 | | | 
04.07.2018, 21:04
|  | Senior Member | | Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Oakland US
Posts: 461
Groaned at 20 Times in 16 Posts
Thanked 368 Times in 231 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH
I just returned to CH after a new boiler etc. was installed and the water softener switched off. The upstairs toilet was flithy so stained up with calc. I had to ckean it. I drianed it twice and use calc remover. The ubend was one inch thick with calc. I will have to find a more powerful decalcer. But i definitely want a new water softener, I cant live like this. The downstairs did not look stained but is not flushing with gusto, so I guess it has the same problem. Does anyone know how much a water softener is?
The new boiler etc. was installed in November, so this only 8 months build up.
| 
04.07.2018, 21:14
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Kanton Luzern
Posts: 17,236
Groaned at 672 Times in 520 Posts
Thanked 26,202 Times in 10,563 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: | |  | | | I just returned to CH after a new boiler etc. was installed and the water softener switched off. The upstairs toilet was flithy so stained up with calc. I had to ckean it. I drianed it twice and use calc remover. The ubend was one inch thick with calc. I will have to find a more powerful decalcer. But i definitely want a new water softener, I cant live like this. The downstairs did not look stained but is not flushing with gusto, so I guess it has the same problem. Does anyone know how much a water softener is? The new boiler etc. was installed in November, so this only 8 months build up. | | | | | It does depend on how big your place is.
A good one in Germany is about 1500 Euro upwards so that's about 5000 CHF here plus fitting which could be anything.
A lot less than a new boiler though! BWT serviced ours and were quite happy for me to cancel a yearly service contract and come on an ad-hoc basis. Ask them for a quote for a new one.
| 
04.07.2018, 21:40
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Lugano
Posts: 32,621
Groaned at 2,594 Times in 1,851 Posts
Thanked 39,711 Times in 18,723 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: | |  | | | Unless your water is supplied from a lake, or you live in Ticino or Valais, it will be hard here | | | | | FTFY.
Tom
| This user would like to thank st2lemans for this useful post: | | 
04.07.2018, 22:04
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: May 2008 Location: Kt. Zürich
Posts: 11,880
Groaned at 617 Times in 522 Posts
Thanked 21,933 Times in 11,523 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH
Pumice stones are very good for cleaning off calc in toilets without scratching the porcelain.
You can buy specially shaped ones or fitted on a handle; looks a bit like a lollipop!
| 
04.07.2018, 22:12
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Pensier, Fribourg
Posts: 9,243
Groaned at 118 Times in 102 Posts
Thanked 16,857 Times in 5,912 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: | |  | | | It does depend on how big your place is.
A good one in Germany is about 1500 Euro upwards so that's about 5000 CHF here plus fitting which could be anything.
A lot less than a new boiler though! BWT serviced ours and were quite happy for me to cancel a yearly service contract and come on an ad-hoc basis. Ask them for a quote for a new one. | | | | |
We paid around 2400.- for our Swisskalk softener. Works like a charm
| The following 2 users would like to thank PaddyG for this useful post: | | 
04.07.2018, 22:12
|  | Senior Member | | Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Oakland US
Posts: 461
Groaned at 20 Times in 16 Posts
Thanked 368 Times in 231 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH
Thanks all, i have forgotten wherr the button is to give thanks.  We already have the plumbing fixtures for a qater softener, so maybe i should go over the border to Germany and buy one as they are cheaper there?
| 
04.07.2018, 22:32
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: May 2008 Location: Kt. Zürich
Posts: 11,880
Groaned at 617 Times in 522 Posts
Thanked 21,933 Times in 11,523 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH
You need to search for Wasserenthärter
If you buy one in Germany you need to be sure it is approved for use in Switzerland; they have some funny rules here!
Amazon.de have some big reductions on water softener prices but I do not know if they are Swiss approved?
| 
04.07.2018, 22:53
|  | Senior Member | | Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Oakland US
Posts: 461
Groaned at 20 Times in 16 Posts
Thanked 368 Times in 231 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: | |  | | | We paid around 2400.- for our Swisskalk softener. Works like a charm | | | | | Great! I would really appreciate it if you could please PM me the info!
| 
05.07.2018, 08:07
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: | |  | | | We paid around 2400.- for our Swisskalk softener. Works like a charm | | | | | Same here. We have a reasonably large house and because of the pipe configuration, even the garden water gets softened, but the water softener works brilliantly -- absolutely no signs of chalk anywhere. Salt (occasionally) is the only ongoing expense. I haven't seen any need for a service in three years, so far, touch wood.
| This user would like to thank for this useful post: | | 
05.07.2018, 08:11
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: | |  | | | Great! I would really appreciate it if you could please PM me the info! | | | | | Have you discovered the new Google machine yet? It's awesome! You just ask some random person on the internet to type any question you may have into this machine, and it gives you the answer! Swisskalk. Apparently they're currently offering a discount based on the number of goals scored each day in the World Cup... | 
05.07.2018, 08:19
| Forum Legend | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: ZH
Posts: 5,320
Groaned at 58 Times in 48 Posts
Thanked 2,708 Times in 1,614 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: |  | | | Have you discovered the new Google machine yet? It's awesome! You just ask some random person on the internet to type any question you may have into this machine, and it gives you the answer! Swisskalk. Apparently they're currently offering a discount based on the number of goals scored each day in the World Cup...  | | | | | Have you discovered the new morning happy personality machine yet? It’s free by the way.
| 
05.07.2018, 08:29
|  | Senior Member | | Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Oakland US
Posts: 461
Groaned at 20 Times in 16 Posts
Thanked 368 Times in 231 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH
OK, I'll Google, i just wondered how much extra to expect to pay for hooking it up to existing plumbing.
Swisskalk here i come!
| 
05.07.2018, 08:30
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: | |  | | | Have you discovered the new morning happy personality machine yet? It’s free by the way. | | | | | Leave him be, blood Moon's a coming. Not pretty.. fangs, fur, the lot.
| 
05.07.2018, 08:54
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Zürich
Posts: 8,702
Groaned at 383 Times in 263 Posts
Thanked 13,086 Times in 4,482 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH
Be aware you will need approx CHF 5 to 8 worth of salt per month depending on whether salt briquettes or lose salt is required and how much water you use.
Cheaper softeners recycle on a timed basis, better ones on the water used, so you don‘t need to worry about it working while you are away.
We have a Swisskalk and installation was included in the price. They want to service it each year - this is totally unnecessary and we will call them only when it breaks down. Swisskalk is actually an American made product with their stickers on it...
| The following 2 users would like to thank AbFab for this useful post: | | 
05.07.2018, 09:51
| Forum Legend | | Join Date: Oct 2014 Location: Nyon
Posts: 6,812
Groaned at 398 Times in 294 Posts
Thanked 9,385 Times in 4,406 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: |  | | | Have you discovered the new Google machine yet? It's awesome! You just ask some random person on the internet to type any question you may have into this machine, and it gives you the answer! | | | | | There are much better search engines than foogle. For example duckduckgo.com. They don’t track you like foogle does. ddg allows you to use foogle anonymously, if you prefer their results.
| This user would like to thank bowlie for this useful post: | | 
05.07.2018, 10:19
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Pensier, Fribourg
Posts: 9,243
Groaned at 118 Times in 102 Posts
Thanked 16,857 Times in 5,912 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: | |  | | | OK, I'll Google, i just wondered how much extra to expect to pay for hooking it up to existing plumbing.
Swisskalk here i come! | | | | |
Our price included installation. It's a new build, so the necessary plumbing bits were already in place.
Oh and just to reiterate, avoid so-called "magnetic" softeners like the plague, it's a totally unproven and dubious technology.
| This user would like to thank PaddyG for this useful post: | | 
05.07.2018, 11:13
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Basel
Posts: 3,741
Groaned at 35 Times in 32 Posts
Thanked 7,029 Times in 2,275 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: | |  | | | You can buy specially shaped ones or fitted on a handle; looks a bit like a lollipop! | | | | | Yeah, you only make that mistake once! | 
11.11.2019, 13:43
| Member | | Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Zurich
Posts: 171
Groaned at 3 Times in 3 Posts
Thanked 125 Times in 60 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: | |  | | | Our price included installation. It's a new build, so the necessary plumbing bits were already in place.
Oh and just to reiterate, avoid so-called "magnetic" softeners like the plague, it's a totally unproven and dubious technology. | | | | | Looking for a water softener on Google, I also came accross SWISSKALK.CH as first hit
I see many of you had swisskalk water softeners installed and the price is very decent compared to what my verwaltung is asking. Do you guys recommend their product and service?
| 
11.11.2019, 14:23
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: | |  | | | Looking for a water softener on Google, I also came accross SWISSKALK.CH as first hit
I see many of you had swisskalk water softeners installed and the price is very decent compared to what my verwaltung is asking. Do you guys recommend their product and service? | | | | | Yes. Swisskalk works like a charm, great results, and its relatively (for Switzerland) well priced.
Forget about service, there's no need for it at all. They will try to sign you up for an annual service package; just say thanks, but no thanks.
Funny name, now that I think about it. I get the Swiss part -- it's a compromise between the three languages -- but "keinkalk", surely?
Last edited by Guest; 11.11.2019 at 15:43.
| The following 2 users would like to thank for this useful post: | | 
11.11.2019, 14:26
|  | Forum Legend | | Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Lugano
Posts: 32,621
Groaned at 2,594 Times in 1,851 Posts
Thanked 39,711 Times in 18,723 Posts
| | Re: are water softeners common in CH | Quote: |  | | | I get the Swiss part -- it's a compromise between the three languages -- but "keinkalk", surely?  | | | | | Two languages (unless you are including Rumantsch), as we don't have hard water in Ticino other than in Stabio.
Tom
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests) | | Thread Tools | | Display Modes | Linear Mode |
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts HTML code is Off | | | All times are GMT +2. The time now is 12:24. | |