Water softener servicing and repairs

A water softener is a pretty low-maintenance bit of kit. Keep it topped up with salt and it'll quietly get on with things. But it's still a machine with valves, seals and a resin bed doing hard work every day, and London water gives it plenty to do. A yearly service keeps it working properly, and if something's already gone wrong, we can usually put it right on the spot. We service and repair softeners across London and the Home Counties, whoever made yours.

What an annual service covers

Every softener's a bit different, but a typical service looks like this:

• Testing the water coming in and going out, so we know the softener's actually softening.
• Checking the settings, including the hardness setting and the clock, and adjusting them if your water or household has changed.
• Cleaning the brine tank and clearing any salt bridges or sludge in the bottom.
• Cleaning the injector and screens, the small parts that draw brine through. They're a common cause of trouble when they clog up.
• Sanitising the resin to keep it clean and working well.
• Checking valves, seals and connections for wear and leaks, including the bypass valve and drain.
• Running a manual regeneration to make sure the whole cycle works from start to finish.

Not sure how often yours needs doing? Our post on how often to service a water softener covers it. The short answer for most homes is once a year.

Repairs and common faults

When a softener misbehaves, it's usually one of a handful of things. The most common ones we see:

• Hard water's back. Limescale returning on taps and the kettle. Often a salt bridge, a blocked injector or the wrong settings.
• Salt isn't going down. If the salt level hasn't moved in weeks, the softener probably isn't regenerating.
• Water in the brine tank is too high. Usually a drain, injector or valve problem.
• Leaks from connections, the bypass, or the valve itself.
• Error codes or a blank display on electric units, sometimes after a power cut.
• Low water pressure after the softener, which can point to a blocked filter or a valve issue.

Before you book, it's worth running through our water softener troubleshooting checklist. Some problems are a five-minute fix you can do yourself, and we'd rather you didn't pay for a visit you don't need.

All major brands

You don't need to have bought your softener from us. We service and repair all the major brands, so if you've got something like a Kinetico, Harvey or EcoWater unit, or one that came with the house and you've no idea what it is, we can help. If you've just moved in and inherited one, our guide to buying a house with a water softener is a handy read too.

RO, UV and carbon filter servicing

We look after drinking water systems as well as softeners:

• Reverse osmosis (RO): we recommend a yearly service. We change the filters, check the membrane and the storage tank, and sanitise the system.
• UV sterilisers: the lamp and quartz sleeve should be replaced every year. A UV lamp can still glow after it's stopped doing its job properly, so don't go by whether it's lit.
• Under-sink carbon filters: cartridges typically need changing every 6–12 months, depending on how much you use the tap.

If you've got a softener and a drinking water system, we can usually do both on the same visit.

How booking works

Booking a service is simple:

1. Go to our online service booking form.
2. Pick a weekday and your preferred time slot, at least 72 hours ahead.
3. We'll ring you to confirm the appointment.

Need a Saturday? Send us a message through the enquiry form and we'll see what we can do. For anything urgent, like a leak, call us on 020 3633 6064, Monday to Friday, 8am–6pm. If you don't have a softener yet, take a look at our water softener installation page.

Frequently asked questions