PROBLEMS To Know Before Buying a Water2Buy Softener
IMPORTANT Points To Know BEFORE you Buy Water2Buy
Although this is generally a good softener device according to customer reviews, there are some issues that you should make note of before you buy (MOSTLY GOOD THINGS).
Water2Buy does NOT filter your water. This means that you may need to buy an extra filtration device to remove things like chlorine, fluoride, bacteria etc and make the water drinkable. Water2Buy will only deal with hard water issues and nothing else.
Other more powerful options are available in this series. You can get one that has a larger capacity. Like Water2Buy options that can soften water for larger dwellings of up to 10 people, trip water yield and increase calcium / magnesium levels. Of course, they also have a slightly higher price, but still represent a great value.
There is also a timer-based model available in this series.
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). |
| $$$ | $$$ | $$ |
 | ||
 | | |
About Water2Buy
Water2Buy is an Ireland-based water product manufacturer.
They have become a popular and well known water softener brand throughout the UK and Europe for providing some of the cheapest and most affordable water softeners.
Even though they come at a very low price, numerous verified customer reviews attest to the fact that it works.
Not only do they provide water softeners, but they also provide a number of manuals. These documents simplify the system installation process.
They make it easy to do by providing you with easy-to-understand charts as well as online videos. The reviews also highlight the brands’ good customer service.
Why is Water2Buy So Cheap?
The W2B200 has a very basic appearance and is not too fancy. It’s basically a plastic unit. The measurements come in at 44 cm deep x 23 cm wide x 64 cm high and weighs 18 kg.
This small size means that it can fit under the kitchen sink.
It is very compact and offers a good performance especially given its small size.
W2B200 Installation, Operation and Maintenance.
According to the manufacturers, it’s possible to install this without a plumber. This is the case if you have some basic DIY knowledge and awareness of connection hoses, understand drains and overflow sets.
The good news is that the Water2Buy (aka the W2B200) is compatible with most heating systems in the UK and parts of Europe. This means that you should connect it with a cold water supply near a power source and near a waste overflow.
Just note that it is an electrical system based on salt. So you will need to make sure it’s near an electrical source and need softener salt.
The regeneration of your resin is controlled by a meter and takes about 30 minutes. In general, this is considered to be the most efficient way to provide water softening for 24 hours as this is based on the actual water yield instead of being a time-based system.
You can use all types of softening salt for regeneration (block, granular, pellet, tablet or table salt). The salt can easily be added through the wide and removable lid.
All The Best Things About Water2Buy
The W2B200 is sometimes also called the Water2Buy water softener.
It is by far the best selling and most popular water softener because of its cheap prices.
Although it is a very economical and affordable, it is a sturdy machine and very suitable for hard water.
It is an efficient and durable water softener that removes limescale deposits (the cause of the white stuff in your kettle). And softens your water supply completely without causing excessive noise.
The fact that it operates quietly should not be understated. Not all water softeners work quietly in fact most of them a quite noisy. This water softener has an extremely quiet meter and the manufacturer guarantees “quiet and noiseless operation”.
This is also a great device if you don’t have much space. The compact design means that the Water2Buy water softener is small enough to fit under the sink in your kitchen. This is an important factor to consider when space is a concern. Or is appropriate when you do not want your water softener to occupy one of your kitchen counters.
Key Water2Buy Features
Here are some specific features and benefits of the Water2Buy:
It can soften an average of 1250L of hard water each day.
This product is suitable for a household of 1-4 people.
It has a built-in mixing valve, with which you can adjust the water hardness.
Customers comment on the quietness of the system during execution and self-cleaning.
You can set the device to self-clean while you sleep.
One of the best features is that with Water2Buy you can use any softening salt.
This softener only takes about 30 minutes to soften hard water. The result of this is that if you start the process before falling asleep, you will have soft water when you wake up.
Summary of all features: Space-saving, compact, quiet, effective, easy to use, noiseless, treats 1250 liters of hard water a day.
7 year guarantee.
30 day warranty.
Free returns (within a 7 year time period).
Pricing: £££
Is Water2Buy WORTH It?
Yes.
It is extremely effective at removing limescale deposits caused by “hard” minerals like calcium and magnesium.
Customer reviews show that it is reportedly a reliable and robust product.
The main benefits are described as economic, efficient and compact.
And all of this come at a price of around £400-£500, which is among the cheapest softener prices in the UK.
The right mixture of price-performance means that it’s often referred to as “Amazon’s Choice” for a water softener in the UK.
The Water2Buy water softener model is ideal for:
Dealing with hard water in a home with up to 4 people.
A home that does not have a lot of space and needs a compact product.
Can soften water hardness of up to 400 ppm.
Treats water capacities of up to 1250 liters per day.
Has a 30-day warranty and a 7 year guarantee.
If you purchase this from Amazon then you also benefit from the standard Amazon guarantee and customer service.
Do they waste too much water during regeneration? My manual read 37 litre every day????? Is this correct?
Water2buy has unfairly increased replacement parts of their RO drinking units by 212% within one year of purchase. No prior notice before purchase of main unit. This has been acknowledged by Water2buy and they have promised to match pricing. But 3 months on and I am chasing them every week for codes to purchase filters are the original price.
These units are supposed to last a long time and you require replacement parts for regular maintenance. I would advise everyone here to opt for a different company that you can trust and has adequate.
I have had a w2b200 for over 7 years. I called them and they replaced the majority of moving parts because it would stop flushing. Take the back of the timer. I give the back a spray of wd40 in the mechanism on the left hand side and it fixed the problem. Next thing I had to do was clean the resin as the water was hard. I checked the cold water for harness and it appears good after the cleansing it with cleaner. I checked the hot water and it appears hard. Not sure why?
Possibly, hot water tank still have some residual hard water in circulation, which will take some time to fully flush out.
Having owned and sent back two WB800 models in less than three months, I’ve concluded that they aren’t all that great.
The WB800 is the largest machine, at a listed 4000 litre capacity. I found it struggled to provide half of that. Interestingly W2B per person water useage is 120 litres per day, which is below the amount most other water softener companies use as a sizing guide. (The average is between 140 and 160 litres)
I was also offered a W2B tap water filter system in return for leaving a review on Google – this practice may explain why the machines have such a high scoring review rate.
The machine was overly complicated to setup, however W2B do have quite a good customer service department who are knowledgeable and helpful – it’s just a pity their machines suffer from poor performance.
You are better off spending more for a Tapworks or BWT softener – these also have the added benefit of smart metering so they won’t run out of softened water in the middle of the day.
Hi everyone, just had these installed in 2 identical flats by the same plumber. One unit has an overflow pipe sticking out the back and hanging around. The other does not. When I asked, the plumber said 1 is an upgraded model and he can’t tell until he opens the box. He said I just need to get an ice cream box for the overflow. I’ve paid him now, but he’s coming back to do some other jobs next week. Just wanted to get some views from people on this if you don’t mind. Should I push him to change the machine with the overflow pipe? Thanks
We’ve had the W2B200 for a few years. It worked great in the first year or so, then stopped working. They say the unit needs regenerating every couple of years, or even every year, and sell a cleaning fluid that costs £45 for small bottle. That’s a complete rip-off considering most other brands do not require this. They won’t publish any info about what’s in the cleaning fluid, but my own research indicates that it could be based on citric acid, or similar.
I instead, drained the unit, cleaned out all the deposits in the bottom (no idea why there was so much sludge – mainly white with a hint of brown), then ran the regen/rinse cycle with just water in the tank (no salt) 3 times, filled with salt and recycled once more. After that it was good for another year or so. Next time around I repeated, the above step but added a spoon of citric acid to the first regen/rinse cycle. Again the unit has been fine for about a year, until just this week when it’s again stopped producing soft water.
On the whole it’s only just cheaper than other brands, but I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone.
We had a Monarch unit before that was smaller, and ran for 5-6yrs without any issue or need for maintenance. The W2B200 also consumes a lot more salt than our previous unit.
We Iive in East Anglia, so have very hard water, and a family of 5.
I have my own system. Every system needs maintenance once a year especially where you have extremely hard water don’t be a stingy person and just maintain what you have
I would say the WB200 will be struggling to provide consistent soft water for family of 5 in a hard water area. More so if you have power showers installed and are doing laundry for 5 people.
Therein lies the problem of your high salt consumption. You need either the WB500 or 800
Thanks Mr WG!
Wefre curently assessing a whole house system for Osmio, Harveys Arc and Kinetico softeners. Do yiu have any pointers, as they all seem a little different in their approaches (we want drinking water too). Harveys is super expensive, but are they worth it?
Thanks
H
Hi Hugh
You are right, there are very little differences between them. However, Harveys TwinTec is non-electric, which is a big selling point.
The most cost effective option would be to get a UK softener and an under sink filter to make the water drinkable.
Stay hydrated,
Luke
I bought a water2buy only had it a few years and it has completely stopped giving out soft water.
Did you contact them? It has a 7 year guarantee.
Hi
i was about to buy this and the spotted a product in costco called Kinetico Kube
i couldn’t see a referance to this on this website, have you had any experience with these, happy to send a link if you wnat
Hi Rhoit
I have written a Kinetico Kube review in the past.
Stay hydrated,
Luke
The Kube is twice the price of the W2B200.