Water Softener

[karthik.nitw]

Hi Members,

I need some info about water softener for household purpose.

Should I get my borewell water tested before opting for water softener? What are the tests to be done ? Any reliable test labs ?

In what ways does it help FPC based SWH systems ?

I got some quote of ION total softener. Kindly share any reviews about this one.

Thanks in advance!
Karthik

[navhe]

Hi Karthik,

I dont know what is FPC based SWH systems / ION total softener.

Test borewell water for TDS. Usually it will be same as your neighbor if he has done the test. TDS levels are constant in a geographical area.
For Eg: in and around Uttarahalli/Gubbalala area, all borewell water TDS levels reads above 400.

Traditional salt based water softeners require lot of maintenance and bulky.
I am planning to go for Water harmonizer - small device which prevents scaling without softening water.
It requires zero maintenance and comes with one time cost around 20k.
For drinking and cooking, anyway we have to install water purifier (RO+UV+UF .. )

[karthik.nitw]

Hi Navhe,

Thanks for your reply!
I was referring to Flat Panel Collector (FPC) type of solar water heater. As panel collector can withstand damages to some extent, I may go for FPC based solar water heater. Racold Omega (FPC based) specs says water hardness should be less than 200 PPM and chloride level should be less than 100 PPM. If the test report shows more than these values I may have to opt for water softener or any other alternative.

I think ION total softener is resin / salt based one. The vendor is quoting around 50k. Could you please share more details of water harmonizer ?

Could some one please let me know if they installed water softener along with FPC based solar water heater ?

Thanks,
Karthik

[navhe]

well.
I installed tubular solar water heater.
for harmonizer details/demo, u may visit:
http://ewaterharmony.com ; http://crystalspringwatertech.com/products/home

I got feedback saying 'it works!' from people already using harmonizer

[sunkumar]

Any feedback from the people who have used this in the past for a longer period? Since the company claims that the product is zero maintenance was interested in this as compared to traditional water softening units. Is this really effective on hard water and zero maintenance?

[girishshk]

I am also looking for this zero maintenance hard water softener. Let me know if any one has really used and is maintenance free in reality.

[Vivkrish]

@navhe - Any feedback on the EWH softener is much appreciated. There's not much feedback on the net on this device and I am looking to get a softener ASAP. Most products available with local vendors seem to be heavy on maintenance and word of mouth guarantee. Please advise.

[ardesarchitects]

Hi,
Just a pointer while installing water softener. Never connect the water softner direct to borewel motor it will pump in lots of dust along with water.
You should store water to sump first and wait for one hour min so solid particles will settle down, thenn use sump motor to pump the water to tank via water softener.

Regards,
Ar.Praveen.N
Ardes Architects and Interior designers
ardesarchitects@gmail.com
www.ardesarchitects.com
https://www.instagram.com/ardesarchitects

[raman_63]

Hi,
testing TDS as an indication of efficacy and is not right to go for softener based on TDS.

TDS is the measure of all the ions dissolved in the water. A softener works by exchanging ions in your water by removing Calcium and adding Sodium. So the total amount of ions dissolved in the water will be substantially the same before and after the softener.

The parameter you want to get tested is Hardness. Any water over 17mg per lts needs a softners to prevent scaling on taps, Pipes and glass in your toilets. Please note Hardness does not mean the water is not drinkable. Hard water has its own benefit as it contains Calcium and Magnesium and Iron ions which are washed away by softening.

Now coming to GOOD Maintenance free Softner
1. All Softeners needs some maintenance like refilling salts and back washes on regular basis based on the hardness of water.
2. Best maintenance Free Softener is by 3M but will cost close to 1.5 lakh
3. next best is to go for a resin based water softener ~30K and pay Rs. 400 every month someone to visit your house and regenerate it. ( Bluebird, Bisneer, Kent, ZeroB)
4. You also get Semi automatic Water Softener which does auto regeneration but will cost ~50K
5. with Ionizer you will still have scaling but can be easily cleaned.

As Praveen mentioned you might need a sump tank for sediments to settle in borewell water if you don't have a tank provision, you can use Bag filter or sand filters to remove sediments. These filter has to be attached before Borewell water enters the Softeners.


Hi raman, As per forum rules you need to share your knowledge before you could add your service or product marketing .

ADMIN

[rjblr]

Hi,
testing TDS as an indication of efficacy and is not right to go for softener based on TDS.

TDS is the measure of all the ions dissolved in the water. A softener works by exchanging ions in your water by removing Calcium and adding Sodium. So the total amount of ions dissolved in the water will be substantially the same before and after the softener.

The parameter you want to get tested is Hardness. Any water over 17mg per lts needs a softners to prevent scaling on taps, Pipes and glass in your toilets. Please note Hardness does not mean the water is not drinkable. Hard water has its own benefit as it contains Calcium and Magnesium and Iron ions which are washed away by softening.

Now coming to GOOD Maintenance free Softner
1. All Softeners needs some maintenance like refilling salts and back washes on regular basis based on the hardness of water.
2. Best maintenance Free Softener is by 3M but will cost close to 1.5 lakh
3. next best is to go for a resin based water softener ~30K and pay Rs. 400 every month someone to visit your house and regenerate it. ( Bluebird, Bisneer, Kent, ZeroB)
4. You also get Semi automatic Water Softener which does auto regeneration but will cost ~50K
5. with Ionizer you will still have scaling but can be easily cleaned.

As Praveen mentioned you might need a sump tank for sediments to settle in borewell water if you don't have a tank provision, you can use Bag filter or sand filters to remove sediments. These filter has to be attached before Borewell water enters the Softeners.


Hi raman, As per forum rules you need to share your knowledge before you could add your service or product marketing .

ADMIN

i think 3M softener is also resin based softener. Could you please explain what is the difference between #1 and #2?