Making high efficiency water softeners a fundamental component of bathroom installations will prove a shrewd move for professional builders, says Kevin Johnson, MD of Monarch Water.
When it comes to installing bathrooms and wetrooms, professional builders’ commitment to producing quality results can quickly become undermined by hard water and the problems it can cause around the home. Therefore, it’s important that industry professionals include the latest generation of high efficiency water softeners as standard when producing a quote.
The big issue
Hard water is not a major problem in its natural state, but once it’s heated inside boilers, showers, kettles, washing machines and dishwashers, the minerals it contains calcify, producing corrosive limescale.
Although 60 per cent of UK residents currently live with the negative effects of hard water, only around 7-8 per cent own a water softener. The most hard-hit areas include central, eastern, and southern areas of England, but huge swathes of Britain would hugely benefit from softer water.
Consumers investing in a top-quality bathroom design and installation will not be able to enjoy their sparkling new addition for long because limescale will literally take the shine off their dream space in no time.
It’s not just the aesthetically displeasing presence of scum and scale that’s a problem for hard water households either – it’s the limescale that’s hidden inside pipes and household equipment that’s the bigger issue.
Scale formed as a result of hard water will coat heating elements, decreasing efficiency, and increasing running costs. In fact, British Water estimates that just a 1.6mm coating of limescale on a heating element can make it up to 12 per cent less efficient as it first has to heat the scale before it can heat the water. This accumulation of scale also increases the likelihood of equipment breakdowns and decreases machines’ lifespan.
With increasing numbers of people currently undertaking home renovation projects, professional builders should be highlighting modern water softeners as the affordable solution to the problems that limescale causes. This will not only help to establish them as knowledgeable tradespeople making use of innovative technology but protect end users’ investment too.
Green machines
Sustainable solutions to household issues have become increasingly important to consumers, with the economic advantages it presents and concern for the environment driving interest in this area. It’s therefore important that professional builders are knowledgeable about the environmentally sound solutions available to their customers.
Making water softeners an integral part of any bathroom project will not only help consumers to protect their investment but increase professionals’ profits too. With around just 7-8% of hard water homes reaping the rewards of installing a water softener, there are plenty of potential customers.
Innovative water softener technology has seen increased efficiency in some models, using 12 per cent less salt and 24 per cent less water per regeneration than their previous counterparts. The latest generation of high efficiency water softeners not only offer whole house protection 24 hours a day, seven days a week, by preventing limescale build up, but also remove any pre-existing deposits too. This means household equipment will not only produce better results but will cost less to run too.
New models are now even more compact, making them easier for professionals to site. Some units that feature a rapid-fit bypass are also quicker to install as it removes the need for 80 per cent of equipment previously needed to install.
Liquid assets
Although little thought is rarely given to water quality, doing so can prove invaluable for homeowners and profitable for professional builders. It’s important that water softeners should be viewed as an affordable solution to the problems limescale causes, which is why professional builders should be championing them. By sharing information with consumers about the benefits that modern water softeners offer, professional builders can dispel the myth that they are a luxury item.
Water softeners offer numerous benefits. According to British Water, in addition to lower running costs for household equipment, end users can experience a 50 per cent reduction in washing powder and hand soap consumption. They will also use less shampoo, conditioner, shower gel and cleaning products too. Softened water is also thought to help dry skin conditions such as eczema, as well as producing better results from washing machines and dishwashers.
In fact, high efficiency water softeners offer savings of around £200 a year once installed thanks to lower utility bills and reduced consumption of cleaning chemicals and washing detergents. These savings mean that high efficiency water softeners produce payback on initial investments in a relatively short time.
Modern water softeners are the ultimate solution to the problems caused by hard water. The fact that they are compatible with any boiler means that any hard water home is a potential customer, making water softeners a lucrative line of revenue for professional builders.
For further information on Monarch Water visit https://monarchwater.co.uk/
