Water softeners in Mallorca
Savings, sodium, regulations and upkeep, in depth.
Water softeners · Inca
Water softener in Inca:
49 °fH that end up in your water heater.
Inca has a single water network and a clear figure: 494 mg/L of calcium carbonate, 49 °fH, in the latest bulletin the town council reported to SINAC (5 May 2026). It is among the hard waters of Mallorca, and in a town house that means water heaters that don't last and taps that clog. We explain what it involves and how a water softener is fitted in Inca.
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- 49 °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 Inca's water?
No need to look up your street here: according to SINAC, all of Inca drinks from the same network, which is supplied by 7 wells. The bulletin shows 140 mg/L of calcium and 35 mg/L of magnesium, and those two numbers give the hardness:
| Supply network Places it serves | °fH | °dH | Hardness (mg/L CaCO₃) | Calcium (mg/L) | Magnesium (mg/L) | Bulletin date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inca | 49 | 28 | 494 | 140 | 35 | 5 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.
That is 494 mg/L CaCO₃, which is 49 °fH or 28 °dH. Inca's is among the hard waters of Mallorca: harder than Palma's, which according to SINAC is between 34 and 41 °fH. 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.
Where the saving is
What limescale costs you in an Inca house
Every 100 m³ of water through your meter carries about 49 kg of limescale (as calcium carbonate). In Inca's town houses, with an electric water heater or a boiler, the part that comes out of solution stays on the element and in the heat exchanger: the water takes longer to heat and the appliance doesn't last as long. Cold, you see it in the aerators, in the shower and in the toilet cistern that never stops dripping.
With a source: the Battelle test for the Water Quality Research Foundation (from the water-treatment industry itself) measured, on water of about 44 °fH (somewhat less hard than Inca's), a drop from 80 % to 72 % in the efficiency of a gas water heater in two years; on softened water, none. And Daikin, in the manual of its EKHHP hot-water heat pump, asks for water above 3 mmol/L (30 °fH) to be treated. If you are thinking about a heat pump, in Inca the water is looked at together with the machine.
Setting and drinking water
How far it is taken down and which water you drink
Not to zero. RD 3/2023 requires softened water to keep at least 55 mg/L of hardness. And there is one more reason: a softener swaps limescale for sodium, about 46 mg/L for every 10 °fH it removes, so the more limescale comes out, the more sodium goes into the water. With water that starts at 49 °fH there is a long way between inlet and outlet, which is why the blend is adjusted and left measured, not set by eye.
The sensible route in Inca: a softener for the whole house, adjusted and measured, and for drinking and cooking an untreated tap or reverse osmosis (we recommend 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 Inca
Town houses, bars and fincas in the Raiguer
In an Inca town house the water inlet is usually on the façade or in the entrance hall, with little room: that is why we ask for photos before anything else, to see where the unit, the salt and the drain will fit. In a bar, a celler or a café the sums are different: limescale goes to the coffee machine, the dishwasher and the water heater, which are the tools of the trade.
Around Inca there are many fincas that don't run on the mains but on a well or cistern. There limescale is not the first thing: the first thing is knowing what is in the water. A softener doesn't remove bacteria or nitrates, so we start with the lab analysis; we explain it on well and cistern water.
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 Inca: Alcúdia · Santa Margalida · Porto Cristo
Also in Inca: solar panels · heat pumps · air conditioning · sewage treatment plants · EV charger installation
Common questions
FAQ about water softeners in Inca
How much limescale is in Inca's water?
According to the latest bulletin Inca town council reported to SINAC (Spanish Ministry of Health), dated 5 May 2026, the mains water has 140 mg/L of calcium and 35 mg/L of magnesium: 494 mg/L CaCO₃, that is, 49 °fH or 28 °dH. It is among the hard waters of Mallorca, above Palma. All of Inca depends on the same network.
Is a water softener worth it in Inca?
At 49 °fH, you notice it. In a Battelle test for the industry, a gas water heater fell from 80 % to 72 % efficiency in two years on water of about 44 °fH, less hard than Inca's. You see it in the water heater, the boiler, the washing machine and the taps. The softener goes where the water enters the house and protects everything downstream.
Can I drink softened water in Inca?
For drinking, better from an unsoftened tap. A softener swaps limescale for sodium, about 46 mg/L for every 10 °fH it removes; that is why it is set without going down to zero, and RD 3/2023 requires softened water to keep at least 55 mg/L of hardness. In Inca the usual thing is to leave the kitchen tap off the unit or fit reverse osmosis; we recommend the Kinetico RO Premier.
How much salt does a softener use with Inca's water?
More than on a soft network, because salt is used in proportion to the limescale removed: at 49 °fH, every cubic metre carries about 494 grams of limescale (as CaCO₃) that the resin has to release when it regenerates. The exact amount depends on the unit and on the water you use. What doesn't change is the rule in the manual: proper softener salt, and never let the tank run empty.
I have a finca with a well near Inca. Will a water softener do?
For the limescale, yes; to make the water drinkable, no. A softener only swaps calcium and magnesium for sodium: it doesn't remove bacteria or nitrates, and RD 3/2023 sets a maximum of 50 mg/L of nitrate in drinking water. On the fincas of the Raiguer we start with a lab analysis and then decide which units are needed and in what order.
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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 Inca home?
Send us photos of the water inlet and we'll tell you which unit suits it. Itemised quote.