Commercial Water Softeners and Filters
Water fit for your business.
Designed around your water test.
When UV alone isn’t enough
Many businesses on their own water supply need more than a UV system. Hard water, iron, manganese, low pH or high silica can scale up coffee machines and ice makers, stain basins and benches, block filters and stop a UV system from working properly.
We test your water first, then design treatment that gets it to the standard your UV and your equipment need. We install and service commercial water softeners, filters, pH neutralisers and reverse osmosis systems across Rodney and North Auckland, from Mangawhai to Albany.
Test first, then treat.
What we fit
Tap a card to find out more.
Water softeners
Take out hardness, and iron and manganese at lower levels, before they reach your UV and your equipment.
Iron and manganese
Stop orange and black staining, metallic tastes and fouled filters.
pH neutralisers
Raise the pH of acidic rainwater or bore water, so it doesn’t eat away at copper pipes and fittings.
Sediment and jumbo filters
Take out dirt and fine particles before the water reaches the UV.
Commercial reverse osmosis
For water that needs more than filtering, like bore water high in silica.
Coffee machines and ice makers
Scale filters that stop minerals building up inside your machines.
How we design it
Every system starts with a full water test from an accredited laboratory. We design the treatment around the results, the flow your business needs and the equipment you want to protect.
Rainwater
Rainwater is soft, but it’s often slightly acidic. For cafés and other food businesses we usually fit a pH neutraliser, then pre-filtration, then a commercial validated UV system.
Bore water
Bore water varies a lot, so we always start with a water test. Depending on the results, we fit a water softener, sediment filtration or a pH neutraliser, or a combination, before the UV.
Getting it right for the UV
UV manufacturers set limits for things like hardness, iron and manganese in the water going into the UV. Above them, the quartz sleeve coats up and less UV light reaches the water. We treat the water first, so the UV can do its job.
Protecting your equipment
Where there’s any hardness in the water, we can fit a scale filter, often a phosphate cartridge, to coffee machines and ice makers, so minerals don’t build up as scale inside them. On town water, most coffee machines already have one.
Sized for your site
We size softeners, filters and RO for your busiest times, and plan for salt, backwash water and room to service them.
Every system includes
A full water test.
A design based on the results.
Commercial-grade equipment.
Treatment that suits your UV.
Bypass valves for servicing.
Installation by our plumbers.
Sterilised lines and commissioning.
Data sheets and records.
A service plan and reminders.
Signs you need more than a UV
- White scale on coffee machines, jugs, taps or glasses.
- Orange or black stains on basins, toilets and benches.
- A metallic taste in the water, tea or coffee.
- Filters that block up or discolour quickly.
- UV alarms, or a quartz sleeve that coats up between services.
What we need from you
- Any water test results you already have.
- Your water source: rainwater, bore or both.
- How many people use the water, and your busiest times.
- The equipment you want to protect: coffee machines, ice makers, dishwashers or hot water.
Tell us about your water and your equipment.
Local Jobs – Local Trust – Local Experts
A commercial treatment plant we look after
Plume Villas, Matakana.
Softener: a large commercial softener treats the bore water before it goes on to the reverse osmosis system.
Filters and pumps: cartridge filters, a UV system and four pressure pumps in the same shed.
Resin change: when iron fouls softener resin, it stops softening. We replaced the resin and checked the whole system.
Test first, then treat
We never guess at treatment. A full water test from an accredited laboratory tells us exactly what’s in your water, and we design around it, so you don’t pay for equipment you don’t need.
Already have a test? Send it to us and we’ll tell you what it means.
What the rules ask for
- Safe drinking water. A business that supplies drinking water from its own tank, bore or stream is a drinking water supplier. See drinking water suppliers.
- Filtration and UV that work. Under the Acceptable Solution for self-supplied buildings, water is filtered to 5 microns or finer, then treated with UV at a dose of at least 40 mJ/cm². Hard water, iron and manganese can stop the UV working properly, so they’re treated first.
- Validated UV for public sites. Cafés, schools and other sites open to the public need a validated UV system.
- Aesthetic values. Taumata Arowai’s aesthetic values are 200 mg/L for hardness, 0.3 mg/L for iron and 0.04 mg/L for manganese. Above them, you get scale, staining and taste problems.
- Food businesses. Food businesses also need to meet MPI’s water rules.
- Register and keep records. The supply is registered with Taumata Arowai, and the treatment is maintained and recorded. We can help with a water safety plan.
We’ll explain what applies to your business. See NZ drinking water regulations.
Looked after, not just installed
Softeners need salt and regular checks, filters need changing, and softener resin needs replacing every few years. We service commercial systems every six or twelve months, depending on how hard they work, and remind you when it’s due.
Local businesses we look after
- Morris & James, Matakana. The rainwater tanks are topped up from a bore, so the water is hard and carries iron and manganese. A water softener treats it so the water is right for the UV. We’ve serviced it since 2019: filters and a softener check every six months, a full service every year, and a food safety water test.
- Plume Villas, Matakana. Bore water high in silica, treated with a softener, a commercial reverse osmosis system and a pH neutraliser.
- Zen Café, Matakana. A point-of-entry UV system with jumbo filters treats all the water coming onto the site, to keep it compliant, with a carbon filter inside the café and food safety water testing.
- Sheepworld, Dome Valley. A commercial UV system and jumbo filters, installed in 2021, with the filters changed every six months and a yearly UV service and food safety test.
- Matakana Water. A commercial bore supply with a Hallett 7500 UV system and jumbo filters.
- A commercial property in Kumeū. Several homes on one bore, with a Hallett UV system we installed in 2023.
How it works
Four steps to water that’s right for your business.
1
Water test
We test your water at an accredited laboratory and look at your site.
2
Design and quote
Treatment designed around the results, with a clear written price.
3
Install and commission
We install it, sterilise the system and check it’s working properly.
4
Service and records
Regular servicing, reminders and records you can show.
Commercial water specialists
We’ve designed, installed and serviced water treatment across Rodney and North Auckland since 2000, from our base in Warkworth.
- Water softeners, iron filters and pH neutralisers.
- Commercial reverse osmosis.
- Validated UV and jumbo filtration.
- Members of Master Plumbers.
Already have a system?
We service most makes and models, whoever installed them. See commercial water treatment servicing.
Commercial softener and filter FAQs
Why does a business need a water softener?
Hard water leaves scale in coffee machines, ice makers, dishwashers, hot water cylinders and pipes. A softener also takes out iron and manganese at lower levels, which stain fixtures and coat a UV system’s quartz sleeve.
Do I need a softener before my UV system?
If your water has hardness, iron or manganese above the UV manufacturer’s limits, yes. Otherwise the quartz sleeve coats up and the UV can’t do its job. A water test tells us.
What filter do coffee machines and ice makers need?
Where there’s any hardness, we fit a scale filter, often a phosphate cartridge, so minerals don’t build up as scale inside the machine. On a rural supply, the water also has to be made safe first, with filtration and UV.
Do cafés on rainwater need a pH neutraliser?
Often. Rainwater is soft and often slightly acidic. A pH neutraliser brings the pH up before the water is filtered and treated with a validated UV system.
What about cafés and businesses on bore water?
We always start with a water test. Depending on the results, we fit a water softener, sediment filtration or a pH neutraliser, or a combination, before the UV.
Do you install commercial reverse osmosis systems?
Yes. Reverse osmosis is for water that needs more than filtering, like bore water high in silica. At Plume Villas in Matakana, a softener, a commercial RO system and a pH neutraliser treat the bore water.
Can you remove iron and manganese?
Yes. At lower levels a water softener takes them out. Higher levels need a dedicated iron and manganese filter. A water test tells us which. See iron and manganese in water.
How often do commercial softeners and filters need servicing?
Usually the filters are changed and the softener checked every six months, with a full service every year. Busy sites may need more. We remind you when it’s due.
Do you service systems someone else installed?
Yes. We service most makes and models of softeners, filters, neutralisers, RO and UV systems, whoever installed them. If something is worn out, we’ll tell you honestly and quote before doing the work.
How much does a commercial softener or filter system cost?
It depends on your water test, your flow and what you need to protect. We start with a free onsite visit, then give you a clear written price. Call us on 0800 278 296.
What areas do you cover?
Rodney and North Auckland, from Mangawhai to Albany, including Warkworth, Matakana, Wellsford, Orewa and the Hibiscus Coast. For larger sites further away, give us a call.
Don’t just take our word for it…
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“Steve and his team are the best. We’ve used them to filter water and resolve problems for four of our houses, with zero complaints! They are knowledgeable, speedy and so kind! Would recommend. Will use again!”
Jenna Binnie, 2026
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“I have used various services of Aqua Works over a period of 7 years. I have always experienced prompt and courteous action from Steve and his team. Steve’s ever evolving business is necessary in these changing times. Thank you”
Diana Hardwick-smith, 2024
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“It’s easy to support local businesses such as Aqua Works. Their prompt efficient service keeps us coming back every time.”
Matthew Keys, 2025
Water causing problems at your business?
Call us and we’ll start with a water test.