The benefits of using a water conditioner

James Ridout, UK Director at Aquabion® UK Ltd reviews the problems with limescale and discusses the benefits of using a water conditioner system.

The problem with limescale

Much of Great Britain is made up of limestone and chalk, with more than 60% of homes in the UK being supplied with hard water. Hard water is water that contains a high concentration of the dissolved minerals calcium and magnesium. Whilst there are benefits to hard water, when it evaporates, it leaves behind calcium carbonate deposits. Otherwise known as limescale, these deposits stick to any surface and can accumulate quickly, causing endless household and plumbing problems.

Limescale can also have more serious and costly implications. It can damage plumbing and heating systems, household equipment and appliances by clogging pipes. It also decreases water pressure which leads to loss of efficiency from your heating system and higher overall running costs. In fact, British Water say that even a 1.6mm coating of limescale on a heating element can make it up to 12% less effective.

Finding the right solution

The market offers a range limescale solutions, including salted based water softeners but there’s an alternative on the market that’s becoming increasing popular with energy savvy consumers and plumbers alike, and it’s a high performance water conditioner. 

Some people can actually struggle to differentiate between a salt based water softener and a water conditioner, but there’s a big difference. It’s important to be informed when buying or recommending a water treatment system, so here’s what you need to know about the two:

Water conditioners vs water softeners

A water softener is a unit used to soften hard water by 'ion exchange', a process that swaps the calcium for sodium. With this method, you exchange the sodium for the hard water minerals. Whilst this is a successful process, there are several drawbacks to using a salt based system, including regularly buying and storing vast quantities of salt - anything from eight to twenty+ 25kg bags of a salt a year, for a family of four to run.

There’s also the disposable of the salt to worry about and the impact it has on the environment; not only do salt based softeners consume thousands of litres water each year, they also produce tons of salt which goes into the sewage system and eventually ends up in our rivers. In some parts of the US they have banned salt based water softeners for this very reason.

Those using a system like this are also advised by Thames Water and many other organisations to install a separate, untreated tap for drinking water as sodium rich water can be unsafe for drinking.

Having worked in this industry for several years, I regularly meet plumbers who report that domestic salt based softeners are being neglected by their owners and when called to a repair, they find they’ve not been replacing the salt. For some, the regular cost and maintenance required isn’t sustainable and therefore it’s most likely the wrong choice limescale solution for them.

The system of choice

An Aquabion® water conditioner is a patented, German designed and engineered unit that uses zinc sacrificial anodes to release zinc ions into the water. This reacts with the calcium in the water to form aragonite – a new type of non-adhering lime – essentially stopping it from sticking and allowing it get washed away with the rest of the water. No one else can use Aquabion’s patented technology.

Aquabion water conditioners are proven to be 98% effective in preventing limescale build up and whilst there is the occasional residue still to wipe away, it’s the only maintenance required for the duration of the system. 

What’s more, the unit doesn’t rely on salt so there’s no salt disposable to worry about and crucially no compromise to the water quality – the water remains safe to drink and safe on the skin.

As an additional key selling point, it’s guaranteed, no leaks and no breakdowns and comes complete with a 5-year warranty, a 7-year replacement cycle and domestic units come with a satisfaction guarantee.

Aquabion® water conditioners are fast becoming the system of choice. They’re easy and effective to install and require no maintenance, saving time and money year on year. The slim-line design allows for a neat and secure fit into existing pipework, requiring no additional pipes or extra cupboard space.

If you’re looking to stop limescale, there’s plenty of ‘solutions’ on the market but the next generation in treatments is a conditioner from Aquabion. It’s a time and cost effective choice, safe on the environment, with guaranteed results.

Aquabion® water conditioners

Aquabion® is an industry leading water conditioner system, available through over 200 merchants nationwide.

There are 2 domestic and 13 commercial sized systems to choose from, depending on the size of the premises, and the prices start from £350.00.

www.aquabion-uk.com / 01380 609 390