The Biggest PROBLEM With Twintec Water Softener
The Biggest PROBLEM With Twintec Water
…is it’s not widely available and can sometimes be difficult to find. This is an issue because more popular softeners will be easier to fix and maintain should something go wrong. They will have more information about them online, as other customers will share troubleshooting issues along with solutions. Also more popular machines have the added benefit of being more familiar to plumbers who are in turn more likely to have a solution, the right equipment or know where to get it. In the UK, the most poplar machines are BWT and Water2Buy.
The other issue is that it doesn’t include a water filter and it will only generate soft water. You will need to get a water filter if you want extra filtration and purification. However, this is the case with almost all UK water softeners.
Tapworks AD11 | Monarch FreeFlow | Water2Buy W2B200 |
 |  |  |
| 1-7 (household) | 1-7 (household) | 1-4 (household) |
| 2266L per day. | 1120L per day. | 1250L per day. |
| Kitchen Cabinet or Under Sink | Kitchen Cabinet or Under Sink | Kitchen Cabinet or Under Sink |
| 37Kg (Salt Capacity) | 20Kg (Salt Capacity) | 11Kg (Salt Capacity) |
| 15mm and 22mm (Connection) | 15mm (Connection) | 22mm(Connection) |
| 49.6 x 29.6 x 64.8cm | 575 x 275 x 465 | 52 x 22 x 65cm |
| 2 Years (Warranty) | 5-year parts and 2-year labour guarantee. (Warranty) | "7-year promise" (Warranty) |
| 4.5 out of 5 (average customer review). | 4 out of 5 (average customer review). | 4.5 out of 5 (average customer review). |
| $$$ | $$$ | $$ |
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TwinTec S3 Water Softener Review
Here are some of the key selling points of TwinTec S3 water softeners.
Not electric
The S3 is designed to power your water supply without using electricity. 
There are no timers, computers or manual settings to worry about. In addition, there is no power supply so power outages are not a concern.
This means that it uses sustainable energy without the need for power outlets.
Fits under your kitchen sink
At just 49 cm high, the S3 easily fits under the kitchen sink. This type of compact design is common with UK water softeners. In fact, it was designed specifically for this purpose. The water softening basins are designed to maximize the available space while being small enough to fit in tight spaces.
Width: 205mm
Height: 490mm
Depth: 440mm
Softened Water 24/7
These softeners are slightly heavier than any other. 
This is because they have two cylinders, in contrast to the industry standard of only one. The result of this is while one is regenerating, the other is still working to soften the water.
This means that the TwinTec S3 provides undisturbed access to softened water, no matter how much water your family consumes.
Easy to load block salt
The salt block compartment is easy to load. This means that you don’t need to unnecessarily handle heavy sacks of salt.
The purpose-built salt has been developed to work with the S3 and make it as efficient as possible.
By ensuring that the salt lasts longer, the water softener regenerates only when needed, rather than through a daily timer as with other systems.
When the salt needs to be filled, the transparent lid reveals a red line that makes it easy for you.
Twintec’s Key Benefits
It works on low to very low pressure.
Comes with a 2 year labour guarantee and 10 year parts guarantee.
Meter controlled salt.
Quieter than average water softeners.
Tested and certified by WRAS (Water Regulations Advisory Scheme).
Complies with UK Water bylaw requirements and regulations.
Twintec Company History
Twintec water softener company follows on from the Harvey UK water softener company. They (Twintec) create water softeners that deal with specific short comings of previous models.
The first one is for it to be able to handle higher flow rates so that it can accommodate non-vented high pressure water systems.
This is especially the case since these types of softeners have been legalized since the development of the old UK softener.
This is also why they are gaining in popularity. It is important that new softeners can be used in all sanitary systems in the United Kingdom. This is whether they are traditional storage tanks or systems that are fed directly into the grid.
Another improvement is that the new Twintec machine has better water consumption rates. This was due to the growing number of homes with water meters in the UK.
To make the new softener even more economical, Harvey also improved its salt intake.
Finally, it solves the dripping water problems that had plagued the old water softeners and make the lid transparent so that the salt content could be controlled without removing the lid.
The new Twintec machines are based on all these new developments and improvements and were launched in the UK around 2001.
Are Twintec Water Softeners WORTH It?
The short answer is yes, if you can find it, Twintec is worth it. That is, however, ONLY if you can find it, as it is not widely available.
It’s not even possible to find Twintec on places like Amazon. You may have to go and look for it on eBay to maybe find a second hand version.
Also, because they are not widely available there are not many reviews about it online.
It’s even harder to find reviews by verified customers. This makes it really hard to objectively assess its quality before you buy.
Although Twintec looks like a good water softener on paper there are many better competitors.
Competitors like Water2Buy (the cheapest) and BWT (technically advanced) which are more popular. This is because they offer similar water softening capacity at a fraction of the cost.
Why is BWT better for UK customers?
BWT is one of the highest customer rated and best-selling water softeners on online market places like Amazon. Here are some reasons why:
There are plenty of happy customer reviews that you can read before you buy. They typically talk about things like ease of installation, low or no maintenance and how well it works at dealing with hard water. Here are some other specific winning features:
Unlike many other water softeners, the BWT is relatively easy to install for non-professionals.
Relatively easy to set up and configure.
It has a good capacity to provide enough soft water for 1 to 4 people (see AD11 and Harvey Water Softener for larger homes and apartments).
WRAS (Water Industry Approved Plumbers Scheme) approved product.
Compact size and fits under kitchen sink.
More energy and water efficiency, which means lower operating costs.
You can use with either block or tablet salt options.
Comes with 5 years parts and 2 years labour warranty.
We have a 20 year old Kinetico which is still working perfectly, but I know it’s getting old so…
We had an email from our salt supplier with an offer on the new Twintec. I looked
for a review and found yours, but you seem to prefer the Water2Buy or even the BWT. However, we very much like the twin tank non electric configuration of the TwinTec, but I can’t find out whether the others are like this. Any further information would be appreciated.
We had Twintec S2 (based on Kinetico I believe) for 12 odd years. Brilliant. The older models used different resin which, like everything has a lifespan. As you may see from other comments this will result in breakdown eventually.. The new resins are apparently more resilient and obviously timescale depends on water hardness.
We had ours changed in warranty, 10 yrs no problems.. if they last 15/20, happy days.
We have recently moved house and had to leave it, but am looking to get another. Other “non electric” require battery? How is that more energy efficient. The twintec regenerates effectively by clockwork, on consumption. You won’t get more efficient than that surely. There are cheaper options,.. but I think I will stick with what I konw and was happy with.
Good Luck!
We had have a Twintec softener for about 15 years. It has been brilliant, easy to use and without problems. Recently, having purchased a new Samsung washing machine we have had issues with the machine stopping frequently due to low water flow. My husband decided to try switching off the Twintec and immediately the issue stopped! Is there a fault with the Twintec that is causing this and what can be done to resolve it? Unfortunately the original installer is no longer operating.
We’ve just replaced ours for the same reason – very low water pressure. Turns out the reason for this is expansion of the resin in the tanks, which restricts water flow. If left too long, I understand the tanks could rupture and cause even greater problems! Having followed the advice to replace the softener ASAP, problem was solved immediately. If you’ve not already done so, suggest you replace it without delay, or leave it turned off to avoid the risk of the tanks rupturing.