficult for the client to access, so we relocated it, and here you can see it at the front, on a easy to use lever valve. A simple solution!
Quooker Pro 3 with Minimax Water Softener
This Quooker Pro 3 with Minimax Water Softener was installed into a park home near Bromley. Our client called us and initially to just enquire about a water softener and during our conversation she happened to mention how much she admired a close friend's boiling water Quooker tap. The moment we got onto the conversation of the boiling tap, it became clear to me that this was her real passion. Using the Quooker Augmented Reality App, we had a great fun selecting the right time for her home in a 3-D holographic form, after which it was just a case of coming up with a easy payment plan for her, and hey presto, a week later everything was installed. The Minimax not only protects the Quooker from the damaging effects of hard water scale, but also gives the most luxurious softened water throughout the home.
Updating old softeners comes with free pipework updates too!
Updating old softeners comes with free pipework updates too! Interestingly, this softener was still giving softened water, but it did have to be regenerated manually. In its day, the Culligan softener was considered a premium softener, and we can see why - it's lasted a huge amount of time!
With Softened Water so little Washing detergent is needed
With Softened Water so little Washing detergent is needed. As a comparison, you need just 25ml of washing powder with softened water, whereas with hard water you need between 150-180ml of powder. The savings just start to stack up with a water softener fitted.
To put it into perspective how little washing detergent you will need
To put it into perspective how little washing detergent you will need with a water softener, this high ball glass shows just 25ml - enough for a full load of washing. We have noticed that the Harvey Minimax washing powder works exceptionally well as the amount of detergent used is just pure soap, and has no fillers.
If you're planning on having a hard water drinking supply
If you're planning on having a hard water drinking supply, then the most popular way of doing it is to have a separate drinking water faucet to the side of the sink. We really like this polished chrome 1/4 turn tap as not only does it look smart, but it is also easy t use and doesn't leak or drip, like some of the more traditional styles of faucets.
Look how much chalk is in our water
This photo shows a simple glass of tap water, and in the test tube is a sample of that water, to which we had added a chemical to precipitate (show) the chalk in the water. That's a lot of chalk! This is what causes the white stains on sinks, taps, shower screens, causes soap scum and contributes to dry, itchy skin. A good water softener will remove it completely!
This Minimax block salt softener is installed with drinking water filter in a kitchen double cabinet. The filter to the left of the unit supplies softened filtered water to the main kitchen tap
We are frequently called on to provide best practice advice, and this as one of those circumstances. This large duplex water softener was installed into a hotel in Broadstairs. Like the cold water storage tank within the basement area, The water softener was considerably oversized. But when they called us and they didn't know that all they knew is that the water softener was giving them hard water, and that the two companies they had had in previously had been unable to fix the problem. We started off by stripping down the softness to determine what was wrong and found that in fact they had been assembled incorrectly, and latterly also serviced incorrectly too. At the same time I looked very closely at the volume of water the systems were capable of supplying versus the amount of water the hotel used and noted that the system was capable of producing water five times as much as was needed. We ended up replacing this duplex for a more suitably sized single cylinder water softener which is saved the customer a huge amount of money on running costs and now produces beautifully soft water.
A neat and compact installation
Every customer's home is different and so, every installation is different. This client wanted their softener to sit in the corner cupboard, and so we placed the bypass set next to it, but used lever valves for ease of use. The filter is connected directly to the mains cold water supply, and gives softened-filtered drinking water, which is extremely popular.
We buy beautiful kettles to compliment our kitchens
We buy beautiful kettles to compliment our kitchens, and then hard water just either scales them up, and messes up the outside. In this case, the client never expected a little bit of water drops left on the outside to become such an unsightly problem. It was because of these unsightly water marks that the client wanted a water softener. The moral of this story is that every customer has a different reason for wanting a softener. For my mum, her reason was she wanted a decent cup of tea - she hated the floating scum and the staining on the side of her bone china cups.
This installation required a lot of careful planning
This installation required a lot of careful planning. The client wanted the softener installed underneath the kitchen sink without any cutting to the cupboard, but in the same location they also had an Insinkerater Waste disposal system fitted. It took quite some time to plan this installation out, but we did it, and it has worked excellently well for them.
Sometimes it can take a long time to get hot water to the kitchen sink
Sometimes it can take a long time to get hot water to the kitchen sink, And that was the experience of this home owner. His wife was very frustrated at how long it took to fill the kitchen sink, And they were also very interested in the concept of a boiling water tap. The moment they realised they could have a device under the sink that will give them instantaneous boiling water as well as instant hot water, they were sold. In addition to the Quooker, The client had an existing water softener that was enormous and sat in the utility room. We updated that for a Kinetico block salt softener, and also fitted a reverse osmosis system to give purified drinking water to the fridge and the two filter taps in the home. What a result! This was a very happy decision for our client.
Trickle Flow is often the cause of many a hard water problem
G. Trickle flow causes all manner of problems, least of which is cosmetic staining on shower screens, taps and sinks. Trickle flow is when the water flow can get so slow, a softener cannot 'see' it. Steps can be taken to help manage it such as fitting delayed action fill valves, but the real key to producing softened water with loft tank installations, and sometimes even with unvented cylinders is to fit the right softener in your home.
The only way to protect your Quooker is with a water softener
This Quooker has a Scale Guard filter fitted. Their Quooker was serviced every year. When we fitted their softener, we removed the scale guard and looked at the amount of scale within the boiling unit. The customer wanted the scale left in, to see how quickly the Quooker would descale. We returned six months later, and the Quooker was 'as new' inside. Softened water descales!
Some water softener installations are really complex
Some water softener installations are really complex, and this was one of those. See the black pipe on the left - that is the incoming water main to the property. We initially installed the softener under the kitchen sink onto the incoming water main, but afterwards we heard from the client that they only had soft water at the kitchen sink. We promptly returned to see what had happened, and discovered that the incoming water main in fact was not the incoming water main. We simply couldn't find it. The property had been so extensively renovated that the water main had got lost. So we came up with the solution to run a new main up to the loft to pick up the rest of the supplies to the property, but to protect it from freezing, we double insulated the main. This has turned out to be a perfect solution to a really complex problem.
Installing a water softener outside is increasingly becoming more common
Installing a water softener outside is increasingly becoming more common. This Minimax Major was installed outside a utility room of a large home in Broadstairs, Kent. We laid the paving slabs and supplied two aluminium powder coated cabinets which as you can see needed to be cut to accommodate existing black pipes that were running behind the softener.
We service and maintain all types of softeners, including specialising in the commercial sector.
We service and maintain all types of softeners, including specialising in the commercial sector. From cafes to launderettes, from care homes to Michelin star restaurants... from food factories to precision engineering. We approach our commercial customers in the way we would want to be treated by engineers coming in to our own business; We wouldn't want to be overcharged, and we want the best advice. We wouldn't want expensive unnecessary repairs and we would want our equipment maintained for the best possible value.
Check out this hot water cylinder which has just an inch of scale!
Check out this hot water cylinder which has just an inch of scale! According to government statistics, an 1/4 of an inch of scale will increase energy (gas) usage by an astonishing 55%. This is because scale is an excellent insulator!
Do you have an old water softener?
Do you have an old water softener? If you have an old softener, you could replace it with another one just the same, or you could install something significantly more advanced. Either way, we'll help you make the right decision. In addition to that, we'll update your installation too, typically at no extra cost. Here we have replaced the plastic pipework with copper, fitted easy to use lever valves and neatened the whole installation up too!
Physical Water Conditioners
Physical Water Conditioners are a temporary way t treat the effects of hard water. They temporarily alter the structure of hard water, helping to reduce the build-up of scale. However, they still leave the effects of hard waer - scaled still builds up, but in commercial applications, the scale is not as hard. But scum still builds up, water marks still appear and they have no effect at all on reducing dry skin conditions.
This Minimax Major is installed in a basement
This Minimax Major is installed in a basement and is the block salt model. As it is in a basement, we have fitted a condensate pump to run the overflow up hill should it ever be needed. The left hand white cabinet hold the salt, while the right hand cabinet holds the twin cylinder softener. This softener is perfect for larger homes, and is very popular in small businesses and B&B's.
Brita Water Filters and softened water
Brita filters are the most popular selling brand of jug filters, and their top-selling cartridge is the Maxtra, which makes a wonderful cup of tea. Have you ever wondered why? The reason the water is so good is that the 'ion-exchange pearls' shown in step two of the photo above are in fact water softening resin! This is exactly what we also advocate; Softened Filtered Drinking Water. It's safe, it's healthy, and according to the World Health Organisation, it's wholesome.
A plywood insulated outside cabinet
A plywood insulated outside cabinet is a cost-effective way to protect your softener from the effects of cold, wet and windy weather. The cabinet is made from marine ply to make it more durable and just needs to be painted. Most customers tend to use the wood varnish but sometimes we see customers use a coloured paint including a brick paint.
Not all water softeners work well
Not all water softeners work well, and that was unfortunately the case of the softener installed in this home. It takes a lot of people by surprise to learn that almost all softeners cannot measure below 10 litres per minute. Which means that the water in the home might 'feel' softer, but the harsh effects of hard water, including cosmetic water staining can really build up. If you want completely soft water, and to ensure your home sparkles, speak to us. We'll help you to consider all the things that you need to, and ensure that we install the right softener for your home. GUARANTEED!
This Painted plywood insulated cabinet
This Painted plywood insulated cabinet is installed at Laurence's home and has been painted with a grey brick paint rather than just a wood preserver, giving it a longer life. "When we relocated my softener from my kitchen to outside, I wanted to see how long one of our outside cabinets would last. So rather than painting it with a standard wood paint I decided to use a grey brick paint to match a small lowball that we built opposite. Two years later it's still working and in one piece but I do think this year we will need to give it another repaint to give it another extended lease of life".
Minimax M2 installed at my folks
This Minimax block salt softener is installed at my folks home, was fitted back in 2009 in an outside cabinet. they live in Lincolnshire, which is prone t much colder weather than we get. They have never had a problem with their softener being installed outside, and it has never needed servicing either, although I have cleaned the cabinet out for them a couple of times to remove leaves and debris.
For a maintenance free outside cabinet
For a maintenance free outside cabinet, this powder coated aluminium cabinet is designed and could outlast the life of even the best softener. It comes in two different sizes; Standard which is suitable for block salt softeners, and Large which can accommodate the larger softener.
Replacing your stop tap for a remote Surestop makes turning your water off simple
Replacing your stop tap for a remote Surestop makes turning your water off simple. These are a simple push button stop tap, and here is a version which has a remote switch which makes it perfect for those hard to get places.
EcoWater eVOLUTION Refiner treating and softening well water
This EcoWater Refiner is installed at Tram Hatch Gardens in Kent. The eVOLUTION Refiner is quite a unique softener as it is both a water softener and a water filter in one unit, and is one of the most popular single-cylinder softeners we install. This particular softener softens water drawn from a well, which has previously been fed from an adjacent river. There is a string wound sediment filter before the softener which captures debris from the well, and no further filtration or bacteria control was needed.
This is a scaled up hot water cylinder we came across a few years back
This is a scaled up hot water cylinder we came across a few years back. Imagine how much gas was needed to head the water in that cylinder!! Scale is an excellent insulator and would have made it almost impossible to heat the water efficiently.
Reverse osmosis units are very popular
Reverse osmosis units are very popular in the UK and we find that most often a doctor or a dentist would have one of these in their home. Today we must have close to 200 customers with RO units, And we have a range of them available. This one is a for stage RO And in fact it is installed in a dental practice and produces a purity of water necessary for autoclave units. So it's a little bit better and more advanced than a traditional domestic RO but is very similar in appearance.
Industries often need a very high quality of softened water
Industries often need a very high quality of softened water, and that is the case in this Rochester galvanising factory. This Minimax Major is the tablet salt model, and is the system we have set-up both softens and purifies the water in the treatment process. This softener was chosen as it is perfect for producing a very consistent quality of softened water.
This commercial Softener on a P&O Ferry
This commercial Softener on a P&O Ferry helps keep the ferry scale free. At the far end of this photo you can see a softener on a P&O ferry. The greatest challenge with servicing a softener on a ferry is you have to get it serviced within very tight time limits, or you end up sitting on the ferry until it next gets to port! That can have its advantages and disadvantages.
Harveys Minimax Major water softener installation
This Minimax Major is installed in a large kitchen. The Minimax Major is a very powerful twin-cylinder non-electric British softener and has a separate salt tank. The Major has outstanding flow rates and is perfect for the bigger home or where higher flow rates are required.
Ever wondered how a softener works?
Ever wondered how a softener works? All too often, the perception is that the salt used in softeners goes in to our drinking water supply, and so therefore you cannot drink softened water. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. The salt is actually only used to flush the chalk that has been captured in the resin down the drain, and to then sanitise the resin from bacteria growth. After the brine water has flushed through, fresh water is then used to remove any residual tastes and to cleanse the resin.
If you see water in your brine cabinet
If use see water in your brine cabinet, then this is an indication that you do not have enough salt and the softener will therefore almost certainly be giving you hard water. This is because a softener needs a certain amount of brine water dependent on the size of the cylinder, to flush the chalk down the drain, and if there is less salt than water, and you see salt in the bottom of the cabinet, as shown here, then you do not have enough salt to create a strong enough brine solution to properly cleanse the cylinder. An important role of thumb to follow is to always keep the salt level above the water level. Sometimes, however, A softener can go wrong and the water level can be abnormally high. When that happens the softener needs a service.
Aluminium cabinet liners are a clever way to protect your kitchen cabinets
Aluminium cabinet liners are a clever way to protect your kitchen cabinets from water leaks, and to keep them looking like new for years. and these aluminium trays are the perfect solution. They come in a range of different sizes to suit most cabinets. If you would like to know more about these, contact us for more detail.
Salt Licks were the original inspiration for softener salt blocks
Harvey Bowden of Harvey Softeners (In the days when he was trading as Kinetico UK) was given the idea for the salt block by a friend of his, called Geoff. Geoff said to Harvey, "Harvey, if you created blocks of salt like animal licks, then there would be less mess in the home caused by salt granules or tablets"
Sand in Sea and Lake salt is very damaging to softeners
Many suppliers of salt don't care about the damage caused to softeners, sometimes because they don't know that is in fact damaging customer softeners, and unfortunately in some cases where they do know, they prefer customers use poor quality salt as this reduces the life of the softener. The wrong type of salt can leave grit in the brine cabinet, which can be sucked up by the brine valve, and scratch & score the valve, creating permanent damage.
A commercial softener in a Hove block of flats
We look after all types of softeners, including this block of flats in Hove. When we first took over the contract, the softener had been condemned by another company. We identified that in fact all that was wrong was that one of the resin cylinders had failed, and were able to replace it, saving the customer a significant amount of money in the process.
Tucking the softener into a corner cupboard, under the kitchen sink
This customer wanted the softener fitted side on in the cupboard, which we have done, placing it on to the base of the cupboard, We fitted the bypass set neatly to the right-hand side, and the filter is at the rear of the cupboard, giving the client refreshing softened-filtered drinking water.
A Hague Water Softener, in the garage
This Hague water softener is installed in an insulated garage/exercise space. We were replacing a 2-year-old EWT softener that was already in this home, but was giving the customer hard water. Cheaper Chinese EWT softeners are frequently sold with a service contract which can be quite costly for the customer, but when it comes time to call on the service team of EWT, the customer found that they were completely unable to get the machine looked at.
A professional window cleaner in Crawley
This window cleaner had heard about our extensive experience in the window cleaning sector, and was having several problems with their installation where their water quality was very poor, leaving water staining on windows. We completely redesigned their system, and professionally installed this Minimax Major, which softened the water down to 0 hardness, and added a professional RO system and DI resin tank. Perfect for a business that totally relies on the purity of their water always being 99.99% pure!
The full package
This client wanted softened water in their home, as well as boiling water on tap. Whilst there are various boiling water taps on the market, nothing is as reliable and works as efficiently as the Quooker, here with a Chrome Flex tap, all neatly tucked under the kitchen sink. The Quooker runs on softened water, which means it will never scale up, prolonging the life of the machine considerably, and saving them thousands of pounds on servicing costs over the life of the Quooker.
Minimax Innova along with purified Reverse Osmosis water
This customer is a regular returning client of ours who has had softeners from us previously in her last home and tenanted properties, and this was for her new home. Her key requirement was completely soft water, and the best quality drinking water, specifically to remove pharmaceuticals from the water supply. All are neatly tucked away in a spare space in the utility cupboard.
Where's Quooker?
In a game akin to 'Where's Wally?' this Quooker Combi was ticked away neatly into a kitchen cupboard, and unless you knew it was there, you would only know when you started to look around for the kettle. The Combi gives boiling water and hot water, so this customer no longer has to wait 52 seconds for the kitchen hot tap to give hot water as it is now instantaneous too!
A private school near Maidstone in Kent
When we took over this contract, the previous hot water softener that was installed here had been installed on cold water hoses, and the resin cylinder had also failed, literally causing the inner part of the cylinder to peel away from the outer, creating a permanent risk of a hot water release. As soon as the school spotted something was wrong, they called us in. We properly installed a new hot water softener, and also serviced their two other softeners, giving everything a new lease of life.
A home to be proud of
If you are installing a softener into your home, you can rely on us to respect your home as though it were our own. We only install one softener a day, and we take our time so that the job is done properly, first time. In this home, I wanted to ensure that the customer's softener took as little space as possible, so we created a shelf for them on a neat and tidy chrome bar. The customer was happy for us to discretely hide the hoses below the base of the unit, maximising storage space, and we fitted the control bypass set on the right-hand side where it is easily accessible. We then fitted a filter to give softened-filtered water to the main kitchen tap, which is what most of our customers prefer.
Some installations are tighter
The owners of this kitchen wanted the softener to take up as little space as possible as storage space was at a premium, and so we made sure they still had plenty of storage. Incidentally, at the back is a white round object which is the water meter - and the Minimax uniquely has the same type of water meter as is used by the water authority. So it measures even down to a really slow-dripping tap, guaranteeing completely soft water all of the time!
A garage installation
Sometimes the only place to install a softener is wherever you can find a good home for it. In this home, we installed it next to the unvented hot water cylinder, onto a shelf. Everything is at eye level and takes up as little space as possible. This was a replacement for an EWT softener, approximately 3 years old, which had failed. The customer had tried to contact EWT, but they were just interested in selling them a replacement softener, despite them paying for an annual service contract. Their new Minimax Innova, however, requires no annual servicing, and so will save them a lot of money over the life of the softener.
Voila, it Fits!
This customer wanted boiling hot water via a large Pro7 tank, on tap, along with chilled, filtered and sparkling water. It all had to fit around the plumbing in the under-sink cupboard, and taking up as little space as possible was critical. It was a tight fit, but we were able to create Mary Poppins magic and make it all fit!
Very few under sink cupboards are ready for a softener to be installed
When I first met this customer, the trap of the sink took up much of the cupboard, and the client feared that they would not be able to fit a softener in the space. We used a space-saving trap, and, as if by magic, it not only all fitted, but they came away with the feeling that they actually had more space in the cupboard than they started with! A win-win!
Where can my softener be installed?
This customer had been told that they would need to lose a larger kitchen cupboard for their softener to be installed. Their preference was that it went under the sink, and when I assured them it could easily be done, they were very understandably very sceptical. I explained to the client that all we do is install and maintain water softeners, and so we are experts at not only making things fit, but also making sure that the installation is neat and professional.
Sometimes the client prefers a different type of finish
My preference is that the bypass control set is always very easily accessible, which makes our installations a little trickier to do. In this case, however, the customer wanted the bypass set hidden neatly at the back of the cupboard, and it looks great!
What if there is no space to fit the softener in the cupboard?
In this home, the only way the softener was going to fit was to cut a very neat hold through the base of the unit and place the softener onto the floor of the kitchen. The hoses run around the back, and the drinking water filter is neatly at the ear too.
The Culligan SoClear water purifier is a powerful compact system
This water purifier is immensely popular and produces purified water clear of organic compounds, bacteria, viruses and even pharmaceutical drugs. When we know that every drop of water on our planet has been through at least 7-sets of kidneys, it makes us realise that removing pharmaceutical drugs is often left to the homeowner to do if they feel they want to.
A Qettle Boiling Water System
We are not big fans of the Qettle boiling water system for various reasons, but this customer had been convinced by someone else that it was the best system for their home. It was supplied by the customer and we fitted it, alongside our filter to give softened-filtered drinking water to the main cold kitchen tap.
A tall Kinetico 2060S in an NHS health centre
We look after 18 NHS softeners across the South East, and this one is installed in a Health Centre in East Kent. Kinetico Softeners are American, and the valve on the top of the softener is what is used across all Kinetico softeners. In America, softeners are normally this tall, and are often fitted in the garage. In the UK, they use the same valve, but just place it on to a smaller softener cylinder, which can create some challenges in British homes.
This customer swapped from a Harvey softener to a Hague
When this customer contacted us and asked us to remove their perfectly working 5-year-old Harvey softener and replace it with something else, we had to listen very carefully to the needs of the customer as their reasons for the change were very subtle. The only softener that would have met the very specific needs of this particular customer was this Hague Maximiser. Fitting it in the same location as the smaller Harvey meant that we had to completely redo all the plumbing in the cupboard which they were quite delighted with as the original manufacturer-installed installation was quite disorganised and was a source of concern to them.
Look how tall softeners used to be!
For many years in the UK, this is what the size of domestic softeners used to be in the home. To make them fit, they would cut a hole in the top of a kitchen countertop, and drop them down, so that they head stuck out like E.T.! Then the salt cabinet would go into a kitchen cupboard! Thankfully things have moved on
A Minimax Innova with SoClear Water Purifier
This customer wanted a water softener that would cope with their 2 bathrooms on the third floor of a large home in Croydon. After checking flow rates at both the kitchen and also in the top floor bathrooms, I was happy to recommend the Minimax Innova, which is capable of doing an impressive 51 litres per minute continuous flow rate! The customer also wanted to remove viruses, pharmaceuticals and bacteria from mains drinking water, and so we recommended the SoClear water purifier which sits compactly alongside the softener.
Metal braided hoses
At Hydroworks, we hate metal braided hoses with a passion, and here you can see why! Metal braided hoses can fray, and when they do, sharp metal strands can fracture the very thin and fragile inner lining. When that happens, the inner lining will split with disastrous consequences! Instead we prefer to make up our own hoses using a very high quality grade of plastic hose, which should last the life of the softener
