Water guide

Water Softeners – Everything You Need to Know.

Water softeners are incredibly useful for businesses – they reduce the levels of limescale, improve the water you use for production, and, most importantly, save money.

What does water softening do?

Water softening is the process of removing calcium, magnesium, and other metal impurities present in the water supply. The clean water supply in certain parts of the country is particularly ‘hard’ due to the local geology, especially in the South East of England.

The process of water softening removes these metal impurities from the water supply.

What are the benefits of having a water softener system?

There are many benefits to having a water softener system on your premises; here are the main ones to be aware of:

Removes limescale

Removing the limescale reduces the damage to pipes and machinery by providing your facility with soft water that will not erode your equipment.

Removing the limescale also reduces the risk of legionella production – A deadly bacteria that can grow in untreated water.

Increase energy efficiency

Having a water softener system will increase your building’s energy efficiency. Hard water minerals start to build within heating systems, meaning they have to work much harder, increasing your business energy usage.

A commercial water softener stops your heating system from developing those hard water minerals and allows the system to run much more smoothly.

The water softener will help the heating systems and keep the water pipes clean, meaning a much more efficient transfer of water from pipe to pipe, reducing the energy needed to transfer the water and heat it.

Save money

In the long run, you will save money. Softening your water will reduce the damage done to water pipes, machinery, and production equipment.

Soft water prevents limescale and the sludge created when hard minerals accumulate. These hard minerals will begin to erode in your pipes and machinery, reducing maintenance costs and replacement costs on damaged equipment.

You may be interested in reading 14 ESSENTIAL tips to save money as a small business

How does a commercial water softener system work?

A water softener works using an ion exchange resin, which replaces the hard magnesium and calcium sides with soft sodium salts that do not form any scale.

In rinsing cycles, the ion exchange will soften the water using backwashing and brine-draw. The hardness is washed out of the water and deposited with the wastewater.

This process is automated using a clock or a volumetric water meter if you use a large volume of water. This is used where a continuous flow of soft water is needed (production, food and drink) – it’s achieved by using twin-tank or multi-stream arrangements.

However, depending on your business type, different systems fit each specific need. Varying from food production to small businesses, companies have the need for a bespoke water softener set up to ensure the water is soft and causes as little damage to the premises as possible.

Who uses commercial water softener systems?

Due to the important benefits of water softener systems, many industries need these to improve their development efficiency and reduce costs. Here are the most popular sectors that use water softener systems:

Commercial Office Blocks and Building Services
Hospitals and Healthcare
Hotels
Bakers
Food and drink production

How much does a water softener system cost?

The cost of a water softener system depends heavily on the size of your premises and how much water you use.

It also depends on the type of water-softening system you will need. For example, a water softener system for poultry production would differ dramatically from one built for a hotel chain.

By requesting a discussion with a water softener expert, you can establish what you need the system to do and match your requirements with a solution.

How long do water softener systems last?

Commercial water softening systems will last around 12-15 years before they will need replacing or repairing.

Like most systems, they’ll need updating to ensure they’re running correctly and moving with the latest advanced technology.

However, the amount they save you in energy bills and repairing pipes and machinery is far more than the cost of a water softening system.

Save money on your business water rates

We hope you’ve found our summary on commercial water softener systems useful. We’re not experts in installing water softeners, but we are professionals in helping businesses save money on their business water rates.

Use our simple business water comparison service to save on your business water bills today.