About Us

If you want better water, but not at the expense of the environment, look to Kinetico. Unlike other water treatment options, Kinetico systems use the laws of nature to operate, without taking a toll on Mother Nature. Our systems use less salt and water, work better and last longer, which keeps them out of landfills. In fact, we have customers who have had their Kinetico systems for more than 20 years! And by using a Kinetico system, you’ll minimize waste and energy use, eliminate the purchase and disposal of plastic water bottles, reduce the need for harsh cleaners and chemicals and help your water-using appliances work better and last longer. The bottom line is a Kinetico Water System is good for you, your home, the environment and your wallet.

Benefits of Softened Water

Did you know?
A study showed softened water reduced weekly household cleaning time from 4 to 2 hours, 21 minutes - saving more than 10 days per year!

Experience smoother skin and silkier hair

Enjoy the everyday experience of softer and silky hair and revitalised, moisturised and bright looking skin.

Softer, brighter looking clothes

Softened water removes any residual impurities making your clothes feel softer and keeps them looking brighter and newer for longer.

Hard & Soft Water - an Explanation
Hard water map

UK hard water map
(courtesy of British Water).
Hover over to zoom
We have all heard of it - but what exactly is soft water? Or, for that matter, hard water?

Whether your water-supply consists of hard or soft water is determined by the geology of the ground that the rain in your region falls upon. Pure rainwater is naturally soft but the chalk and limestone regions of the South and East of England surrender Calcium and Magnesium into the natural water supply to create hard water. The granite areas of the North and West do not contain the same minerals and so the water remains 'soft'. And with the development of water distribution networks, some parts of the UK which have historically been soft water areas, are now beginning to experience hard water.

As hard water is heated (e.g. in washing machines, showers, kettles etc), the Calcium and Magnesium separate out and form a crust on surfaces they come into contact with. This is what we know as limescale.
The scale contained in hard water can cause damage and expense in the home...

* Limescale build-up in heating systems causes a loss in heating efficiency, wasting energy
* Showers, washing machines and immersion heaters become damaged and inefficient more quickly
* Limescale quickly builds up on taps, sinks and other fittings becoming unsightly and making cleaning difficult
* Hard water can aggravate skin conditions such as Eczema

Great tasting Drinking Water

There's nothing quite like a glass of great tasting water. Great water makes every thing else taste better including your favourite drinks and recipes.

Filter jugs are slow,clumsy and produce a limited amount of water, tap mounted filters are unattractive and awkward and bottled water is expensive, cumbersome and could be up to two years old.

Kinetico Drinking water systems and Filters make it easier than ever to get quality drinking water straight from the tap 24 hours a day every day.

-Quench your thirst with quality,clean and clear drinking water on tap 24 hours a day
-Taste the difference immediately
-Save money - never buy bottled water for use at home again
-Wash and cook your fresh food and vegetables in the best quality water
-We offer a choice of systems to suit your pocket and lifestyle

Fluoride in our water

Flouridation of Domestic Water Supply

Fluoride in the water - even if you don't want it
A health trust has become the first to force through a move to add fluoride to tap water to fight tooth decay in children
More - from the Daily Mail - 27/02/2009

Minister orders fluoride to be added to water
ALAN JOHNSON, the health secretary, will this week tell health chiefs in areas of England with the highest rates of tooth decay to add fluoride to the water supply to improve the dental health of poor children
More - from the Sunday Times - 03/02/2009
» If you are concerned with fluoride in the water, our K5 Drinking Water Station can remove everything from your water that is not water.

SAVE MONEY. Look and Feel Great.

With soft water in your home, all the time you spend dealing with limescale will now be your free time to do the things you really want to do.

Soft water saves money:

Without limescale build-up, central heating systems run more efficiently - saving on bills
Use up to 75% less soap and detergents with soft water - saving on cleaning products & toiletries
Washing machines and appliances last longer and won't break down due to limescale damage
An average family of 4 could save over £400 a year with soft water. Contact your dealer to see how
Spend less time cleaning

No more scrubbing to remove hard water marks in a stainless steel kitchen
No more hours spent unclogging blocked shower heads
No more scum or limescale build up on your sinks, baths or shower screens
Look and feel great

Your hair will feel silky, soft and healthy
Your skin will feel cleaner, smoother and moisturised
Your laundry will be brighter and whiter
Featured products from the Kinetico water softener range...

To ensure you receive the full product warranty, only purchase Kinetico products from your local authorised Kinetico dealer.

2020c Water Softener »

With an innovative, sleek and compact design, the 2020c water softener oozes style. Providing soft water to the whole house 24 hours a day and, once you've got used to a life with soft water, you'll wonder how and why you ever managed without it. More details »

Mini Kinetic B Water Softener »

From the day it is installed the Mini Kinetic B water softener will prove an all round investment, taking away the worry and expense of limescale build up, allowing you more time and money to spend on the fun things in life. More details »

Which water softener is right for you?

Kinetico has a range of water softener solutions to suit all types of requirement. Our authorised dealers will guide and assist you in selecting the most-suitable option for your needs. Find your nearest dealer and arrange a home demonstration...

Chemistry of Hard and Soft water

I'm sure you've heard the terms 'hard water' and 'soft water', but do you know what they mean? Is one type of water somehow better than the other? What type of water do you have? Let's take a look at the definitions of these terms and how they relate to water in everyday life.
Hard water is any water containing an appreciable quantity of dissolved minerals. Soft water is treated water in which the only cation (positively charged ion) is sodium. The minerals in water give it a characteristic taste. Some natural mineral waters are highly sought for their flavor and the health benefits they may confer.

Why might you use a water softener? The answer is that extremely hard water may shorten the life of plumbing and lessen the effectiveness of certain cleaning agents. When hard water is heated, the carbonates precipitate out of solution, forming scale in pipes and tea kettles. In addition to narrowing and potentially clogging the pipes, scale prevents efficient heat transfer, so a water heater with scale will have to use a lot of energy to give you hot water. Soap is less effective in hard water because its reacts to form the calcium or magnesium salt of the organic acid of the soap. These salts are insoluble and form grayish soap scum, but no cleansing lather. Detergents, on the other hand, lather in both hard and soft water. Calcium and magnesium salts of the detergent's organic acids form, but these salts are soluble in water.

Hard water can be softened (have its minerals removed) by treating it with lime or by passing it over an ion exchange resin. Water flows over the resin surface, dissolving the sodium. The calcium, magnesium, and other cations precipitate onto the resin surface.

Pure water from Kinetico at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital

Pure water from Kinetico at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital

When the Worcestershire Royal Hospital opened, it had been equipped with a Kinetico water treatment system to supply pure hot water to its theatre areas and to washer disinfector units used for cleaning and disinfecting medical devices.

In recent years, partly in response to concerns about the transmission of variant CJD via reusable surgical instruments; and also with regard to the risk associated with hospital acquired infections (HAI) in patients; the guidance relating to cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing has become more rigorous. This has affected the choices being made both in new builds and in many existing hospitals and other facilities involved in the supply of sterilized surgical instruments, which have been upgrading their cleaning, disinfecting and sterilizing systems and procedures. Several are now using Kinetico systems or working with Kinetico to specify and supply systems to meet their individual and precise requirements.

The Kinetico system was designed and installed at the Worcestershire Royal Hospital to the specification of Oscar Faber consulting engineers and under the supervision of ABB Building Technologies, following a competitive tendering process. The scope of the project was to deliver an uninterruptible supply of pure water at 60°C and 80°C to a variety of outlets, starting from the mains water supply. To meet this need, water is processed in a number of stages.

Firstly, mains water passes through a Kinetico twin tank water softener to ensure a continuous supply of soft water. This softener features the Kinetico control valve, which measures all soft water used and only regenerates on demand to minimise the use of salt. In addition a “low salt level” alarm was fitted to the system as a further safeguard.

Softened water next passes through one of two Kinetico reverse osmosis (RO) units each of which feeds a 2,500 ltr storage tank. These RO units remove up to 99% of the remaining impurities, producing the required water quality of better than 30?s/cm. The RO storage tanks are arranged in parallel, with both in service. In addition the tanks have conical bottoms to eliminate dead spots and come with bacterial air vent filters and ultra-violet sterilizer on the overflows.

The two stainless steel multi-stage pumps used to distribute the RO water are operated in duty/standby with an 8 hour cycle time, and the two heat exchangers used to bring the water up to 60°C are also duty/standby. These heat exchangers each operate at 50% duty but are capable of running at 100% duty where necessary to maintain system integrity. Final bacterial and endotoxin control is via two 0.2 micron absolute filters.

Water is distributed via a ringmain made from CPVC operating at 60°C with pressure maintained at 6 bar via a control valve. However, to provide the three washer-disinfectors with 80°C RO water a spur provides water via two more steam heat exchangers, again with each operating at a precautionary 50% capacity.

Grant Audemard, Managing Director of Kinetico UK Ltd said of the new system: “The Worcestershire Royal Hospital water treatment system is state of the art and reflects a growing trend amongst our medical customers looking for the best quality water for their application.

“We already have a number of medical clients and are always happy to discuss individual requirements with those looking to update their systems.”

A Brief History of Kinetico in the UK

During 1978 Kinetico Incorporated appointed a UK distributor / assembler. With financial and design assistance from Kinetico Incorporated, this Surrey based distributor/assembler developed a non-electric water softener which best suited the UK market and, through this continued joint venture, the Kinetico Block Salt water softener was evolved.

Kinetico Incorporated takes great pride in the expert resources of its research and development department and became increasingly frustrated with the reluctance of its UK distributor/assembler to implement key product improvements that would benefit the consumer.

As a result, during the latter part of 2000, Kinetico Incorporated terminated its long standing commercial relationship with the UK based distributor/assembler and established its own UK subsidiary, Kinetico UK Ltd, operating from Southampton, Hampshire. This turn of events enabled Kinetico Incorporated to immediately implement improvements to the established water softener design bringing it into the 21st Century.

Since 2001, Kinetico have made over 35 improvements to its block salt water softener blueprint and, due to the ingenious way the water softener is designed, Kinetico can and do continue to service and maintain its earlier models.

During the history of Kinetico a few companies have introduced their own non-electric water softener but to date none have been able to compete with the performance ratings, reliability and benefits of a Kinetico non-electric water softener, nor have they achieved independent accreditation.

Kinetico continues to develop the most innovative water treatment systems available anywhere in the world. Systems that conserve energy and engineered with an eye towards sustainability.

Broadcrest and Kinetico: Pure sound quality relies on a pure source of water

When Broadcrest UK, part of multinational digital media producer MPO, relocated and expanded its CD manufacturing facility, it took the opportunity to upgrade its ultra-pure water supply with the latest reverse osmosis (RO) and deionising (DI) equipment from Kinetico UK.

The manufacturing process involved in creating the “stamper” plates used to press CDs is complex, is carried out under conditions of laboratory cleanliness, and involves several steps that require the use of an ultra-pure water source, both for washing and for use in electrolysis solutions.

What is Water Softening?

What is water softening?

When water contains a significant amount of calcium and magnesium, it is called hard water. Hard water is known to clog pipes and to complicate soap and detergent dissolving in water.
Water softening is a technique that serves the removal of the ions that cause the water to be hard, in most cases calcium and magnesium ions. Iron ions may also be removed during softening.
The best way to soften water is to use a water softener unit and connect it directly to the water supply.

What is Hard Water?

what is 'hard water'?
Hard water is formed when rainwater passes through chalk and limestone rocks, absorbing calcium and magnesium minerals.

In an estimated 60% of UK homes, the mains water supply is 'hard', with Eastern, Central and Southern UK water defined as 'hard to very hard', due to the geology of these regions.

The minerals contained in hard water settle out as a deposit of hardness scale, wherever the water is heated or when cold standing water evaporates. Examples of this include; white marks, stains and scale on sinks, baths, toilet bowls and around the base of taps, blocked shower heads, scale deposits on kettles and water heating elements and clogging of pipe work.

BOTTLED WATER

Bottled Water Facts
Fuelled by today’s health conscious culture, where we are more aware than ever of what we put into our bodies and bombarded by pictures of glamorous celebrities clutching bottles of water, drinking bottled water has been linked to a pure and wholesome lifestyle. But while fresh drinking water is essential to our daily well-being, is bottled water really the healthiest option for you, your family and the planet?

Financial Issues
Bottled water can cost up to a staggering 1000 times more than tap water. With the average Briton drinking 37.6 litres of bottled water a year, bottled water suddenly seems like an unnecessarily expensive option - particularly at a time when household budgets are squeezed.

Health Issues
A team of scientists found that 70% of popular bottled water brands have surprisingly high levels of bacteria and significantly higher levels than tap water.Although not a major risk to most people, these levels could pose a threat to vulnerable members of society such as the elderly, pregnant women and children.

Environmental cost
Producing and delivering bottled water can create hundreds of times more harmful greenhouse gas compared to tap water. We can buy bottled water that is flown in from all over the world, from countries such as Fiji where one third of the population doesn’t have access to clean drinking water. And it’s not only the producing and delivering that costs the environment. As only 1 in 4 plastic bottles are recycled, the rest are dumped in landfill sites (or littering our streets, park, rivers and beaches). It will then take 450 years for these plastics to break down.

Fluoride in the water - even if you don’t want it!

A health trust has become the first to force through a move to add fluoride to tap water to fight tooth decay in children.

READ MORE > Daily Mail - 27/02/2009

Fluoride to be added to water

Minister orders fluoride to be added to water

ALAN JOHNSON, the health secretary, will this week tell health chiefs in areas of England with the highest rates of tooth decay to add fluoride to the water supply to improve the dental health of poor children

Eczema Benefits

“My son has had eczema since he was 4wks old very very severe we had ours installed about 18mnths ago he’s a different child now a miracle!!! and we know it’s down to the softener as we went without it for 2wks when we were flooded. His skin became dry, cracked sore and the itch so intense it was reliving the nightmare again. I don’t know why specialists don’t tell suffers about the benefits these devices can have. I’m actually ordering a brochure for a friend with psoriasis!!! Please use my info of testimony to others. It truly is a light at what can seem a very dark endless battle to win.”

Miss K Ward, Worcestershire

Protecting your home from hard water

Whether you are buying a new bathroom or kitchen or are just simply fed up of the continual cleaning and scrubbing as a result of living with hard water, there has never been a better time to install a water softener.

Living in a hard water area can damage your home! From the obvious scale build-up on shower screens, granite worktops, sinks and taps through to the invisible long-term and costly damage to washing machines, plumbing systems and pipe-work.

With a Kinetico water softener you can make your home limescale free, forever, plus...

Keep your kitchen and bathroom looking as fantastic as the day they were bought.
Save time and money with less cleaning. No more hard water, scum or stains.
Maintain the efficiency of your heating system and increase the life of your water using appliances.
... and believe it or not you can save up to £400 a year too!

Spend less on cleaning products, use up to 75% less toiletries and detergents and save up to 25% on energy bills thanks to more efficient household appliances.