Water filtration and limescale systems in London
Filtration, softening and scale reduction are three different things that get sold as if they were one. A filter improves what you drink. A softener changes the water chemistry throughout the house. A scale reducer does something more modest than either. This page is the first two and the honest version of the third.
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What this includes
- Whole-house filtration on the incoming main
- Under-sink drinking water filters and dedicated taps
- Sediment filters where the mains runs dirty
- Scale reducers and inhibitors
- Cartridge changes and filter servicing
- Filtration combined with a softener, done in the right order
Worth knowing first
Some of this may save you a callout entirely. We would rather tell you than not.
Filtering and softening are not the same thing
A filter takes things out of the water — sediment, chlorine, taste. A softener changes the minerals that cause scale. If your complaint is furred kettles and scaled taps, a drinking filter will not touch it. If your complaint is the taste, a softener will not fix that either.
A scale reducer is not a softener
Magnetic and electronic conditioners are sold hard and claim a lot. They do not remove hardness. Some people find they help downstream of the unit; nobody should buy one expecting softener results. That is the honest position and it costs us the bigger sale.
Cartridges are the running cost
Every filter has a service life, and one left in past it is worse than no filter. Whatever gets installed, agree at the outset what changing it costs and how often.
Know what you are trying to fix first
Taste, sediment, scale and smell all have different answers. Tell us what the actual complaint is and we will tell you which of these does something about it — sometimes the answer is none of them.
Common questions
Filter or softener?
Filter for taste and what you drink. Softener for scale in the boiler, the shower and the kettle. Plenty of London households end up with both, with a filtered hard tap for drinking.
Do I need filtration in London?
The water is safe to drink as supplied. Filtration is about taste, chlorine and sediment rather than safety, and in an older building with old internal pipework a sediment filter can make a visible difference.
How often do cartridges need changing?
Typically every six to twelve months depending on the type and your usage. We can set it up as a scheduled visit so it is not something you have to remember.
Will it help with limescale?
A standard filter, no. A softener, yes. A scale reducer, to a limited extent and not everywhere in the house. We will not tell you otherwise to sell you one.
Part of our water supply & treatment work
If the job turns out to be a repair rather than an installation, these are the pages that cover it.
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General Plumbing
Taps, toilets, radiators and pipework. The jobs that never quite get done.
More on General Plumbing -
Boiler Service
The annual check that keeps a boiler safe, efficient and inside its warranty terms.
More on Boiler Service
Other appliance work
Need water filtration & limescale in London?
Tell us what’s happening and where you are, and we’ll tell you what it costs before anyone starts work.