Whole-house Softeners
Whole-house Softeners | Water Purification | Plumbing | Lancing
Imagine stepping into the shower and feeling silky-smooth water cascade over your skin, or pouring a glass straight from the tap that tastes as fresh as a mountain spring. That’s the everyday reality HEP brings to Lancing homes with our whole-house softeners plumbing system. By targeting minerals at the point of entry, we stop limescale before it ever reaches your pipes or appliances, extending their lifespan, lowering energy bills, and giving you cleaner laundry and brighter dishes—all without lifting a finger.
Behind the scenes, our technicians handle everything from tailored installation to ongoing maintenance, pairing state-of-the-art resin tanks with smart metered valves for maximum efficiency. The result is comprehensive water purification that quietly works around the clock, so you can simply enjoy better water and a healthier home. Ready to feel the difference? Get in touch with HEP today and let us soften life’s hard edges.
FAQs
What is a whole-house water softener and how does it work?
A whole-house softener is a point-of-entry treatment system that removes hardness minerals—mainly calcium and magnesium—from every tap in your property. Water passes through a pressure vessel filled with ion-exchange resin beads. These beads attract and hold the hardness ions, swapping them for harmless sodium (or potassium) ions. When the resin becomes saturated, the unit automatically regenerates by flushing a salt brine through the bed, rinsing the beads clean and ready for the next cycle.
Why is water softening especially beneficial in Lancing?
Mains water in Lancing is classed as ‘very hard’, typically 250–300 mg/L (ppm) of calcium carbonate because the local supply is drawn from chalk aquifers in the South Downs. Hard water leaves scale on boilers, kettles, taps and shower screens, reducing appliance efficiency and lifespan. A softener prevents scale formation, lowers energy consumption, improves the feel of water for bathing, and reduces the amount of detergent you need by up to 50 %.
Will a softener also purify my water from chlorine, sediment or contaminants?
Standard softeners target hardness only. They do not remove chlorine, tastes, odours, sediment, pesticides or micro-organisms. If you want fully purified water, we recommend pairing the softener with an activated-carbon filter (for chlorine and organics) or a reverse-osmosis drinking station for maximum purity. Our Lancing installation team can combine these modules into a single, space-saving treatment stack.
How is a whole-house softener installed and will it reduce my water pressure?
We fit the softener on the rising main—usually in a garage, utility room or outside weather-proof cabinet. Installation involves adding an isolation valve, bypass loop, drain connection and overflow line. Modern high-flow softeners are sized to match your property’s peak demand, so you should notice no discernible drop in pressure or flow, even with multiple bathrooms. A typical three-bed Lancing home takes half a day to install; larger properties may need parallel twin tanks for constant soft water.
What maintenance does the system need?
User input is minimal: keep the brine tank at least one-third full of tablet salt. On average a family of four in Lancing will use one 25 kg bag every 4–6 weeks. An annual service is recommended to sanitise the resin, check settings, and replace any pre-filters. We offer affordable service contracts that include salt delivery and 10-year extended warranties.
How much does it cost to run a softener and will it save me money?
Electric consumption is tiny—about £8–£12 per year. Salt costs roughly £80–£120 annually for an average household. In return, you can expect energy-bill savings of £50–£70 per year from scale-free boilers, up to 30 % longer appliance life, and less spend on soaps, shampoos and cleaning products. Most customers in Lancing recoup their investment in 3–5 years while enjoying noticeably better water every day.