About Us

Eczema - a Growing Problem

If you or your child suffers from eczema, you’re not alone. Around one in five* children and one in twelve adults are afflicted by this distressing skin condition and it is becoming more common. And while many children do grow out of eczema by adulthood, they may still suffer several years of this uncomfortable complaint.

What causes eczema?
There is no single cause of eczema. Doctors believe it arises from a mix of hereditary and environmental factors, of which hard water is one. One theory is that the chlorine added to protect our drinking water and the hardness minerals contained in the hard water causes dryness and irritation. Because of this, hard water households use more soap and detergent - products we know inflame the skin of eczema sufferers.

Could switching to softened water help?
More than 60% of households are located in hard water areas in England and Wales. Research carried out at the University of Nottingham** by dermatologists, medical geographers and statisticians in 1998 indicated that hard water could play a part in causing eczema flare-ups in some children.

The study, involving more than 7,500 school age children, found that eczema is around 50% more common in primary schoolchildren living in hard water areas than those who live in soft water areas. This could not be attributed to differences in age or social class.

* Source: National Eczema Society 2001.
** Source: Professor Hywel Williams, University of Nottingham, August 1998

Softened Water Eczema Trial (SWET)
Kinetico UK are participating in new research commissioned by the NIHR Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme to investigate whether water softeners help reduce the severity of eczema in children. This study, led by Professor Hywel Williams and Dr Kim Thomas of the Centre of Evidence Based Dermatology at the University of Nottingham, will run from Spring 2007 to Autumn 2009 and will involve more than 310 children with moderate to severe eczema from across four hard water regions in England.


To read more about the Softened Water Eczema Trial please visit the study website at: www.swet-trial.co.uk

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.”