Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Property/DIY

Join our Property forum for renovation, DIY, and house selling advice.

Flip

Original poster

Moving - vendor asking £500 for water softener

21 replies

Charlieandlola · 13/07/2016 17:54

Anyone know if this is a good deal?

It is a kinetico www.kinetico.co.uk/water-softener/kinetico-water-softeners.aspx

Ihave a plumber coming round to the house tomorrow to quote on a new boiler, but wanted to get a view from MN as well.

I think it must be 10 years old, non electric twin chamber.

I had a quote for a new Harvey one which was nearly £2k fitted, but am concerned that a 10 year old one could be nearing the end of its life.

Is Piglet John around ?

OP posts:

PigletJohn · 13/07/2016 19:19

seems a lot to me.

look for a local water softener merchant (there will be one, if you are in a hard water area). Your first question is "Do you repair water softeners?" (they often only repair for their own customers) your second is "do you deliver salt?" (never collect it in your own car. Look inside the delivery van and you will see why).

then see what they offer. If they do repairs they should offer their own guarantee. IMO ten years is fair between repairs. The mechanism is very simple.

The companies that employ door-to-door salesmen or advertise in the Sunday papers tend to be expensive. People seem to like Harvey's.

Obeliskherder · 13/07/2016 19:46

Stupid but highly relevant question: do you want a water softener?

TondelayaDellaVentamiglia · 13/07/2016 19:49

i would not pay....the vendor will surely not get it removed due to cost, just chancing their arm than you will fork up!

tictactoad · 13/07/2016 19:50

Sounds like a try on to me. Will they really take it with them if you say no?

Palomb · 13/07/2016 19:51

I really want to know why salt in your own car is a no-no!

Surely a plumbed in feature is part of the house? You would be able to charge someone extra for a shower, would you?

TweedAddict · 13/07/2016 19:52

I wouldn't pay, chances are they won't bother taking it out

wowfudge · 13/07/2016 20:41

Salt is very corrosive Palomb

peggyundercrackers · 13/07/2016 20:59

Salt is only corrosive on unprotected metal, it's not corrosive to paint.

bibbitybobbityyhat · 13/07/2016 21:07

Well, was the water softener always a negotiable part of the deal? Did you know it was not included in the agreed sale price?

Our horrible vendors asked for an extra £1,000 after the sale was agreed for the dishwasher and light fittings. We declined, as we had our own dishwasher we could bring with us and didn't want their horrific 1980s light fittings.

When we moved in they had left them all anyway! leaving us with the headache of removing/getting rid of them all.

Bastards.

MrBennofFestivalRoad · 13/07/2016 22:00

We have that one, it came free with the house when we moved this year and wasn't even mentioned in the particulars or sale. It uses blocks of salt that come individually wrapped and you just slot in a new one when either of the two blocks get below a certain level. Our vendors left loads of salt blocks for us but I think that you can bulk buy them online. I was a bit wary of it when we moved in, so read the instruction manual fully but haven't had to do anything other than check the salt block height occasionly and change once. If you get it for free, it stops working and you're not bothered about having a softener, you can bypass it easily. I haven't experienced this house without it, so can't vouch for its effectiveness but we live in a very hard water area and don't seem to have the sludge in the washing machine or limescale build up on sinks/taps that we had in our previous house in the same area.

Original poster

Charlieandlola · 14/07/2016 06:27

Thanks all . A softener is on my wish list , a long way down though and I can think of more urgent ways to spend £500.

It wasn't listed on the legal forms and we have exchanged- not mentioned at all until
Now , so didn't base house purchase around it .,
So I will call her bluff and say we don't want it

Thanks v much everyone

OP posts:

thereinmadnesslies · 14/07/2016 06:32

We have a kinetico. The company says that they have a lifespan of 25yrs+ (and the company offers good aftercare) so yours is not particularly old. Kinetico softeners have a different construction to most which makes them well worth the money. They were about £1000 plus fitting new a few years ago. Personally I would pay the vendor for it.

PragmaticWench · 14/07/2016 06:47

If you've exchanged and it wasn't listed as an extra option to purchase on the fixtures and fittings form, then surely it's included in the house price?

Shakey15000 · 14/07/2016 06:49

I wouldn't. Our vendor wanted £500 for a summer house that had seen far better days. I chanced that they wouldn't be arsed to dismantle and remove it and I was right.

Similarly they wanted £250 for a grease laden minging cooker which we also said no to. And they took it! Chippy teas for a few days at Chez Shakey

putthehamsterbackinitscage · 14/07/2016 06:49

If you've exchanged and it wasn't listed as an extra option to purchase on the fixtures and fittings form, then surely it's included in the house price?

I was going to say same thing.... You've exchanged CONTRACTS based on particulars and viewings. If this wasn't specified at that point, then it is slready included as a fixture?

MajesticWhine · 14/07/2016 06:51

You could test them out similarly by offering £200 for it.

Original poster

Charlieandlola · 14/07/2016 09:02

It's not listed on the contents form at all - so it's personal effects I think which she can take or leave

OP posts:

Coconutty · 14/07/2016 09:05

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GiddyOnZackHunt · 14/07/2016 09:09

Say no thanks. But they do need to provide an assurance that the plumbing has been made good prior to completion. They'll have to spend to get it removed so they'll probably leave it and if they don't you don't care.

AnnaLP · 14/07/2016 10:23

I had a Kinetico for 10 years but left it at our old house as it was a bit of a rush move and we couldn't get someone in to dismantle, otherwise I would have taken it with me as it still worked fine and had only been serviced once.

Paid £1,200 2 years ago for a Harveys but bargain hard and you will get a discount.

Anyone who lives in a hard water area and has a softener will know the huge benefits of having one - washing machine and dishwasher will last longer (mine 10 years + and still going strong) - bathroom fittings don't scale up so always look shiny and new (yes, really!). Towels, your clothes, skin and hair all feel soft all the time - makes a real difference if you tend to have dry skin/hair.

Kinetico and Harveys use block salt - they come in well-sealed packets and I have always transported them in my car (for 12 years) without a problem. It is much cheaper to pick them up yourself - I pay around £4.50 per pack buying 10 packs at a time but it's at least £7 per pack to have it delivered.

Once you have a water softener you will never want to live without it if you are in a hard water area

GETTINGLIKEMYMOTHER · 15/07/2016 12:24

Do you actually want the thing?

I say this because we had one installed years ago - we are in a hard water area - but stopped using it after a couple of years because dds and I hated the feel of the water in the shower. It always felt a bit slippery/slimy, as if you'd never quite rinsed all the soap off.
It's never actually been de installed but we just stopped topping up the salt or whatever it was you had to do.

Flip