Collecting rainwater is a fantastic way to re-cycle water and requires minimal effort from your side. Our experts have compiled their best advice on this subject in this blog post. Good luck!

I used a Kinetico block salt water softener for many years and it works amazingly well. However salt block are quite expensive. Approximately 10 years ago I changed over to a unit produced by Tapworks not are they only cheaper to buy but you can use salt tablets which are also much cheaper in comparison to blocks. The end result is that we gets pretty much the same amazing soft water. In terms of drinking soft water well there is a lot of debate about the amount of sodium content in the soft water. Drinking soft water is entirely dependent on how hard your water is in your particular part of the country. There is a specific number of calcium carbonate in parts per million which if your area exceeds this figure then you are advised not to drink the softened water. High sodium levels can lead to hypertension which is one of the reasons why your doctor suggests that you reduce your salt intake if you have been diagnosed with hypertension. If anyone has used a water softener and you will soon realise that after a while the area where place the salt tablets or salt block can become dirty and needs to be cleaned. If this is the same water which is then coming through your kitchen sink and you are drinking it then there is also the hazard of infections. This is just my speculation but those that own water softeners for long enough will realise what I’m stating. So in my opinion use softened water for the shower, bath, dishwasher, washing machine and washing up in the sink and have a separate mains and softened water for drinking.

We have a tapworks which takes the big bags of salt pellets. It’s big and bulky under our sink but it does a great job. Had it 8-9 years, it moved house with us. It has never needed attention other than filling with salt. We discovered this was the trade name of a big brand selling for more money.

Please share your personal experience and preferences! Need to make a decision between the 2 in the next 2 weeks. Thanks