Softening Systems
Softening Systems | Water Purification | Plumbing | Harrogate
Imagine turning on the tap in your Harrogate home and knowing that every drop has been expertly softened, filtered and polished by HEP’s master plumbers. Our tailored softening systems strip away scale-forming minerals, silence that tell-tale kettle hiss and give soaps a luxurious lather, while the integrated water purification stage removes lingering chlorine, heavy metals and organic impurities. The result is crystal-clear water that tastes as fresh as a Dales spring and keeps appliances running at peak efficiency.
From first call to final handshake, our local team handles everything in-house: free onsite testing, honest recommendations, tidy installations and scheduled maintenance that fits around your life. Whether you’re battling stubborn limescale, protecting a new boiler or simply craving purer, great-tasting water, HEP delivers reliable technology backed by friendly Yorkshire service—so every glass, bath and brew feels like an upgrade.
FAQs
Why should I install a water softener in Harrogate, and how hard is the local water?
Harrogate and the surrounding North Yorkshire area draw much of their supply from limestone aquifers, giving an average hardness of 180–220 mg/L (classified as “hard” by the Drinking Water Inspectorate). This level of calcium and magnesium causes scale in boilers, kettles, taps and pipework, reducing appliance life and raising energy bills. A domestic softening system exchanges the hardness minerals for sodium ions, preventing scale formation, lowering detergent use by up to 50 %, and leaving bathrooms, glassware and heating elements free of chalky deposits.
How does your softening and purification system work, and what contaminants does it remove?
Our twin-tank, metered-regeneration softeners use food-grade ion-exchange resin to swap calcium and magnesium ions for sodium during normal flow. Once the resin reaches capacity, the control valve automatically draws a brine solution through the bed to flush away the minerals and recharge the resin. In addition to hardness removal, we can combine the softener with optional carbon and sediment pre-filters that reduce chlorine, pesticides, organics, rust and silt down to 5 µm, giving you crystal-clear, great-tasting water at every tap.
Will softened water affect the taste or nutritional value of my drinking water?
Softened water is perfectly safe to drink. The process adds only a small amount of sodium—around 8 mg per litre for every 100 mg/L of hardness removed—well below the NHS guideline of 200 mg/L for low-sodium diets. Essential minerals such as calcium are not required from drinking water because they are far better absorbed from food. If you prefer unsoftened cold water for cooking or infant formula, we can fit a separate hard-water drinking tap or install a reverse-osmosis purifier alongside the softener.
What size water softener do I need for my home?
Sizing is based on the number of occupants and the local hardness. A typical Harrogate household of four uses about 1,400 litres per week. At 200 mg/L hardness, that equals 280 grams of calcium carbonate to remove. Our most popular 10-litre cabinet softener has a capacity of 1,500 grams, giving 5–6 days between regenerations—ideal for efficiency and salt economy. Larger families or properties with multiple bathrooms may benefit from our 14- or 18-litre models for longer intervals and sustained flow rates up to 55 L/min.
How much maintenance is required and how often do I need to add salt?
Routine upkeep is simple: keep the brine tank at least one-third full of crystal or block salt and wipe down the lid occasionally. In an average family home, this means adding 1–2 bags (25 kg) every 6–8 weeks. The control valve performs self-diagnostics and alerts you to low salt or service intervals. We recommend an annual service visit—lasting about 45 minutes—during which our engineer sanitises the resin bed, replaces the pre-filters and checks valve seals, ensuring peak efficiency and extending the 15-plus-year lifespan.
Are your systems covered by warranty and do you provide installation & after-sales support in Harrogate?
Yes. All our domestic softeners carry a 10-year parts warranty on the pressure vessel and valve, plus 2 years on electronics. Professional installation by our WRAS-approved plumbers includes a full commissioning report, water test and user tutorial. We serve the entire HG postcode area with same-week appointments, and our local depot stocks salt, filters and spare parts for next-day delivery. You can also choose one of our affordable maintenance plans, which include annual servicing, emergency call-outs and ongoing water quality checks.