Water Softeners

What are the different types of water softeners?

There are several ways to soften your water, including “conventional” water softeners with ion-exchange resin and salt regeneration. There are also electromagnetic systems and SCALEX, an innovative solution that is easy to install.

- Salt-based water softener

The most common water softening solution, and therefore the one for which we offer the widest selection, is the salt-based water softener. This system is the most effective because it eliminates 100% of limescale (or less, but only if you want it to) for large volumes of water, with a reasonable amount of wastewater. In fact, the water discharged during ion-exchange resin regeneration accounts for less than 10% of the total volume of water consumed. It is also a very economical solution because the investment in a salt-based water softener is around 1,000 euros (from 500 to 1,200 euros depending on capacity on our website), and salt consumption is low: allow for one 25kg bag of salt every 2 to 3 months for a family of 4, or less than 50 euros per year. It is the most common water softening system, thanks to its effectiveness and relatively simple maintenance. The operation of this salt-based water softener relies on the principle of ion exchange. Magnesium and calcium ions are known to be responsible for limescale formation. Water containing calcium and magnesium ions passes through an ion-exchange resin that replaces them with sodium ions. The water leaving the water softener is therefore softened. Next, water containing sodium ions (hence the name salt-based water softener) passes through the resin again to recharge it so it can treat hard water once more. This step is called regeneration. We offer a wide range of salt-based water softeners. Follow our guide to find the one that best suits your needs.

- Electromagnetic water softener, also called an "electrolysis water softener"

There are electromagnetic systems that do not remove limescale but prevent it from forming. How do they work? These systems attach around your home's main water supply pipe. The system emits electronic pulses to create an electromagnetic field. This field alters the crystalline structure of calcium and magnesium, making it impossible for them to combine and therefore form limescale. This system requires no maintenance and uses neither salt nor chemicals to treat water. It also costs two to three times less than a “conventional” water softener. Discover DeCal, our electromagnetic solution for limescale. The only downside is that once the ions come into contact with air, they return to their original form and can form limescale. Put simply, with this system you will no longer have limescale problems in your pipes, but white marks will still appear on your sink. More information about the electrolysis water softener

- SCALEX resin system

Finally, the SCALEX system reduces water hardness to protect your water heater or another household appliance. It is installed directly upstream of the appliance you want to protect from limescale. Its operating principle can be summarized in 3 steps: - It stops limescale crystals from growing. A special component in the resin prevents ions from clumping together. - It destroys crystals that have already formed by breaking them into smaller pieces. - It prevents crystals from bonding together by coating them. Best of all, this device costs between €30 and €50! It is easy to install in just a few minutes and can filter up to 20,000 L of water before the resin needs to be replaced.

- CO2 water softener

4 good reasons to install a water softener

1. Rediscover the feel of water on your skin

Hard water and limescale dry out your skin. If you have hard water at home, you may have gotten used to it, but rediscovering soft water will give you a real sense of well-being. The water leaves your skin and hair feeling soft... Try it and you will love it!

2. Protect your appliances and plumbing system

Limescale damages everything, especially household appliances that use water: washing machines, dishwashers, kettles... Of course, your entire plumbing system and faucets are affected too. Installing a water softener is the best way to protect your appliances and pipes from the limescale problem that affects the vast majority of mainland France.

3. Save on household cleaning products

Limescale in water chemically prevents water and soap from reacting. As a result, you use 4 to 6 times more soap for cleaning. And what is true for soap is also true for dishwasher detergent, laundry detergent, bleach... And of course, with a water softener, you no longer need to buy fabric softener!

4. Save energy

Finally, heating hard water uses significantly more energy than heating soft water. Try heating tap water and softened or RO water, and see which boils faster with equal volumes. You will be surprised. This small experiment will quickly show you the significant energy loss associated with heating hard water!

Pre-filtration: yes or no?

The most delicate part of a water softener is undoubtedly the control head, through which all incoming and outgoing water flows. This head is sensitive to impurities such as dust, sand, and other suspended solids larger than 5 microns. To help your installation last, we strongly recommend adding a protective pre-filter if you do not already have one. This pre-filter is also a mandatory requirement under our warranty policy.

How do you size and choose your salt-based water softener?

Click the link below and follow our guide!

Guide: which water softener is right for you?

- Estimate your daily water needs.

Simply take your bills for the year, add up the billed water volumes, and divide by the number of days you were at home. For reference, average water consumption in France is around 150 liters per day per person.

- Decide on the ideal water volume between regenerations for your situation.

For example, I live with my partner, so I use about 300 liters of water per day. If my goal is to regenerate my water softener's resin every 7 days on average, I get 2,100 liters.

- Measure your water hardness.

Test strips and liquid tests are available at any home improvement store. A liquid test costs a few euros more than a strip test, but it is much more accurate. You can also ask your local town hall or look online. Below you will find a map of average water hardness by department in France.

- Calculate how much resin you need using the following formula:

Resin volume = Water volume between regenerations x hardness (°fH) / 6,000.

For example, if my water hardness is 30 °fH (French degrees), I calculate 2,100 x 30 / 6,000 = 7.5L of resin, so I can easily choose a 7L model. If my water hardness were 40 °fH, I would get a result of 10L, right between 7 and 14L. In this case, I can either choose to regenerate my resin more often (every 5 days) and go with a 7L model, or decide to oversize my installation, since it is better to have too much capacity than too little, and go with a 14L model. The choice is yours.

Maintenance and warranty for your water softener

Maintaining our water softeners is very simple. Everything is explained on the Maintaining your water softener page. We also encourage you to check your water hardness regularly; ideally, it should remain between 5 and 10 °fH.

The equipment warranty is 2 years and can be extended to 5 years if you purchase the 5-year warranty or choose to have us install your water softener.

Do you offer a premium 2-in-1 water softener that filters out more than limescale?

For those who have an iron problem in addition to limescale, which is very common in certain areas of France, we sell a premium water softener that does more than remove calcium and magnesium ions from water:

This water softener offers 2 additional benefits compared with our standard models:

-       Clack valve: Clack is an American valve brand reputed to be the best in the world, much more reliable over time and easier to program than a Fleck valve. I would like to take this opportunity to explain that we do not sell Fleck valves at Oja because this type of valve requires a lot of maintenance, and we do not want our customers to have to call a professional every year to repair recurring failures.

-       New-generation Ecomix resin: Ecomix resin, patented by Ecosoft, a BWT subsidiary, is imported from Germany and offers a major advantage over all other ion-exchange resins on the market: it also removes iron, manganese, ammonium, and organic particles responsible for unpleasant odors.

Discover our 2-in-1 water softener

How does water softening affect your health?

Please be aware that drinking large quantities of water softened by a salt-based water softener is not recommended. This water contains a large amount of sodium bicarbonate, a type of salt that you cannot taste but that has effects on your long-term health similar to those of sodium chloride.

A full article has been written on the subject:

Why should you avoid drinking softened water?

Introducing the RO System 

A reverse osmosis system is THE most effective water filtration system available. It is mainly used for drinking water, but it can also serve as a water softener because a reverse osmosis membrane removes all impurities from water thanks to its 0.0001-micron pores. Only water passes through! You get water that is not only soft but completely purified and ideal for drinking, with a dry residue between 10 and 50 mg/L depending on the region of France where you live. Installation does not require a professional: simply shut off the water temporarily and screw a few supplied fittings directly onto your sink's cold water supply. A video tutorial is also available on each product page.

The advantages of an RO system for softening water

-       Pure water ideal for drinking

-       Easy under-sink installation

The disadvantages of an RO system for softening water

-       Wastewater: a reverse osmosis system discharges between 35 and 65% of the water it treats, depending on the model. This is because filtration is so fine that, without wastewater discharge, the filters would become saturated very quickly. It is therefore a trade-off between water purity, wastewater, and filter consumption.

-       Low flow rate: the system produces only a few liters per hour (from 12 L/h for small tank-based models to 150 L/h for the largest models). This flow rate is more than enough for drinking and cooking, but too low for bathroom use.

We therefore recommend combining a salt-based or electrolysis water softener to soften water throughout your home with an RO system in the kitchen for ideal drinking water. 

What is an electrolysis water softener?

On our website, we offer an even less expensive alternative to the salt-based water softener: the electromagnetic water softener.

This device is also installed where water enters your plumbing system and only needs an electrical outlet to operate. It mounts on a wall using the supplied screws, and electrical wires are wrapped around your pipes and transmit an electromagnetic current that forces magnesium and calcium ions to repel each other, preventing them from crystallizing to form limescale. This protects your water heater and pipes over the long term for a very reasonable investment.

This system has both advantages and one disadvantage.

The advantages of an electrolysis water softener

-       Price: barely 400 euros to protect your water heater and pipes over the long term is practically a giveaway!

-       Environmental benefits: an electromagnetic water softener uses very little electricity, does not discharge water, and does not need salt to operate.

-       Installation: all you need is an electrical outlet and a very small space to install this system.

The disadvantage of an electrolysis water softener

-       Effectiveness: water electrolysis is an unstable phenomenon that quickly reverses on contact with air. It therefore cannot protect certain household appliances or your skin because limescale is not removed, only temporarily neutralized. As a result, it is difficult to observe the effects of an electrolysis water softener in the short term. You will only notice them after several years, when you do not have to replace your hot water tank or pipes as you used to do every 10 years before installing this equipment.

Discover our electrolysis water softener

Can you install a water softener yourself?

For connections, a water softener only needs 4 things:

-       A cold water inlet

-       A cold water outlet

-       A drain for ion-exchange resin regeneration

-       An electrical outlet to power the metered control valve (except for manual water softeners)

If the inlet and outlet are already present in your plumbing system (particularly if an old water softener or pre-filter was previously installed where water enters your home), simply screw the flexible hoses supplied with your water softener onto the inlet and outlet. Arrows indicate the connection direction on each of our water softeners.

The drain tubing simply needs to be inserted into a drain, so all you need to do is drill a hole in the PVC pipe with a basic drill/driver, matching the tubing diameter (usually 9mm). We recommend not drilling a hole wider than the tubing so it stays securely inside the drain. There is some pressure during resin regeneration. You can then set the metered control valve in one minute by following the steps described in the following article:

Video: install your water softener yourself

Set your metered control valve

Water softener for a washing machine

If you want to remove limescale at a specific point, only for your washing machine, for example, to keep your laundry soft over time, we have a very affordable solution for you.

This water softener system also uses resin, but the resin cannot be regenerated. It therefore needs to be replaced after an average of 20,000 liters of treated water. It does not remove all limescale, only some of it. It is therefore a partial solution, but it offers the advantages of a very low cost and a very small footprint.

Discover SCALEX: the small
water softener for washing machines

You can also choose a small-capacity salt-based water softener (3L or 5L of resin) installed directly upstream of your household appliance.
Here you will find the OJA Laurel 3L and Laurel 5L water softeners

What are the everyday effects of a water softener?

The effects of a water softener on dishes

The vast majority of bars and restaurants in France are equipped with a water softener system (a conventional salt-based water softener), and that is no coincidence. It is the ideal way to say goodbye to limescale marks on dishes, especially glasses. Try it and you will see the results right away; the difference is night and day!

The effects of a water softener on laundry

Industrial laundries are all equipped with a water softener, and for good reason. Laundry comes out much softer after being washed in softened water. You have been warned: no more excuses to go shopping every 6 months!

The effects of a water softener on your water heater

Does your water heater run out of hot water faster each year? It is probably clogged with limescale! Install a water softener and it will be like new again in a few weeks. You may even be surprised to see kilos of limescale, loosened from the walls of your hot water tank, coming out of your faucets during the first few days of use. All that limescale was taking up space meant for water and significantly increasing your energy consumption while gradually reducing your hot water production capacity.

The effects of a water softener on your skin

Tired of dry or even red skin (eczema) when you get out of the shower? Get rid of that unpleasant feeling by installing a water softener. Bonus: limescale prevents soap from lathering properly, so you will save on that too!

The effects of a water softener on your pipes

Is the flow rate from your faucets getting lower and lower? Once again, limescale is responsible, building up along your pipes until it blocks them completely… And then serious water damage makes you regret putting off dealing with the problem. If this happens to you, contact us and we will recommend the water softening solution best suited to your situation.