The southern half of Buckinghamshire is Chiltern country: wooded chalk hills, chalk streams like the Chess and the Misbourne, and towns that grew up along the Metropolitan line. It's lovely, and it comes with water that's hard enough to make itself known in every kettle. We cover the county from Chiswick, mostly the south and middle, out along the M40 and the A413.
Which water company supplies you?
Buckinghamshire is split between suppliers. Affinity Water and Thames Water supply much of the south and middle of the county, and Anglian Water supplies much of the north, around Milton Keynes. Which one you're with can change from one village to the next, so check your water bill rather than going by the town.
Wherever the water comes from in the Chilterns, a lot of it has been in contact with chalk, and it's hard. Look up your postcode with your supplier:
Bucks homes and softeners
Metroland houses
Amersham-on-the-Hill, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross and Beaconsfield are full of interwar and later detached and semi-detached houses, many extended over the years. Families, several bathrooms, a utility room and often a garage. These are about the easiest homes going for a softener, and the main job is sizing it properly for the household.
Period cottages and old town centres
Old Amersham, Chesham, Marlow and the villages scattered across the Chilterns have older cottages, some listed, with low ceilings, thick walls and kitchens that weren't designed with appliances in mind. The incoming supply can be in an unexpected place, sometimes a cellar or an outbuilding. We take our time on the survey to find a neat spot that doesn't mean running new pipes across a feature wall. If your home is listed, have a word with your local council's conservation officer before any visible changes.
Newer estates
Aylesbury, High Wycombe and the edges of many market towns have seen a lot of new housing. These houses usually have a combi or a small unvented cylinder and a compact utility space, which suits a mid-sized metered softener.
Off-gas homes and hot water
Some of the more rural parts of the county aren't on mains gas. Those homes often heat with oil or an electric system and store hot water in a cylinder with an immersion heater. Immersion elements in very hard water scale up and fail more often. If you've replaced one recently, you'll know the feeling. A softener stops new scale forming on the replacement. The same goes for heat pump systems with a hot water cylinder, which are increasingly common in new and renovated homes. Combis aren't immune either: scale on the heat exchanger makes them work harder for the same hot water. More on that in limescale and your boiler.
Private water supplies
A small number of rural properties aren't on mains water at all and have a private borehole or spring. If that's you, the water can be very different from the mains and may need other treatment as well as, or instead of, a softener. Tell us when you get in touch and we'll talk it through before arranging a visit.
Drinking tap
Every softener we fit comes with a separate unsoftened drinking tap at the kitchen sink. It's fed from the mains before the softener, so your tea, cooking water and any baby formula use ordinary tap water rather than softened water with added sodium.
Getting to you
The M40 and the A413 make south Bucks an easy run from West London. Narrow lanes and the odd village with no parking at all are the main challenges, so if there's a quirk about access, tell us when you book.
Buckinghamshire towns and villages we cover
- Amersham and Little Chalfont
- Chesham
- Chalfont St Giles and Chalfont St Peter
- Gerrards Cross and Denham
- Beaconsfield and Seer Green
- Iver and Burnham
- High Wycombe and Hazlemere
- Marlow and Bourne End
- Princes Risborough
- Great Missenden and Prestwood
- Wendover and Aylesbury
Next door, we also cover Hertfordshire and Berkshire. See every area we cover.
Buckinghamshire FAQs
Is the water hard in the Chilterns?
Yes. Much of the Chilterns' water has been in contact with chalk, which makes it hard. Exact levels vary by supplier and postcode, so look up your address on your water company's website or ask us to test it at the free survey.
Who supplies water in Amersham and High Wycombe?
South Buckinghamshire is split between Affinity Water and Thames Water, with Anglian Water supplying much of the north of the county. The boundaries don't follow town lines neatly, so your water bill is the surest way to check. Once you know, that company's website will give you the hardness for your postcode.
Can you fit a softener in a listed cottage?
Often, yes, because a softener usually sits out of sight in a cupboard, cellar or outbuilding. We find a route that avoids visible pipework where we can. If your home is listed and any change will show, check with your council's conservation officer first.
Do you work on homes with a private water supply?
Sometimes. Borehole and spring water can contain things a softener doesn't deal with, and it often needs testing first. Tell us about your supply when you get in touch and we'll be honest about whether we're the right people to help.
Next steps
See our water softener installation page for how it all works, or servicing if your house came with a softener. Thinking about bills? Here's what a softener costs to run. Moving to the area? Read buying a house with a softener. Then fill in the form below for a free survey.