Water softeners not good for combi boilers?

[The Natural Philosopher]

no you aren't paying for the 65% salt

You are paying for that stupid prick lineker.

just a salty one.

[Fredxx]

You're now comparing Lineker with 10 gallons of softened water?

So the conclusion is there's a lot of salt in softened water so it's best to avoid.

10 gallons of softened London water has 15 grams of salt, equivalent to 30 packs of Walkers' 34.5g bags of crisps.

Walkers crisps aren't so bad after all!

[Martin Bonner]

An additional issue to consider:

- is there any risk of you (or someone else living in the house) developing a condition where drinking the salt in softened water would be medically prohibited? (Note that Fredxx's calculation suggest an equivalent of about

150mg salt/pint ~ 1/3 bag of crisps).

[The Natural Philosopher]

more salt in a pint of milk than in a pint of softened water.

[Onetap]

There's not much on the HW side of a combi that might be damaged by softened water; only the plate heat exchanger really and that shouldn't be affected. There are thousands of commercial installations running softened DHW through PHXs. I ran a PHX water system (not a combi) on softened water for 4 or 5 years with no problems at all.

If you have a water softener, then you have hard water and that will certainly scale up the secondary side of the plate heat exchanger if unsoftened.

There is widespread misunderstanding of both water softening and combi boilers all over the internet.

[Bert Coules]

Thanks very much for that.

[lilygabeer]

I had a well known brand date softener which was cleaned by block salt. The re is a water bypass to use for drinking water and cooking - as every time the cleaning cycle takes place the water is ever so slightly salty! My boil er heater exchanger, I believe was ruined because of this ( Worcester Bosch ) I was quoted 1.4 k to repair by the Insurance boiler cover I had - beyon d economic feasibility. Went back to Worcester Bosch who stood by their pro duct got it done for just £220.

I would not recomend these types of water softeners - better to go for magn ets or electronic gadgets which process the hard water.

[harryagain]

I would not recomend these types of water softeners - better to go for magnets or electronic gadgets which process the hard water.

The salt regenerates the chemical that softens the water. Nothing to do with cleaning. A softener prevents scale build up in your boiler heatX.

The magnetic/electronic softeners are pure bollix.

[Huge]

... do absolutely nothing.

[stuart noble]

The WB callout charge is a good deal if something serious needs replacing, plus they invariably have the part on board and are gone within the hour. Can't see why a water softener would ruin your heat exchanger though

[Vir Campestris]

I bet you cannot find an independent test that says they work.

BTW salty taste in softened water is a fault.

Andy

[Tim+]

I think Lily is in the bogus water softener market...

Tim

[The Natural Philosopher]

Depends what you mean by 'salty' Mine tastes as it should of sodium carbonate.

Slightly similar to sodium bicarbonate or baking powder..

[Onetap]

here is a water bypass to use for drinking water and cooking - as every tim e the cleaning cycle takes place the water is ever so slightly salty! My bo iler heater exchanger, I believe was ruined because of this ( Worcester Bos ch) I was quoted 1.4 k to repair by the Insurance boiler cover I had - bey ond economic feasibility. Went back to Worcester Bosch who stood by their p roduct got it done for just £220.

The softener is regenerated with brine. After all the brine is drawn off, there is a rinse stage, during which wa ter continues flowing through the resin and down the drain, to remove all t races of salt.

The fact that the water tasted salty suggests too much brine and/or too short a rinse, i.e., the softener was defective.

gnets or electronic gadgets which process the hard water.

They're not softeners and they don't process the hard water. They remove none of the hardness. The dissolved calcium and magnesium salt content remains exactly the same.

[John Rumm]

It would help if it was made clear which HEX was being discussed - the primary or the secondary plate HE. The primary's only potential contact with softened water is from the initial fill. Assuming the system is not being refilled often, and is treated with corrosion inhibitor the chances of softened water causing it any damage would seem remote.

The PHE use for the DHW side of the combi would obviously be more at risk (but that is certainly not a "beyond economic replacement" item. Also most combi makers fitting instructions require some form of scale inhibition system to be present.

[stuart noble]

AIUI the principle works in industry, and a magnet the size of a double kitchen unit might just handle domestic mains pressure water.....

[Davey]

Some references would be interesting. I can find lots of claims, but nothing definitive.

[Tim+]

Please, let's not go there. ;-) I thing most folk would agree that ion exchange water softeners DO work (other than the OP).

Tim

[Davey]

I thought that this claim ("AIUI the principle works in industry"), was about magnets working. Ion exchange, no problem. Magnets, not so sure.

[xbigal]

All this talk of SALT in SOFTENED WATER is rubbish SALT is not added to the water supply with softners it is used for Cleaning & Regeneration of the R esin which softens the water. The salt tank has water added to produce a Br ine which is pushed through the resin tank to clean it and then pumped out followed by flushing with Clean water to remove any remaining salt! during this process the house supply is shut off ( Bypassed ) and reopened after s o NO SALT enters the house supply. If you have Salt ? Salt Taste in your so ftned / drinking water your System is FAULTY and needs checking.

BY THE WAY.. I still Have A Halsted Trio Combi Boiler running on Softned Wa ter which is 22 years old and still running without ever needing a heat exc hanger! Only part ever needed in that time is the 3 way valve changed twice . I bet a new Condensing Combi will not go that long!!