Support services: Frequently asked questions

Does softened water remove existing scale?
Yes. It is a fact existing scale will quickly dissolve back into the water with softened water and no new scale will form. The hotter the water, the quicker it goes. Examples: Kettles @ 100°C up to 14 days, 12 years of scale in a hot water tank @ 60°C will dissolve in about 6 months.

Can I drink softened water?
Everyone can drink softened water unless they are a bottle fed baby less than six months old or on a medically supervised sodium restricted diet. The fact is unlike naturally occurring soft water, softened water has no link to increased occurrence of cardiovascular disease because it has exactly the same amount of dissolved solids in it as hard water. All we have done is exchanged calcium and magnesium ions that cause scale and soap scum for sodium ions that do not. It'll make a stronger flavoured tea, you won't get a 'skin' on it and you won't get scale in the kettle.

How much sodium is there in softened water?
Typical examples are - two slices of bread contain 375 mg, and two glasses of milk contain 325 mg of sodium. For comparison, an adult in a average hard water area drinking 4 pints of artificially softened water per day would add only 310 mg of sodium to their average daily intake.

I have a direct feed combi  boiler or megaflow boiler system in my house.
Can your water softeners handle the necessary high flow?
Yes absolutely. The typical direct feed systems require a large flow of up to 55 litres per minute and unlike some other brands, the modern Ensign unit can handle up to a huge 81 litres per minute!
The Ensign - The Water Softener Centre are regularly used on direct mains fed houses.

Can I keep one tap un-softened?
Of course. In fact it is a water bylaw than one tap in the premises is left un-softened. In practical terms this means fitting a third hard water mini tap at the kitchen sink. We also keep the garden taps un-softened.

Do I have to put heavy 25Kg sacks of salt into my water softener?
No, not nowadays. Since 1998 most people use the more convenient 10Kg bags of tablet salt. They're easy to handle and weight for weight cost slightly less than the old 25Kg size these days. Click here for more info.

What is the minimum quantity of salt that I can have delivered and what space does it take up?
Minimum for delivery is 10 x 10Kg bags of tablet salt. That's about 5 months worth on average. To see how much space 15 x 10Kg bags takes up, Click here to find out