Surrey is just down the A3 and the M25 from our base in Chiswick, and it's one of the counties we're asked about most. The homes tend to be bigger than in London, the water is mostly hard, and the supplier depends very much on which part of the county you're in. Here's a straightforward run-down.
Four water companies, one county
Surrey doesn't have a single water supplier. Four companies share it between them: Thames Water, SES Water, Affinity Water and South East Water. Very roughly, SES Water covers much of east Surrey around Redhill, Reigate and Caterham, while the others share the north and west. The boundaries are messy, though, and neighbouring villages can be on different companies. Your water bill is the only reliable way to tell.
Most of Surrey gets hard water, much of it from the chalk of the North Downs or from the Thames. A few spots in the south and west of the county are noticeably less hard, which is exactly why it's worth looking up your own figure before deciding anything. Each supplier has a postcode lookup:
- Thames Water water quality checker
- SES Water hardness report
- Affinity Water hardness lookup
- South East Water hardness information
If your water turns out to be on the softer side, we'll tell you a softener isn't worth it. No point selling you kit you don't need.
Bigger houses, bigger demands
A lot of Surrey homes are larger family houses with three or four bathrooms, often with an unvented hot water cylinder rather than a combi. That changes how we size a softener. The question isn't just how hard the water is, it's how much of it gets used at the busiest moment, say two showers and a bath running before school. Too small a softener can't keep up, and some hard water slips through. A twin-tank or larger metered unit is often the right call for these homes, because it can keep supplying softened water while it regenerates.
The good news is that space is rarely a problem. Garages, utility rooms and plant rooms give us plenty of choice, and we can put the softener close to where the mains enters. If it's going in a garage, we'll make sure it won't freeze.
That's not the whole of Surrey, of course. Commuter towns like Surbiton, Epsom, Woking and Walton have plenty of 1930s semis and newer estate houses, and the older town centres have Victorian terraces and cottages with small kitchens. For those, a compact under-sink softener is usually the neat answer.
Why it matters for your heating and hot water
Unvented cylinders have a heating coil and usually an immersion element inside. In hard water areas both collect scale, which slows heating and can shorten the life of the element. Combi boilers suffer at the heat exchanger. Then there are the extras common in bigger homes: rainfall shower heads with lots of tiny nozzles, steam ovens, boiling-water taps and American fridge-freezers with ice makers. All of them hate limescale. A whole-house softener protects the lot, apart from the drinking tap. Our post on hard water and your boiler explains what goes on inside.
A tap for drinking water
With every softener, we fit a separate drinking tap at the kitchen sink that stays on unsoftened mains water. If you've got a boiling-water tap or a fridge with a water dispenser, we'll talk through which supply each should be on, as some manufacturers have their own recommendations about water treatment.
Getting to you
We usually come down the A3 or round the M25, so most of the county is an easy drive. Parking is rarely a problem outside the town centres, which makes Surrey installs nice and straightforward.
Surrey towns we cover
- Guildford and Godalming
- Woking and West Byfleet
- Weybridge, Walton-on-Thames and Hersham
- Esher, Cobham and Claygate
- Epsom, Ewell and Ashtead
- Leatherhead and Dorking
- Reigate, Redhill and Merstham
- Caterham, Oxted and Warlingham
- Banstead and Tadworth
- Staines, Egham and Virginia Water
- Camberley and Frimley
- Farnham and Haslemere
See all our areas, including South London just over the border.
Surrey FAQs
Is Surrey water hard?
Most of Surrey has hard water, though it varies more than in London. Much of the county is supplied with water from chalk or from the Thames, both of which are hard, but a few areas in the south and west are softer. Look up your postcode on your supplier's website to see your figure.
Who supplies water in Surrey?
Four companies supply parts of Surrey: Thames Water, SES Water, Affinity Water and South East Water. SES Water covers much of east Surrey, around Redhill, Reigate and Caterham. The boundaries are irregular, so your water bill is the best way to check.
What size water softener does a large Surrey house need?
It depends on the hardness, how many people live there and how much water you use at peak times, not just the number of bedrooms. Homes with three or more bathrooms often suit a twin-tank or larger metered softener that can supply soft water while it regenerates. We work it out at the free survey after testing your water.
Will a softener protect my unvented cylinder?
It stops new scale forming on the cylinder's coil and immersion element, which helps them heat efficiently. It won't remove scale that's already built up. Your cylinder still needs its own annual service by a qualified installer, which is separate from a softener service.
What next?
Read how our installation process works, or see servicing and repairs if you've inherited a softener with the house. Our guides to running costs and how often to service a softener are useful for bigger homes. The form below gets you a free survey.