[PoleKing]

Not strictly windows but water anyway...

The water here is minging.
It furs up the kettle and leaves a horrible limescale(esque) stain in the bog, around the taps and on the sink.
(upwards of 400TDS sometimes

So...does anyone use a filter on ALL their incoming water?
We are a family of 4 and use a normal amount of water (whatever that is)
Would just a charcoal filter do it?
If so what size?
I don't mind changing a filter say...quarterly, but don't want to be doing it much more often than that.
And i only want inline 0 waste-certainly not RO.
Any advice greatly appreciated.

[Spruce]

Not strictly windows but water anyway...

The water here is minging.
It furs up the kettle and leaves a horrible limescale(esque) stain in the bog, around the taps and on the sink.
(upwards of 400TDS sometimes

So...does anyone use a filter on ALL their incoming water?
We are a family of 4 and use a normal amount of water (whatever that is)
Would just a charcoal filter do it?
If so what size?
I don't mind changing a filter say...quarterly, but don't want to be doing it much more often than that.
And i only want inline 0 waste-certainly not RO.
Any advice greatly appreciated.

A charcoal filter will not reduce the TDS of the water.

The only way to 'soften' the water is to buy an upmarket water softener if you want to treat all the water you use in the house. The water softener you want needs to be automatic so it regenerates itself. You will replenish the salt needs as and when required which will depend on water useage.

A water softener isn't strickly a softener as the TDS of the water remains the same. A water softener removes the calcium and magnesium ions from the water and replace them with sodium ions.

The way I understand it is that the water regulations currently state that a hard water drinking tap is always recommended. However, where the water hardness is below 400ppm calcium carbonate there is NO mandatory requirement for a separate hard water drinking tap because softened water complies with the drinking water regulations. Where the water hardness exceeds 400ppm calcium carbonate, the sodium level will be above the maximum set by the drinking water regulations, so a separate hard water drinking tap becomes mandatory.

It is also recommended that the garden tap is left with a hard water supply.