Reviews & Guides · Appliances

HarveyArc Water Softener: Less Shower Scale, Utility-Cupboard Installation

We had a HarveyArc installed in a utility cupboard. Shower-glass scale fell, but hair loss was unchanged and the drinking filter did not prevent kettle scale.

A black Harvey Arc water softener standing upright on a light wooden floor next to a wooden partition, with plumbing pipes and a red valve visible on the wall behind it.
A quotation table titled 'Good Supplied' listing items for a HarveyArc water softener system. It includes part numbers, descriptions such as the HarveyArc water softener Wifi Enabled 870 Litre, Installation Pack 3, Complete Twist-Lock Filter System, Quarter-Turn Tap Chrome, and complimentary salt blocks, along with quantities and prices in British pounds, totaling £2,451.46 including VAT.
A screenshot of an iPhone screen displaying a Google search in a web browser for the phrase 'check hard water in my area'. Below the search bar is a sponsored link for Culligan Harvey water softeners, with an emoji sticker partially covering the upper-left section of the search results.
  1. Check the water hardness in your area: You can search Google, as there are quite a few websites that let you check it. See Figure 3.
  2. We chose HarveyArc: They came to our home and gave us a quotation. The price was similar to those mentioned by Xiaohongshu users, although the installation was slightly more expensive. They later explained that, because it could not be installed under the sink, it was eventually placed in the kitchen utility cupboard, where the washing machine and water heater are.
  3. Installation: The installer who came to our home handled everything without making us worry, and thoughtfully protected the floor.
  4. After using softened water: The biggest change was less limescale, especially on the glass door of the shower enclosure. Another feeling was that my skin felt slippery after washing my face, which was genuinely difficult to get used to at first. My rosacea did not have a widespread flare-up, but I do not know whether the water played any part; in any case, I have continued using azelaic acid intermittently, taking about six months to use half a tube. By the way, I did not notice any improvement in hair loss.
  5. Drinking-water filter: They gave us a drinking-water filter, but it did not reduce limescale. Perhaps that was not what it was designed to do in the first place? We filter the water through a Brita as well, to slow the build-up of limescale in the kettle.
  6. Referral: If you need a referral, ask me; each person can receive a number of free bags of salt.

Source: 小红薯是亲生小红薯呀 · Xiaohongshu · 2025-05-22 · 🇬🇧 水硬的地方真的需要HarveyArc. Search this Chinese title in Xiaohongshu to find the original post.

Before You Buy

Models in your region

The owner identifies the installed product as HarveyArc but does not provide a full model number or exact generation. Harvey’s UK guidance covers installation planning, drinking-water provision and salt replenishment.

Model in this review Related regional model What to know
HarveyArc HarveyArc (UK) HarveyArc is sold in the UK, but the exact generation and configuration installed in this home are unspecified.
Model in this review
HarveyArc
Related regional model
HarveyArc (UK)
What to know
HarveyArc is sold in the UK, but the exact generation and configuration installed in this home are unspecified.

Plan the installation location

The owner’s installation could not use the space under the sink and was instead placed in a kitchen utility cupboard containing a washing machine and water heater. For a HarveyArc purchase, check available plumbing space, water hardness and pressure before installation; the official buying guidance also says to retain an unsoftened drinking-water supply.

HarveyArc · UK

The owner found the installation service reassuring and reported that the floor was protected. That is an individual service experience, not a guarantee for every installer or property.

What the softener changed

The owner’s clearest reported result was less limescale on the shower enclosure’s glass door, along with an initially unfamiliar slippery feeling after washing. This was one household’s experience rather than a measured reduction across all fixtures.

The owner did not notice an improvement in hair loss. The owner also cannot establish whether water affected rosacea because azelaic acid continued to be used intermittently, so these health observations should not be treated as treatment evidence.

Separate softened water from drinking filtration

The gifted drinking-water filter did not stop limescale for this owner, who continued using a Brita to slow kettle build-up. The original filter model and Brita cartridge are unspecified, so the result should not be generalized to every filter or interpreted as evidence that the HarveyArc is failing.

Harvey Complete TwistLock inline carbon filter · UK

The UK HarveyArc guidance specifies Mini Curve Salt Blocks shaped for its salt space and says they need regular replenishment. The owner also mentions free salt connected with referrals; readers should confirm the current offer and eligibility rather than assume it applies to every installation.

HarveyArc · UK