Compact high-flow water softener for multiple bathrooms

(06/02/2007)

Harvey Softeners Ltd has announced the launch of BIG BERTHA, the first compact, one-inch feed, high-flow unit, designed specifically for direct systems where three or more bathrooms need softened water at the same time.

“The UK’s move towards direct feed systems, coupled with the huge growth in the power-shower market and the increasing popularity of house extensions that add extra bathrooms, have created a desperate need in the domestic market for high capacity softeners,” said Harvey Bowden, Chairman of Harvey Softeners.

“A half-inch (15mm) rising main supplying a traditional storage-tank system only needs 20 litres a minute via a water softener - but a household with a modern, direct-feed system serving more than one bathroom, needs a flow rate of between 50 and 80 litres a minute.

“The obvious answer would be to produce a domestic softener with a one-inch bore - but the problem for us, as manufacturers, was that a traditional one-inch softener was as fat as a pig and as tall as a giraffe and the only place to put it was the garage, which was unlikely to appeal to today’s customer.

“To solve this problem, we invested a great deal of time and effort into developing a twin-cylinder, one-inch domestic softener that can serve households of up to 20 people with up to six bathrooms - and yet still fit comfortably under the sink. For the technically minded, the pressure drop across the unit is a remarkable half a bar at 30 l/m, which is a world first for unit of this size."

The new BIG BERTHA needs no electrical supply, as it works off mains water pressure and has a sophisticated metering system to maximise salt efficiency. To make installation really simple, the salt cabinet is separate from the softener and can be installed up to four metres away, allowing the plumber to locate the softener where it’s easiest to install and put the cabinet where it’s most convenient for the customer to re-fill with salt.

In addition to the new one-inch BIG BERTHA, Harvey Softeners manufacturers and supports a comprehensive range of ½” and ¾” domestic water softeners for use with traditional storage-tank systems.

Related categories:  Residential applications   Shower pumps   Tanks, cisterns and cylinders   Water filters and softeners   Water treatment 

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