Install water softener or not?

Espoo

Hi All
I've been living in new house now for nearly 3 years. We have a geothermal heatpump that has a closed loop of water for underfloor heating. Then the water that is heated for the taps and showers only goes to about 48. There is a fair bit of lime in the water. But the only place that it appears to be a problem is in the kettle and the shower door. You can buy a kettle for a tenner and clean the door once every few weeks. So My question is do I need to install a water softener? It will cost €599 then there is maintenance at €95 a year and probably something similar for salt.
Since the water in the heat pump is not heated too high I dont think it will be an issue there? Has anyone out there any similar experience? Will my pipes become blocked up over time? Manganese is fairly high too.
Manganese is 249 ug/l
Total Hardness is 329 mg/l Caco3

Cheers
Espoo

Black Bloc

I don't have any human health qualifications, but I would think the ingestion of manganese above the bare minimum permitted is something to avoid. Lime can very destructive as you know of washing machines, etc.

I have a water treatment unit in ireland that removes lime, iron, manganese and hydrogen sulfite gas which was deemed necessary after a water analysis - not done by someone with a couple of unlabeled bottles in his van. We have a similar system in Italy, bigger and better quality though without the manganese problem. We get the units serviced at regular intervals - every two to three years.

Espoo

Thanks Black. Yes the manganese could be a health hazard alright. Might have to do something about that.

Espoo

By the way? Does anyone know of a filter that deals with manganese alone?