Stopping rock / limescale in water heater: water softener?

crashbox

Member
Livestock Farmer
Mains water round here is from chalk source, so every year or two the hot water heater elements go, and have to get the rock out. Had over a wheelbarrow out of the 100 gallon heater!

Now got grant for heat recovery system so worried about that rocking up too...

Anybody use a water softener? Does it work, and is there much maintenance?

Note borehole not an option, we had one and that was the opposite: acid water full of iron ocre sludge!

Thanks

CB
 

upnortheast

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Northumberland
Our borehole water goes through a softener. Uses about 2 pallets a year of salt No maintenance at all -- Water use about 16 cu m day

Screwfix have a range of units, though probably for a domestic situation
Probably need to take advice on the size required for your water use.

When we started we seemed to be using lots of salt. Due to our layout it was simple to take the cow drinking water off after the iron /manganese filter but before the softener. This helped salt useage significantly.

Not sure where you are but Dales water at Ripon supplied ours , as part of the borehole filtration setup
 
Last edited:

pappuller

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
M6 Hard shoulder
Mains water round here is from chalk source, so every year or two the hot water heater elements go, and have to get the rock out. Had over a wheelbarrow out of the 100 gallon heater!

Now got grant for heat recovery system so worried about that rocking up too...

Anybody use a water softener? Does it work, and is there much maintenance?

Note borehole not an option, we had one and that was the opposite: acid water full of iron ocre sludge!

Thanks

CB
we have high iron borehole water and as said have a full treatment plant in, we deep clean our borehole every 8 weeks with a borehole cleaner, removes all traces of ocre sludge and saves the pumps, pulling 750l per hour and its cleaned to drinking water standard so supplies everything including robots except the house.
 

pappuller

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
M6 Hard shoulder
Our borehole cleaning plant right to left, holding tank, pump,manganese cleaner,iron cleaner,softener,2x particle filters 10micron/5micron, uv filter. Water runs in through that order.
20201205_174258.jpg
 

sjt01

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
North Norfolk
Gave up with water softeners for the dairy hot water, went to Siliphos or Combiphos. Works well, needs topping up once or twice a year.
https://www.bes.co.uk/cistermiser-combimate-dual-fit-scale-reducer-17067/
Work so well we have them in the cheese and elsewhere on the farm. No power needed, low maintenance. We have seriously hard water, from our chalk borehole. Mains water into the cheese room is as bad, and also responds to this
 

Horn&corn

Member
Tip the powder down the hole and can recirculate back to hole, usually pump for an hour and off for 5 or 6. Do this for 2 days
Does yours smell sulphurous a couple of days later? We usually have to dump the water for a couple of weeks as smells so bad after treatment. Still better than £15k/yr water bill!
 

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