East London is the other half of where we do most of our work, alongside our home patch in the west. It's a part of town where you can go from a Victorian terrace in Hackney to a twentieth-floor flat in Canary Wharf in fifteen minutes, and the softener question is quite different in each. Here's the local picture.
Who supplies East London's water?
If you're in Hackney, Tower Hamlets, Newham or Waltham Forest, your water almost certainly comes from Thames Water. Head towards the Essex border and it changes: Essex & Suffolk Water looks after parts of Havering and Barking and Dagenham. Redbridge and the borders between them can go either way, so check your bill.
A lot of the water here comes down the Lee Valley. The reservoirs at Walthamstow Wetlands are part of that system, and the water in them started life in chalk country to the north. That's why it's hard by the time it reaches you. For your street's figure, use the Thames Water quality checker or the Essex & Suffolk Water hard water page. The why-and-how of London's hardness is on our hard water in London page.
East London homes, room by room
Terraces in Hackney, Walthamstow, Leyton and Forest Gate. Two-up two-downs and bigger Victorian terraces, plenty of them with a kitchen extension at the back. The mains often comes in under the front room floor or in a cupboard by the front door, and it's a fair walk to the kitchen. We look for a spot on that run, after the stopcock, where the softener can treat the whole house. Very often that's still the kitchen sink cupboard.
New-build flats in Stratford, Canary Wharf, the Royal Docks and Bow. These usually have a utility or plant cupboard with the hot water cylinder or heat interface unit, the washing machine and the incoming supply in one place. That's handy for a softener, as long as there's a drain and enough room for you to top up the salt. In tall buildings with boosted water supplies, we check the pressure first. And because most of these flats are leasehold, you'll usually need to let the managing agent know about plumbing changes.
Warehouse and loft conversions in Shoreditch and Hackney Wick. Lots of open-plan space, exposed pipework and sometimes unusual plumbing. These are often easier than they look, as there's usually somewhere to tuck a softener out of sight.
Interwar semis in Ilford, Romford, Chingford and Hornchurch. The roomiest of the lot, often with a garage or a side passage, so we can fit a larger softener for a bigger household.
Where hard water hits hardest
If you've moved here from somewhere with soft water, you'll have noticed the kettle first. The things you don't see are worse. In a combi boiler, scale gathers on the heat exchanger and hot water starts to take longer or run cooler. In flats with a hot water cylinder, the immersion heater element scales up. Shower heads clog, glass screens go cloudy, and dishwashers start leaving a film on the glasses. A softener stops new scale everywhere downstream of where it's fitted. Our post on moving to London from a soft-water area has some quick fixes to tide you over.
Keeping a tap for drinking
We fit a hard drinking tap at the kitchen sink with every softener, fed directly from the mains before it's softened. Softening adds sodium, and with water this hard it's not something we'd want in your kettle or a baby's bottle. In a small new-build kitchen, a single three-way tap keeps things tidy. More detail in can you drink softened water?
Coming over from Chiswick
We head east on the A40 and A12, or round on the North Circular for the outer boroughs. Inner East London is almost all controlled parking, and parts of the City fringe are tough for vans, so a visitor permit or loading-bay tip makes a real difference. Concierge buildings sometimes need us booked in with a vehicle registration, so let us know when you book.
East London areas we cover
- Shoreditch, Hoxton and Haggerston
- Hackney, Dalston and Clapton
- Hackney Wick and Homerton
- Bethnal Green, Bow and Mile End
- Whitechapel, Stepney and Limehouse
- Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs
- Stratford, Forest Gate and East Ham
- Royal Docks, Canning Town and Beckton
- Walthamstow, Leyton and Leytonstone
- Chingford and Woodford
- Ilford, Gants Hill and Barkingside
- Barking and Dagenham
- Romford, Hornchurch and Upminster
Over the border into Essex? See our Essex page, or all areas we cover.
East London FAQs
Can I have a water softener in a Canary Wharf or Stratford flat?
Usually, yes. The utility cupboard in most new-build flats has the incoming supply and a drain close together, which is what a softener needs. We check the water pressure, the space and access for topping up salt at the survey. As most of these flats are leasehold, let your managing agent know about the work before we fit it.
Who supplies water in Romford and Barking?
Essex & Suffolk Water supplies parts of outer East London, including much of Havering and Barking and Dagenham. The inner boroughs are mostly Thames Water. Your water bill confirms which you're with, and both suppliers publish hardness by postcode. The water is hard on both sides of the boundary.
Is Hackney water hard?
Yes. Hackney's water is supplied by Thames Water and is hard, like almost everywhere else in London. Much of it comes from the Lee Valley, where the water has passed through chalk. Check your exact figure on the Thames Water website or ask us to test it at the free survey.
My softener in a new flat stopped working. Can you help?
Yes, we service and repair most domestic softeners. Before you book, check the salt level, that the softener has power if it's electric, and that the bypass valve is set to service. Our troubleshooting checklist covers the common causes. If none of that sorts it, book a repair visit.
Next steps
See how installation works, or book a softener service if you've already got one. To get a free survey and water test, fill in the form below or call 020 3633 6064.