Anyone got a water softener?

[Opifex]

We are planning to install one as we're in a very hard water area and are fed up of the build up of limescale we get on kettles, taps etc.

So, if you have one, does it work well?

And OP is convinced it makes the water unsafe to drink. (We will have a diverter tap in the kitchen so we can still get hard water if we want it.) I think that if soft water was unsafe, people in soft water areas would be keeling over right, left and centre, but OP thinks artificially softened water is different.

Yes we had one in our previous home, was utterly wonderful!!!

We had a diverter tap linked to a water filter so even the kitchen normal cold tap was softened water - even had a black kitchen sink

Worth every penny.

We have a water softener, mainly because when we moved to a really hard water area, my hair was a dry brittle mess, apart from a couple of weeks a year if we holidayed in a softer water area. It definitely makes the bathrooms easier to keep clean.
We kept hard water in our kitchen tap because the soft water has a funny taste, and I don't like the idea of drinking it.

Artificially softened water is slightly higher in sodium, but unless you need a very low sodium diet then it won't be a problem. You may just prefer the taste of hard water to artificially softened water is all.

Yes, and it's brilliant. My eczema got so much better, my hair and clothes are much softer & we use less detergents. Limescale is a thing of the past. When we moved house and had to wait a 6 weeks to get it reinstalled, the difference was quite surprising. I was so glad to get it back!

We have a diverter tap which goes through a filter as DH doesn't like the taste of softened water and we have pets who I prefer to give unsoftened water to.