: Water Softeners
Water Softeners
Galway Water are the main importers of Clack water softeners in Ireland with Clack factory trained technicians. Clack volumetric (metered) high capacity water softeners have the best efficiency in water use (4% of supply), just €1 electricity per year, using one bag (€7) per person of salt per year.
Clack Corporation have nearly 70 years experience in the manufacture of water softeners. World leaders in automatic water softener control valves - the best for high specification, reliability, serviceability, ease of use, soft water brining and with the highest durability and longevity, easily beating all other water softener brands.
Clack water softeners out-perform other U.S. water softeners including Autotrol, Culligan, Ionics, Fleck, Eerie, Hague, Kinetico and out-shadow very low quality Asian budget copy water softeners.
Galway Water supply a full range of the latest Clack volumetric water softeners and provide an installation service of water softeners to the domestic and commercial market in Galway / Ireland also many trade dealers who buy the range of Clack water softeners that we import.
About water softening ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/water_softening
water softeners with the lowest running costs
Our Clack metered controlled water softeners cope with variable numbers of occupants from 1 person to 100 persons on the hardest of waters and because no single day of domestic water use is exactly the same, metered water softeners are the only sensible choice, saving up to 80% water and 70% salt use of smaller out dated timer based water softeners.
Clack water softener range are top end commercial grade water softener systems available in Ireland outranking the nearest competitor water softeners by wide margins and easily beating all other US water softener brands including Autotrol, Fleck, Culligan, Hague, Eerie, Kinetico, Ionics + the Euro Siata, + Asian Fleck copy water softeners.
Using Clack Corporation components and the highest food grade monospheric resin made by Lanxess, our “bullet proof” water softeners are very rarely challenged by some of the most adverse water conditions.
Our water softeners have NSF certified mineral tanks filled with Lanxess S1567 ultra high performance monospheric, low oxidative resin using the number one internationally acclaimed Clack WS1CI water softener meter controlled valve made in Wisconsin, USA.
Mains or well water is directed via the Clack water softener valve into the resin bed of the Clack 10x54 water softener vessel. All calcium and magnesium ions plus a wide range of undesirable ions cling to the negative charge of the Lanxess resin beads leaving the water free of water hardness (lime) also removing iron, manganese, heavy metals, radium, aluminium, ammonium and variable levels of dirt, sediment and organics.
Clack water softener systems automatically measure water used and compiles a rolling 63 diagnostic water use pattern within the microprocessor, predicting correct early morning backwash of the resin bed with an exhausted capacity same day over-ride default in case of say 5,000 litres used in a day washing cars.
A water softener may only regenerate on a 28 day interval or decide upon a period between the average 12 to 20 days, all variable and constantly self correcting based on accurate internal water metering using a Hall pulse sensor, and Clack’s astonishingly reliable and proven microprocessor controls.
You’ve probably heard about the benefits of perfectly softened water, squeaky clean, soft and silky, all the usual sales patter about saving on detergents, no scum on baths, energy savings, savings on plumbing bills and cleaning. It is all true of course, and water softeners are actually proven by the recent independent multi million dollar - Battelle Water Softener Study - to be the greenest household energy savings devices.
General System Info (Clack 10x24 and 10x44 water softener series):
Min Water pressure : 18 psi Max Water pressure : 125 psi Voltage: 230 volts (3 pin plug)
Daily capacity regen : 2,350 to 7,500 Ltrs of softened water based on 400 ppm down to 200 ppm hardness
Weekly capacity : 16,450 to 52,500 litres soft water Galway Family Average : 1,750 litres per week
Average regeneration period 2 to 3 weeks Average annual salt bill : 4.5 bags or 30 euros
No exposed metal parts - lifetime rust free service Anti-shear sensor - sail through any ice siezures
Soft water brining - no internal blockages, clean tanks Best auto diagnostic controls on the market
User manual built into valve - no other valve has this Best build quality, warranty, reliability of all valves
water softener information
Water softeners are the longest established, effective and greenest household water treatment devices on the global water treatment market. In the era of steam power, UK and US firms discovered water softening could help steam engines beset by scale. Early UK pioneers Kennicott (1902) and Permutit (1908) were followed by Clack, Culligan and later GE and Siemens. Water softeners became high-tech after WWII when synthetic resin based water softeners were introduced.
Water softeners are the most cost effective energy saving devices within the household plumbing system. No other household plumbed device provides the energy savings of water softeners, or does the cost of any plumbed system get re-paid as soon as water softeners. Water softeners guarantee to fully soften water at the lowest lifetime costs, typically the running cost per year of just one or two restaurant steak dinners.
Water softeners have formed the backbone of green energy saving devices since their inception, keeping heating systems free from scale especially around the copper cylinder spiral coil heat transfer area of any heating system. Water softeners allow the removal of dissolved limestone from hard water, exchanging problem ions with harmless ions. Limescale causes plumbing damage by hard scale build up, staining and the problems of itchy skin, badly washed hair and poor results in washing clothes.
Clack water softeners utilise flow monitoring and memory functions,recording performance, monitoring water volumes, backwash and peak water flows over system life. Water softeners are sealed with negative ion exchange food grade polymer resins that cause positive calcium ions in hard water to cling to the resin over a period of time - water softeners then calculate when to wash the lime, chloride ions and excess sodium ions collected out into a waste pipe using just very few sodium ions to regenerate the resin. Water softeners are proven not to discharge any hazards to bio or septic systems and do not impart sodium chloride to household supplies.
There is zero sodium chloride in softened water - just trace levels of sodium, often below the level found in officially "low sodium"beverages such as supermarket soft drinks and close to the level of Tesco bottled waters. In short, even 1000 litres of softened water would not yield enough sodium to fill a tea spoon and because there are no chlorides - salt taste is completely absent.
Trace sodium in softened water is mostly below the EU limit of 200 mg/l, usually between 80 to 160 mg/l (ppm) factoring in sodium in source water. Many supermarket carbonated soft drinks exceed 200 mg/l, milk has 500 mg/l and Heinz soups contain 3000 mg/l. The healthy sodium intake we require each day in our diets is 2,400 mg. Of course milk, soup and softened water are all harmless for almost all age groups in normal use. Baby formula should be prepared as recommended by the manufacturers.
Domestic metered water softeners typically use 2 euros of electric and 2 to 6 bags of food grade salt tablets per year costing from €15 to €45. Salt use depends on water hardness and amount of water used. Bags of salt cost from 7 euros each. Savings on household cleaning / bathing products / plumbing repairs can exceed 300 euros per year, repaying the cost of water softeners in a very short time, along with improving quality of life considerably.
The older timer based water softeners, could eat up to 12 to 20 bags of salt per year. The difference in cost of timer and meter water softeners nowadays is not usually more than 100 euros. Small budget mini cabinet water softeners used in standard domestic dwellings are easily compared to trying to use a moped to tow a caravan. You may succeed in getting a moped to pull a caravan along with a shaky level of confidence for a premature period of time, however the moped will drink several times the amount of petrol and will end up in the scrap yard with a much shortened longevity.
Water softeners now cost from 400 euros and even the larger, most sophisticated domestic metered water softeners cost from 700 euros.
Find a full list of water softeners, iron / manganese filters, odour/ colour removal water filters, grit and turbidity removal water filters, ultraviolet sterilisers, reverse osmosis water filters and other specialist water treatment systems in our pdf brochure on the home page.
See pricing page for our popular water softeners:
10x23 water softeners
10x35 water softeners
10x44 water softeners
10x54 water softeners
13x54 water softeners
also available:
apartment water softeners
duplex water softeners
commercial water softeners
industrial water softeners
ex demo and clearance water softeners
Water Softeners FAQs
A water softener is essentially a pressure vessel filled with inert food grade co-polymer beads. It is required to plumbed directly to the incoming mains in nearly all cases and feed every part of the household plumbing.
Hard water is fed through the pressure vessel and lime clings to the beads. A control valve periodically feeds a brine solution over the beads and diverts removed lime and all traces of brine out to a separate drain.
The next cycle begins with over 99% of lime being removed. Existing scale in pipework dissolves and much less cleaning and detergents are required. The combined savings pay for a softener many times over.
Presently there is only one practical, and cost effective way for homeowners to soften their water and that is through an ion exchange water softener, including portable exchange devices.
Briefly here is how it works:
Ion exchange water softeners are filled with millions of tiny resin beads that attract and hold on to calcium. As the water passes through this resin "bed" the calcium is removed so it cannot harm your household goods.
Water softening is the removal of calcium and a few other minerals that can cause our working water to damage household property (99% of the domestic household water used for toilets, baths, showers, washing machines, etc).
When it deposits as scale, calcium carbonate (limestone) is an abrasive rock like mineral. Hard water is a common type of water containing dissolved compounds of calcium and magnesium and often other divalent and trivalent metallic elements.
The term hardness was first used for waters that were hard to wash in, referring to the soap wastage of hard water. Hardness prevents soap from lathering, forming an insoluble curd in the water; hardness typically causes the build up of hardness scale.
Hard Water Causes - High soap usage and need for fabric softeners
Dry, itchy skin and scalp, - Unmanageable hair, - Scale build up in sinks, baths, taps and appliances
Mineral deposits on dishes and glassware, - Extra work to remove soap curd on baths and showers
High energy costs, due to scale build-up in pipes, hot cylinders and in heating elements of appliances
Ion exchange (IX) water softening is the most popular and effective form of removing scale hardness from water, consisting of a pressure tank filled with sulfonated, polystyrene beads that are capable of removing hardness ions from water and replacing them with softer ions, such as sodium.
A water softener is connected to a brine tank filled with salt, which often regenerates the resin beads. The small beads attract and hold onto calcium and magnesium ions as water flows through them. When the beads become saturated they can't hold any more, salt is rinsed over the resin, which scrubs off mineral deposits and gets them ready to absorb hardness ions again.
Calcium dissolved in water forms deposits that:
* Abrade and fray the threads in clothing
* Stick to clothing and other household products and appliances. Towels repeatedly laundered in hard water become worn, the result of rock encrustations embedded in the fibres.
* Spot dishes, taps, sinks, toilets, cars, in fact all surfaces with a micro film of limestone.
* Deposits build up inside water pipes, heaters, and bathroom and kitchen fixtures.
* Gas water heaters use 29% less energy to heat water and electric water heaters use 21% less energy when used on soft water according to a study by New Mexico State University.
* See the latest study : the Battelle Memorial Institute water hardness study. Battelle Study
* See the WQA "The Benefits of Good Water Quality". WQA Benefits
The resin bed is rinsed with dissolved salt, usually food grade tablet salt. The dissolved salt scours the calcium from the beads which prepares the beads to regain the capacity to remove more calcium for the next cycle.
This rinsing process takes place every few thousand litres of metered water flow over a few weeks, then a point at the end of the softening cycle is chosen by meter systems to wash, usually at 2am.
Not that we are aware of at this time. Some other technologies can remove calcium but at a very high cost in energy or wasted water. Ion exchange water softening is the most cost efficient method to remove calcium.
I've heard of other "salt free" devices that are offered as alternatives. What are they and what do they do ? First of all, you need to talk to the manufacturer of these devices and see what facts or data they claim ?
Consumer protection laws are clear. Manufacturers must have scientific test data to back up their claims for their particular product.
Since no testing standard exists in the US for these devices the WQA have not tested nor certified these products. (More on testing and certification below)
What about products that are marketed as scale control devices ? Scale is the rock like mineral deposit (limestone) made up of calcium carbonate that forms inside water heaters, pipes, and fixtures over a period of time.
Scale control devices might have some ability to help reduce some scaling inside pipes and fixtures, little is fully known. To our knowledge these scale control devices do not claim to remove calcium or produce soft water.
Controlling scale inside pipes, water heaters, and fixtures is an important benefit but it is only a partial benefit.
Recent News
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May
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Master Water Specialist
May 1, 2015MoreMoving further on from Galway Water's membership of the WQA for many years, and top level Certified Water Specialist VI status, the WQA now list Galway Water as a Master Water Specialist since 1st May 2015.
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Certified Water Specialist
Jan 20, 2013MoreGalway Water have been a member of the Water Quality Association for several years. (The international not-for-profit trade association for the water treatment industry).
