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Is hard water costing you dearly?

Hard water impacts at least affects 17m UK households and not only increases our energy bills, but also damages expensive appliances, plus your home’s plumbing system.

Untreated hard water causes limescale to build up on every surface it comes into contact with. While you can physically see limescale on taps, shower heads and elsewhere around the home and it’s a pain to clean, it’s the hidden limescale that does the most costly damage.

How does hard water damage plumbing and appliances?

Hard water creates limescale build-up which acts as a powerful insulator when it accumulates on any heating element, meaning that the element must work longer and harder in order to heat the water surrounding it. 

As a natural process, the build-up will occur unless it’s actively addressed. This extra strain causes heating elements to burn out prematurely or even in some cases explode, resulting in expensive engineer visits and costly parts replacement.

Steve Griffin, Technical Manager for national plumbers, MetroPlumb, says: “Households can expect to pay £500 or more for every engineer visit to repair boiler components damaged by limescale and for boiler replacements it can be well over £1,000 which is why we recommend treating hard water in the home as a preventative measure.”

Besides your appliances, your plumbing is also at risk of costly damage. Limescale causes narrowing within pipework, affecting your water pressure and flow rate and damaging plumbing components.

Which appliances are affected?

Limescale is a common sight in kettles, and while it’s not nice to look at, more importantly it means you’ll be replacing the kettle more frequently than you should. However, there are many more places for limescale to accumulate and cause damage which may surprise you, for example inside your dishwasher, washing machine, steam iron, steam oven and inside boiling water taps. While these appliances are by no means inexpensive to replace, we’ll address three other areas which have the potential to cause the most havoc in your home.

Boilers

While you might assume the damage is done when you turn on your central heating, that’s not the case. Central heating is a ‘closed system’, meaning the water that is inside the system remains there and continually circulates, so limescale is not actually much of a problem when it comes to heating your home. 

But, when you heat water for your shower, bath or for any other purpose, limescale adds up to 25% or more to that energy consumption which accounts for around 14% of your energy bill. Being one of the most expensive appliances to replace in the home, limescale damage inside your boiler is extremely costly and a great inconvenience if it fails during the winter months. 

Of course it’s not just the boilers which can be damaged by limescale, the scale will impact in much the same way on any immersion heater element in a hot water cylinder with a costly consequences.

Steve Griffin adds: “Appliances are prone to limescale damage from the moment they are installed and your boiler is no exception. In my personal experience, I’ve seen this result in boiler replacements within 10 years of installation or less, as opposed to 20 years or more when they are protected against hard water….combi boilers and immersion heaters are particularly susceptible due to their compact size while limescale can actually corrode hot water cylinders resulting in leaking systems.”

Whilst the physical damage is expensive, even greater financial harm is created by the significant energy losses created by the scale on the heating elements. Independent research commissioned by Halcyan investigated various setting and showed that an average UK home is adding hundreds of pounds to their energy bills every year, by simply not treating the limescale.

Showers

Shower heads are particularly susceptible to limescale, reducing the flow of water and eventually blocking it completely. However shower heads are reasonably easy to clean. If you have an electric shower, limescale damages the unit internally where it’s almost impossible to clean, eventually leading to premature failure. And if you have a mixer shower that is built into your shower wall, the outlook is even worse.

The thermostatic or manual valves which controls your shower temperature are typically built into the wall so you can imagine the work involved to replace it when it fails due to scale build up. Similarly tap valves and their cartridges also suffer badly with limescale affecting their ability to perform properly or start to leak, needing maintenance or premature replacement.

Steve Griffin Continues:“Electric showers are particularly prone to failure due to limescale as the design is very similar to that of a combi boiler.”

Toilets

Toilet cisterns are prone to limescale, affecting the function of the ball valve which controls water flow. When limescale builds up and prevents it from functioning properly, the toilet can run continuously, wasting water. If your water supply is metred, this wasted water will increase your bills while the damage done inside the cistern will eventually require repair or replacement. And just like built-in showers, if you have a built-in toilet, repairing or replacing it will require access through the wall, adding expense and inconvenience to the problem.

So... how do I treat hard water in my home?

While there are many limescale treatments available, they typically use harsh chemicals which are then washed down the drain and into the watercourse, so that’s bad news for our rivers and their wildlife.

However, by treating hard water as it enters the home with a sustainable water conditioner which does not use any salts or chemicals, you’ll be protecting your expensive appliances and plumbing system from damage, and saving money on your energy bills while protecting the environment too.

“It costs on average about £300 to have an engineer clean the accessible parts of your boiler, but it won’t be long before the scale reappears. Prevention is far more effective and economical than regular maintenance.”

Samantha Mant, CEO of Halcyan Water Conditioners, said: “As the cost of living continues to rise, the last thing a household wants is to spend money fixing or replacing expensive appliances in the home or wasting energy. We’re very concerned that no one is talking about this easy energy saving action and we’re keen to spread the word as fast as possible.

"This small device takes under an hour to install, requires no space or maintenance and the water is entirely safe to drink. It not only prevents future limescale but also removes existing limescale in your system and with a 30 year warranty, users can relax knowing that limescale damage is one thing less to worry about.”

To learn more visit https://halcyanwater.com.

Porta Bathroom Collection from Lusso

The truly stunning collection features precious finishes mixing metal options with beautiful natural marbles. 

The metal finishes include Lusso's popular brushed gold which blends with sustainably sourced marble, including the Carrara, Arabescato, Panda, Crema Marfil and Pietra Grey marble 

The result is a truly striking bathroom aesthetic, ideally fitting for all high-end homes and hotels.

Wayne Spriggs, their CEO is justifiably excited about the collection and clearly very proud. 

He said: “Lusso's Porto range was a response to increasing demand and I'm always looking for ways to expand the brand with innovation and progression. 

"The Porto collection is a capsule range of shower systems, bath fillers and mixer taps that combine our signature brushed gold finish with hand-finished pieces of marble. The result is exceptional, fusing a beautiful appearance with next-level innovation. 

"Each piece is crafted with progressive mixer technology, thus ensuring both water flow and temperature can be controlled from one single lever, in keeping with our commitment to sustainability and aiming to combat water waste."

The collection is crafted to the very highest standards with ingenious progressive mixer technology, ensuring temperature and flow is controlled from a single lever. This innovative range is also designed to prevent wastage of hot water wastage, so is very much in keeping with Lusso's commitment to sustainability.

Carved from the same blocks of marble as the baths and basins, the Porto products make the perfect partner for Lusso's wider collections, whether you choose a brushed gold accessory or a marble bath.

to learn more please visit them at lussostone.com

@lussostone 

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Introducing the Amazon Insurance Store

In just a few steps, customers will be able to request and review quotes, select a policy, and then checkout—all on www.amazon.co.uk

Amazon has carefully chosen its initial list of participating insurers, Ageas UK, Co-op, and LV= General Insurance—with more to be added over the next several months.

Customer reviews, star ratings, and claims acceptance rates will be added to the Amazon Insurance Store as more customers purchase policies, offering a transparent way to evaluate insurers

A spokesperson said: "The Amazon Insurance Store is a new, simple, and convenient way for UK customers to shop for home insurance. 

The store offers an improved shopping experience for home insurance purchasers with like-for-like quote comparisons that customers can trust, a streamlined and simple quote questionnaire, and a checkout experience integrated with amazon.co.uk. 

The Amazon Insurance Store will start rolling out to select customers today, and it will be available to all UK customers on amazon.co.uk/insurance and the Amazon UK mobile app by year's end.

“Shopping online for home insurance is a well-established experience, and our goal is to exceed customers’ expectations when it comes to the Amazon Insurance Store,” said Jonathan Feifs, general manager of Amazon’s European Payment Products. 

“This initial launch is just the beginning. We’ll continue to innovate and make refinements, all with the aim of delighting customers and providing the most convenient shopping experience possible.”

In developing the Amazon Insurance Store, Amazon worked with participating insurers to streamline one of the most burdensome aspects of the home insurance buying process: the quote questionnaire. Customers are only asked the essential questions required by insurers in order to receive a quote, simplifying the process. 

The Amazon Insurance Store also provides a more transparent way to shop for home insurance. As more customers purchase policies, the store will populate customer reviews, star ratings, and claims acceptance rates so customers can make more informed purchasing decisions.

All policies in the Amazon Insurance Store start with the same level of cover, called the Amazon Standard of Cover, which includes protection for some of the most common home insurance claims. In developing the Amazon Standard of Cover, the company conducted comprehensive research on the UK home insurance sector to determine which aspects of home insurance are most sought out by customers. 

The Amazon Standard of Cover gives homeowners and renters additional confidence when purchasing a policy as it makes it easier to compare like-for-like quotes, review cover inclusions and exclusions, and then add to their policy if needed.

“Finding the right home insurance policy can be a time-consuming and confusing task, with quotes that often leave out essential coverage in order to lead with the lowest price,” Feifs said. “When we set out to create the Amazon Insurance Store, we wanted to improve the experience for customers shopping for home insurance so they could easily compare options and make an informed, objective decision—just like shopping on Amazon.”

To purchase a home insurance policy through the Amazon Insurance Store, customers first log into their Amazon UK account and fill out a short questionnaire. After that, customers can compare quotes and further personalise their policy in the areas that matter most to them. If a customer chooses to add to their policy, quotes are updated in real-time to see how an insurer’s policy compares to others. Once a policy is selected, customers can checkout using their preferred payment method on Amazon. Post-purchase, customers can easily view their policies, change their payment method, and view renewal information through amazon.co.uk or the Amazon UK mobile app. To celebrate this launch, Amazon customers who make a qualifying purchase of a home insurance policy through the Amazon Insurance Store will receive a £10 Amazon.co.uk gift card.

Amazon has partnered with three insurance brands for this initial launch: Ageas UK, Co-op, and LV= General Insurance. Each company has been carefully selected using a number of customer-focused criteria, including reasonable time frames for claims handling and resolution, and delivering on Amazon's high-bar for customer service. Amazon will add more insurers to the Amazon Insurance Store early next year, giving customers even more selection.

Customers can trust that their information will be safe and secure while shopping on the Amazon Insurance Store. Amazon developed the store using the backend technology customers trust, and the company only collects and shares customer information that’s necessary to operate the store.

To download high resolution b-roll and images of the Amazon Insurance Store visit: amazonuk.gcs-web.com/images-and-videos.

For more information and to shop for home insurance policies on the Amazon Insurance Store, customers can visit www.amazon.co.uk/insurance.

For insurers that would like to join the Amazon Insurance Store, please reach out to insurers-contact-us@amazon.co.uk.

For more information on the Amazon Insurance Store gift card offer, please visit www.amazon.co.uk/insurance/termsandconditions/home.

(Image courtesy of  Tumisu and Pixabay)

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New air-purifying paint range from Rust-Oleum is a breath of fresh air for you and your children

Children in the UK are spending more time than ever indoors, and the health impact of the air within our homes cannot be ignored or underestimated. 

Poor indoor air quality has been implicated in links to serious health like cancers, asthma and cardiovascular diseases. 

To counteract this, Rust-Oleum has launched an amazing intelligent air-purifying wall paint for children’s rooms. The new range, Little Stars, is available in 18 health-promoting, mood-boosting child-friendly shades.

Our homes are full of potentially harmful substances, like VOCs and formaldehydes, an example of aldehydes, that can be found in curtains and carpets. Hairsprays, cigarette smoke, household perfumes, building materials, and using a gas burner during cooking are another example of the aldehydes emitted into the air we breathe.

Aldehydes can cause potentially serious health issues including irritation of our eyes, airways and nose, and can worsen the symptoms of those who already have with asthma or other respiratory conditions.

The eco-friendly wall paint’s special air-purifying formula removes these harmful substances from the air and insulates them in the wall creating a safer environment for your children. The paint begins working from the moment it dries out and absorbs the substances for up to five years.

With the Eurofins Certified Gold Air Comfort certificate, the air purifying wall paint also meets the ISO 16000 standard. This standard specifies the procedure for determining the emission of volatile organic compounds (VOC), for example, in indoor building products and upholstered furniture.

The colour tones of the new product line were carefully chosen under the expert guidance of a carefully selected child psychologist to offer either a calming, playful or inspiring effect on children, so not only the parents, but also the children can let off steam and develop artistically according to their taste. And  where better than in your own children's room?

The paint range is suitable for use on walls and, ceilings, and leaves an extremely opaque, matt finish.

The ‘Little Stars’ Wall Paint range is available to buy for an RRP of £36 per can from www.Very.co.uk.

For more information please visit www.makeityours.co.uk.