Water softeners in Mallorca
Savings, sodium, regulations and upkeep, in depth.
Water softeners · Alcúdia
Water softener in Alcúdia:
three networks, and the port's is the hardest.
The water in Alcúdia and Port d'Alcúdia arrives with a lot of limescale: 48 °fH in the latest SINAC bulletin. Alcanada and Bonaire, which have their own networks, are at 36 and 35 °fH. A water softener deals with that limescale; how it is set and which water you drink is the other half. We explain it with the official figure for each network, from Alcanada to Bonaire.
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- 48 °fH according to SINAC
- Water heater and heat pump protected
- RD 3/2023 · CTE HS 4
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Kinetico Premier Compact · Image: Kinetico
The official figure
How hard is the water in Alcúdia?
SINAC lists three networks with a recent bulletin in the municipality, all three supplied from wells. The one serving Alcúdia old town, Port d'Alcúdia and Platja d'Alcúdia is the hardest; Alcanada and Bonaire come in somewhat lower:
| Supply network Places it serves | °fH | °dH | Hardness (mg/L CaCO₃) | Calcium (mg/L) | Magnesium (mg/L) | Bulletin date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alcúdia · Port d'Alcúdia Alcúdia, Port d'Alcúdia, Platja d'Alcúdia, Marina Manresa | 48 | 27 | 483 | 124 | 42 | 16 April 2026 |
| Alcanada Port d'Alcúdia | 36 | 20 | 361 | 90 | 33 | 14 May 2026 |
| Bonaire es Mal Pas-Bonaire | 35 | 20 | 350 | 89 | 31 | 14 May 2026 |
Source: SINAC, Spanish Ministry of Health (sinac.sanidad.gob.es), latest bulletin for each network, checked on 1 October 2026; only networks with a 2025 or 2026 bulletin. Hardness calculated from the calcium and magnesium in the bulletin (CaCO₃ = 2.497 × Ca + 4.118 × Mg); 1 °fH = 10 mg/L CaCO₃, 1 °dH ≈ 17.8 mg/L. The rest of the island is in the Mallorca water table.
The bulletin for the main network (16 April 2026) gives 483 mg/L CaCO₃, with 124 mg/L of calcium and 42 of magnesium; Alcanada gave 361 mg/L on 14 May 2026 and Bonaire 350 mg/L on 14 May 2026. As installers, from about 15 °fH we already see scale in water heaters and taps, and Daikin asks for the water of its EKHHP hot-water heat pump to be treated from 30 °fH: here all three are well above it.
Where the saving is
What it means in an Alcúdia apartment or house
At 48 °fH, every 100 m³ of water carries about 48 kg of limescale (as calcium carbonate). In a Port d'Alcúdia apartment that goes to the electric water heater and the taps; in a house in the old town or in Bonaire, to the hot-water cylinder and the washing machine. And since many homes here are used seasonally, the limescale has months to dry inside taps and shower heads while the house is shut.
The manufacturer's figure: in the manual of its EKHHP hot-water heat pump, Daikin asks for the water to be treated when it goes over 3 mmol/L (30 °fH), and all three Alcúdia networks exceed that (35-48 °fH). If the house has or is going to have a heat pump, the hot-water cylinder is the first thing to protect.
Setting and drinking water
What it is set to, and drinking water kept separate
A softener swaps limescale for sodium: it adds about 46 mg/L for every 10 °fH it removes. That is why it isn't pushed all the way to zero, and why softened water is what you want for the water heater, the shower and the washing machine, while a separate tap is kept for drinking and cooking. On the network for Alcúdia and the port the starting point is 48 °fH; in Alcanada and Bonaire, 36 and 35, so the setting is not the same on all three.
That is why in Alcúdia we nearly always propose both pieces: a softener at the inlet, set not to fall below the 55 mg/L of hardness that RD 3/2023 requires, and reverse osmosis in the kitchen for drinking and cooking water. The one we recommend is the Kinetico RO Premier.
Sizing and installation
How it is sized and how it is fitted
The size doesn't come from a table: it comes from the hardness measured at your meter, the water the household uses and the flow that showers and taps call for at the same time. The installation is governed by the CTE DB HS 4 building code (non-return valve, bypass, test point and meter): the detail is on water softeners in Mallorca. We fit every brand; the one we recommend is Kinetico (Premier Plus and Premier Compact), which according to the manufacturer works without electricity and regenerates according to the water used.
The case of Alcúdia
Seasonal apartments and hotels on the bay
If you have an apartment or a house that spends the winter shut, the softener stands idle too. Before the water is used again it has to be started up as the manufacturer's manual says, and the salt and outlet hardness checked. That is exactly what we do with JSL Villa Care for owners who are not here all year.
In a hotel or holiday apartments, limescale is also part of the Legionella plan. RD 487/2022 asks for an assessment of a softener or a scale inhibitor on the incoming water, and for the installation to be cleaned and disinfected before it is used again after a shutdown of more than a month, which is what happens here every spring. We cover it on Legionella in Mallorca.
How we work
Your water softener in four steps
1
Photos and details
Photos of the water inlet, of where the unit would go, and how many people live in the house.
2
We test
Your water's hardness, the pressure and the drain. That decides the size.
3
Installed to code
Non-return valve, bypass, meter and blend setting, measured at the outlet.
4
Follow-up
Salt, sanitising and servicing at the interval your unit's manufacturer requires.
Water softeners near Alcúdia: Santa Margalida · Inca
Also in Alcúdia: solar panels · heat pumps · air conditioning · sewage treatment plants · EV charger installation
Common questions
FAQ about water softeners in Alcúdia
How hard is the water in Alcúdia and Port d'Alcúdia?
According to the latest bulletin reported to SINAC (Spanish Ministry of Health), dated 16 April 2026, the network for Alcúdia and Port d'Alcúdia has 483 mg/L CaCO₃: 48 °fH or 27 °dH. Alcanada gave 36 °fH on 14 May 2026 and Bonaire 35 °fH on 14 May 2026. All three are supplied from wells and all three are above 30 °fH.
Can you drink softened water in Alcúdia?
For drinking and cooking, better an unsoftened tap. A softener removes limescale, which is calcium and magnesium, and in exchange adds sodium: about 46 mg/L for every 10 °fH it removes. That is why it is set without going down to zero (RD 3/2023 requires softened water to keep at least 55 mg/L of hardness) and why in Alcúdia we usually leave the kitchen tap off the unit or fit reverse osmosis; the one we recommend is the Kinetico RO Premier.
I have an apartment in Port d'Alcúdia that is shut in winter. What happens to the softener?
It spends months idle too, and before the water is used again it has to be started up as the manufacturer's manual sets out: check the salt and test the outlet hardness, which must not fall below 55 mg/L (RD 3/2023). With the 48 °fH of the port's water, a unit without salt lets all the limescale through. If you are not in Mallorca, we do it before you arrive.
Does a hotel in Alcúdia need a water softener because of Legionella?
The regulation doesn't impose it on everyone, but it does ask for it to be assessed: RD 487/2022 (annex III) says that, where applicable, the need for softeners or scale inhibitors on the incoming water is to be assessed, and its preamble lists scale deposits among the factors that favour the bacteria. With 48 °fH on the Alcúdia network, that assessment has to be made with the figure in front of you. We fit and maintain the installation; the Legionella plan is the owner's responsibility and is drawn up by their technical manager, in-house or contracted, and the Legionella culture is done by an accredited laboratory.
What maintenance does a water softener need in Alcúdia?
Whichever is stricter, the regulations or the manufacturer's manual for your unit. The constants: proper softener salt, a tank that never runs empty and measuring the outlet hardness. In Alcúdia we add one thing because of the type of home: the start-up each season in houses that close for the winter. At 48 °fH, the difference between a looked-after unit and a forgotten one shows in the water heater.
You may also like
More on your home's water
The softener is one piece; here is the rest.
Water treatment
The official hardness of each network on the island.
Reverse osmosis
Drinking water without limescale or salt.
Well and cistern water
First, the lab analysis.
Legionella
Hotels, agroturismos and holiday apartments.
Shall we look at the water in your Alcúdia home?
Send us photos of the water inlet and we'll tell you which unit suits it. Itemised quote.