Water Softener & Drinking Water System

Hard Water is water that contains dissolved hardness minerals above 100 parts per million (PPM). Relative levels of hardness have been establish as Soft Water less than 100PPM, Slightly Hard 100 TO 200 PPM, Hard 300 TO 400 PPM, Very Hard 400 and above.

BWT water softeners work on the ion exchange principle. They work by passing the incoming water supply through the resin bed, that removes all excess minerals and impurities. As a result, the calcium and magnesium cling to the resin beads and are replaced by sodium ions. The resin bed can only capture a certain amount of minerals, and when this limit is reached, the system is regenerated by flushing it with a brine solution. This helps in the removal of calcium deposits and replenishes the resin with sodium ions. Therefore, with water softeners you can easily turn your hard water into softened water.

There are no real reasons why you cannot drink softened water, for most people it is a matter of choice and lifestyle. However, for those that have installed a water softener, please be mindful that softened water does contain a slight increase in the amount of sodium, the actual amount of which will depend on your local water hardness and is therefore not recommended for people who are on a low sodium diet, for the preparation of baby formula milk, or for areas where the hardness exceeds 390ppm. Please also note in line with guidance an untreated water tap should be available within the property.

Once you have installed a water softener in your home, it is unlikely that you will need to add extra salt in your dishwasher. Simply change your dishwasher’s internal water softener setting to the off position or alternatively ensure the incoming water hardness setting is at its lowest/softest.

The Installation time will depend on where the water softener is going to be installed and the experience of the installer. Given a suitable location with easy access to the necessary services we would expect an experienced installer to allow 3-4 hours. Check out our video on our YouTube channel How to install a BWT Water Softener, where we have explained the installation process.

The WS range softeners use a ‘Plug In’ type transformer. The low voltage system is used to power the electronic control system and the valve during regeneration. The result is a water softener that can be set up to suit your local water conditions and that can adapt to your lifestyle. The electricity used is minimal and the small diameter cable from the transformer can in most cases be easily routed from the socket to the softener.