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Is my dishwasher being fed from softened water.

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  • 20-01-2014 5:55pm
    #1
    The lips
    Registered Users Posts: 472 ✭✭


    Can someone take a look at the photo from under my sink and tell me if the dishwasher feed(blue on lhs) is being fed from softened water in the attic tank.

    Surely this should be T'd off directly from the main source just beside it. Or is it getting a mains source from somewhere behind the kitchen cabinets?

    I am a bit dubious of the plumbing in this house as I plugged in a previously installed water softener to find there was no check valve installed and the kitchen cold tap was mixing both.


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    #2
    Froststop
    Registered Users Posts: 445 ✭✭Froststop


    The lips wrote: »
    Can someone take a look at the photo from under my sink and tell me if the dishwasher feed(blue on lhs) is being fed from softened water in the attic tank.

    Surely this should be T'd off directly from the main source just beside it. Or is it getting a mains source from somewhere behind the kitchen cabinets?

    I am a bit dubious of the plumbing in this house as I plugged in a previously installed water softener to find there was no check valve installed and the kitchen cold tap was mixing both.

    It's hard to tell from that pic, the 3/4" copper with the stop cock is the mains. It should be connected to that pipe after the stop cock. follow the pipe to see where it goes. It might be looped down low to the pipe connected into the tee on the 3/4" copper pipe after the stop cock.

    If it's going into the floor it could be from the tank. The only way to know is to turn off the mains at the road and close the washing machine valve, Turn on the cold tap at the sink to let off the pressure. Get a bucket and disconnect the hose and turn the washing machine valve into the bucket, open the washing machine valve, you will get a small amount of water and should stop after a few seconds. If it doesn't then it's off the tank.


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    #3
    The lips
    Registered Users Posts: 472 ✭✭The lips


    Thanks for your reply.

    I will follow the pipe as best I can and see where I get.

    Do I need a particular tool to turn off the mains at the road?


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    #4
    Froststop
    Registered Users Posts: 445 ✭✭Froststop


    The lips wrote: »
    Thanks for your reply.

    I will follow the pipe as best I can and see where I get.

    Do I need a particular tool to turn off the mains at the road?

    If it's an older stopcock you will need a water key, if it's a boundary box the stopcock will be a quarter turn valve with a blue handle.


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    #5
    The lips
    Registered Users Posts: 472 ✭✭The lips


    Froststop wrote: »
    If it's an older stopcock you will need a water key, if it's a boundary box the stopcock will be a quarter turn valve with a blue handle.

    Thanks, house is eleven years old so it reckon the latter, I will report back.


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    #6
    Froststop
    Registered Users Posts: 445 ✭✭Froststop


    The lips wrote: »
    Thanks, house is eleven years old so it reckon the latter, I will report back.

    Quick thought!!
    Why is your water being softened if your fed off the mains? Are you sure it's softened? Normally you would only do this if your off a well.


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    #7
    The lips
    Registered Users Posts: 472 ✭✭The lips


    Froststop wrote: »
    Quick thought!!
    Why is your water being softened if your fed off the mains?.

    The area of the Midlands has quite hard water on the mains. Cleaning kettles and shower heads at least every month.

    I'm waiting on water hardness testing strips to arrive to see just how hard.


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    #8
    The lips
    Registered Users Posts: 472 ✭✭The lips


    Froststop wrote: »
    Quick thought!!
    Why is your water being softened if your fed off the mains?.

    The area of the Midlands has quite hard water on the mains. Cleaning kettles and shower heads at least every month.

    I'm waiting on water hardness testing strips to arrive to see just how hard.


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    #9
    Irish Steve
    Moderators, Motoring & Transport Moderators Posts: 6,521 Mod ✭✭✭✭Irish Steve


    Froststop wrote: »
    Quick thought!!
    Why is your water being softened if your fed off the mains? Are you sure it's softened? Normally you would only do this if your off a well.


    South East Meath, the water is so hard, there's significant scale in the cold tanks in the roof, and a heat exchanger on the cylinder furred up solid in under 18 months, the only way to clear it (at that time) was to take it out of circuit and heat it in formic acid descaler. Got round it for a while, (designed an in line descaler using a few odd bits of plumbing and some lever valves) but in the end, because we were digging floors uo, and found the incoming main at a convenient point, put a salt based softener in, and problems solved, permanently, no scaling, no blocked water heaters, no scaly taps, or kettles, massive reduction in detergent and soap costs, the list goes on.

    Kettle goes black because of ( I think) managnese, but that is not a massive problem compared to the issues we used to have, and that was/is mains water from the County Council.

    It will be "interesting" to see if we can get a rebate from Irish Water if the quality is below the standard laid down by the EU for potable water. There is a hardness limit, and the water here was well above it. If they want us to pay for water, then it should be an obligation to provide water that meets or exceeds the spec laid down by the EU,

    Shore, if it was easy, everybody would be doin it.😁



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