Drinking Water & Taps
As your local experts in water treatment we can advise you on the quality of your drinking water and guide you through the multitude of products available to improve your drinking water. As Professional installers we are qualified to fit 3-way taps and boiling water taps. Once installed we will look after you with our filter replacement service.
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3-way & separate drinking taps
We have selected a range of taps from trusted suppliers which we believe combine a good choice of styles with different functionality and value for money when compared to branded taps like Franke and Perrin & Rowe. All of our taps can be combined with a drinking water filter to provide tastier, purer drinking water. click for more
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APL Cirrus and Stratus 3 way taps
British designed and built to last, these contemporary taps feature the popular 3 lever design. They are suitable for use on conventional gravity systems or modern pressurised systems and are supplied with a 5 year warranty on mechanical parts.
Available in two styles: Cirrus and Stratus and in two finishes: chrome or brushed nickel
Cascade 3 way tap
This tap features a single mixer lever for dispensing hot and cold water as well as a separate lever for dispensing drinking water. They are suitable for use on conventional gravity systems or modern pressurised systems and are supplied with a 3 year warranty on mechanical parts.
Available in chrome or brushed nickel finishes
Aquapuro 3-way tap with pull out spray
British designed and the only 3-way tap on the market that features a pull down spray function for pre-rinsing dishes or cleaning the hard to reach corners of the sink. Suitable for use on conventional gravity systems or modern pressurised systems.
Available in three finishes: chrome, chrome and black and chrome and white
Abode 3-way tap
The popular Abode 3 –way tap features just two levers: A hot lever and a combined cold and drinking water lever – pull it forward for cold water, or push it back for drinking water. The Abode is suitable for use on conventional gravity systems or modern pressurised systems and is supplied with a 5 year warranty on mechanical parts.
Available in two finishes: chrome or brushed nickel
Pallas 3-way tap
Our budget product features a single mixer lever for dispensing hot and cold water as well as a separate lever for drinking water. The Pallas is only suitable for use with modern pressurised systems and is supplied with a 3-year warranty on mechanical parts
Available in two finishes: chrome or brushed nickel
Single drinking water faucets
If you don’t want to replace your main kitchen tap , then another option is to install a separate drinking water tap. This can be combined with a drinking water filter to provide tastier, purer drinking water
There are two products available:
6 in 1 quarter turn Multi tap. This unique tap brings 6 options in one box. 3 different handles and 2 different spouts means that just one product will provide a choice of 6 styles
The APL Intertap which features a quarter turn side lever for dispensing water. Available in chrome and brushed nickel finishes.
Drinking Water Filters
There are literally hundreds of filters on the market, most of these do the same thing with a different manufacturer’s label on the product. We have chosen to simplify our range to just 6 options which cover the most popular filtration types
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Granular Activated Carbon Filter
If you just want to improve the taste of the water, then a standard Granular activated Carbon filter will remove the chlorine, sediment and any odours in the water, leaving you with great tasting water
Two systems available: quick change with screw in filter (can only be connected to a drinking water tap) or 10” filter and bowl for higher flow rates (can be connected to the cold water on the kitchen tap)
Granular Activated Carbon Filter with Scale inhibitor
Our best selling filter system . Does the same as the standard Granular Activated Carbon filter with the addition of phosphate which slows down the rate which scale precipitates in your kettle. It won’t stop scale completely like a water softener, but will considerably reduce how often you need to de-scale the kettle
There are two systems available: quick change with screw in filter (can only be connected to a drinking water tap) or 10” filter and bowl for higher flow rates (which can also be connected to the cold water on the kitchen tap)
Ceramic Filter
The Doulton Ceramic filter system combines carbon filtration with the ultra fine impurity removal of a ceramic outer layer. This will filter out pathogenic impurities like bacteria and cysts as well as chlorine and sediment removal
Reverse Osmosis Purifier
The ultimate filtration system. The EcoWater ERO 385 Purifier will remove up to 95% of contaminants in the water and uses less water. Metals like lead and sodium , chemicals like Testosterone and Chlorine and pathogens like bacteria and cysts. The EcoWater system features quick change filter replacement and filters that require an annual change for households of up to 4 people . This compares favourably to many Reverse Osmosis systems which require an engineer to change the filters every 6 months which can be very expensive.
Carbon Block Filter with scale removal
The Everpure Claris Ultra Filter system is a more specialist filter for coffee machines or boiling water taps, where scale build up is considerable due to the high temperature of the water. Without a scale removal filter you will need to get your drinks machine or boiling water tap serviced regularly
Whole House Filter
If you would like chlorine free water throughout the house, then you will require a whole house filter. Our Pentak Big Blue Filter is a much bigger version of our standard filter system. Its higher capacity and significantly higher flow rates means it can deliver filtered water to the whole house with only a nominal reduction in the flow rates that come through your taps. There are also specialist filters available for removing lead and other heavy metals in addition to the standard chlorine removal
Can I drink softened water?
When we are visiting customers, one of the most regularly asked questions about water softening is “Can I drink softened water”.
For most people the simple answer to this is yes, drinking softened water is safe to drink. However there are a few exceptions to this, which are outlined below. For everybody else the decision to drink softened water should be made on whether or not you like the taste of the water. If you decide you would rather drink un-softened water then there are options for you .
On this page we will explain
- What happens to your water when it is softened?
- What are the Drinking Water Regulations?
- Who should avoid drinking softened water?
- What are my options for un-softened drinking water?
- Are there any other considerations relating to softened water ?
What happens to your water when it is softened?
When water is softened all the hardness minerals (calcium and magnesium) are removed from the water using a process called ion exchange. The process works by replacing the hardness minerals with sodium minerals. The amount of sodium that remains in your water depends on the amount of hardness that has been removed from the water. A water softener will add 46mg/litre of sodium for every 100mg/litre of calcium carbonate (hardness minerals) taken out of the water. So for example If you’re water hardness is 300 mg/litre (also called 300 parts per million), a softener will add 138 mg of sodium to every litre of water. To put this into perspective, the UK Government recommends you drink two litres of water every day. In this example this means you would consume 276 mg of sodium from your water. According to the NHS, the recommended maximum daily allowance (RDA) of sodium from all food and drink is 2,400mg. In this example it would mean that just 11.5% of your RDA for sodium would come from drinking water. A small amount when compared to many high sodium foods like cheese and many processed foods.
The Drinking Water Regulations
We all need sodium in our diet, it contributes to the efficient functioning of every cell in your body. However the UK Government advises that too much sodium can increase blood pressure. Therefore the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations set a maximum of 200 mg/litre (or 200 ppm) of sodium in drinking water. This means that as long as you live in an area where the hardness of the water is below 400ppm, then it is perfectly safe to drink softened water, because the amount of sodium needed to remove the hardness from your water is below 200mg/litre . The water hardness in this part of the country varies from 300 to 350 PPM, but so that you can be sure, we will test your water hardness before a water softener is installed.
Who should avoid drinking softened water?
If the hardness of your water exceeds 400ppm then you should not drink softened water, because the amount of sodium in the water exceed s the maximum amount allowed under the Drinking Water Regulations. For everyone else it is perfectly safe to drink softened water, with two exceptions:
- Infant milk formula should not be made up with softened water. Some babies’ kidneys are not fully formed and the milk formula already contains the right amount of sodium. The additional sodium in softened water upsets this balance and some babies have been known to suffer from dehydration.
- If you have been advised by a doctor to be on a low sodium diet, then it is recommended not to drink softened water as it will contribute to your sodium intake
What are my options for drinking un-softened water ?
If you do not wish to drink softened water for health reasons or simply because you don’t like the taste of softened water then you do have some options:
- You can have a separate drinking water tap installed which remains on the mains (un-softened ) water supply. This tap can also be connected to a Water Filter if you would like to remove the chlorine to make the water taste better. This option does depend on where your mains water supply enters the house in relation to where the water softener is installed. So, for example, if your main supply comes in under the kitchen sink, and this is where the water softener is sited, then it is straightforward to provide you with un-softened drinking water. However, if the mains supply and water softener are in the garage, then it can be difficult to provide un-softened water to the kitchen sink.
- Alternatively, you could have a Reverse Osmosis Purifier installed, in addition to a water softener. This product will remove the sodium (any many other dissolved impurities) from your softened water, providing you with purified drinking water, but of course it does increase the cost of the installation.
- You could just drink bottled water, but this will increase your carbon footprint and is expensive versus the other options.
Are there any other considerations relating to softened water?
The benefits of softened water are considerable, but there are a couple of instances where you should use un-softened water:
- For watering indoor plants or your garden
- Some fish may require hard water in their tanks. If in doubt ,please check with your fish supplier
- Some Irons that are self-descaling are designed for use with hard water. Please check the manufacturer’s instructions to be sure.
