Electrics and gas
The water softener has a bypass. What did the survey actually establish?
Only that a softener and a bypass valve were there to be seen, if the cupboard was open. The survey did not test the water, did not prove the bypass works, and did not service the unit. This is not a finding about the metal of the incoming pipe. It is a softener the visit did not operate.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
Softeners sit on the incoming cold supply, often in a kitchen cupboard or a garage, with a bypass so the house can be fed if the cylinder is exhausted. The surveyor can note leaks, a salt tank, and whether the bypass lever is visible. They do not send water to a laboratory, and they do not know hardness from the tap. A bypass stuck in one position may mean the softener is out of use or that nobody has touched it for years. The survey cannot tell. Do not swing the lever to find out during a viewing. Gas Safe registration is for gas work, which is what HSE’s domestic gas guidance covers. It is not the trade that tests a softener.
Ask the seller whether they use the softener and when it was last serviced. Their answer is not a survey result. If you need it working, ask a plumber who deals with this equipment. Keep that quote off the gas boiler and off the electrics, unless the softener also has a power supply the electrician has been asked to consider. The home survey did not test either. There is no wholesomeness certificate inside the cupboard photograph. Report the bypass as a valve you could see, not as a promise about drinking water.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you see the softener and the bypass, or only a cupboard you could not open?
- Did you operate the bypass or test the water?
- Are you keeping this separate from the incoming pipe material?
What are the typical next steps?
- Do not turn the bypass.
- Ask the seller how the softener is used. Do not treat silence as a test.
- If it leaks, ask a plumber. Do not book a gas engineer for a salt tank.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
Does a full salt tank mean the water is soft?
No. Salt in the bin is not a test of the water at the tap.
Is the bypass a stopcock for the whole house?
Not necessarily. A bypass is local to the softener. Ask which valve actually isolates the supply. The survey may not have turned either.