Our Values & Ethos
Excellence. It’s Where We Begin.
There’s something quite magical about the team at Hydroworks.
Every conversation, every installation, and every follow-up call reflects a standard of care and precision that goes beyond what’s expected.
We don’t chase excellence; we start from it.
It’s in our craftsmanship, our service, and our promise to always do the right thing for our customers.
We build confidence through quality — and pride in every job we do.
People You Can Trust
The Hydroworks team is what makes everything possible.
We choose our people carefully — not just for skill, but for character. Integrity matters here.
Our engineers and office team are stimulating, innovative, and united by a common purpose: to delight every customer they serve.
We believe excellence is a habit, not a headline — and that begins with good people doing the right things, every time.
Scroll down to meet our team and see what makes them special.
Local. Established. Here for You.
Hydroworks Water Softeners (formerly E.R. Longley Hydroworks) is the oldest established water softener business in the UK — serving Kent, Sussex, Surrey and South East London for 99 years and counting.
We’re also the second-oldest still-trading water softener company in the world, second only to EcoWater — the American pioneers who patented water softening itself. That is a sacred British heritage that we must protect very carefully.
Since 1926, we’ve faithfully served more than 18,000 homeowners and businesses. Today, we have our Kent workshop, office, and showroom in Faversham, as well as our Sussex Office at Laurence's home in Haywards Heath.
Owning a business with such a rich history is humbling. We consider ourselves custodians of a great legacy — working diligently to preserve it for future generations.
Professional. Precise. Proud.
At Hydroworks, doing it right isn’t optional — it’s who we are.
We combine expert engineering with genuine care, from the first phone call to the final handover.
We’ve built one of the most advanced service and database systems in the industry so that your experience runs smoothly and your equipment is always in expert hands.
This commitment to professionalism keeps us accountable — and our customers confident.
Pride in every install. Care in every call.
That’s Hydroworks quality, built in.
Independent Advice You Can Rely On
When I (Laurence) took over the business in 2016, I made a key decision: to stay fully independent.
That means no supplier-set sales targets. No supplier pressure. No bias.
Our only commitment is to giving you honest, impartial advice — every time.
We can recommend from across the entire market, matching you with the right system for your home, business, budget, and water quality.
And if you already own a softener, our engineers are trained to service and maintain almost any make or model.
We invest heavily in our team with consistent ongoing technical and professional training — to keep your system running smoothly for years to come.
Doing it right. Doing it better. Every time.
Passionate About Water. And People.
You simply cannot fake completely softened water — and that’s what we love most. It's a very honest result. When water softeners don't produce completely softened water, in our view, they are faking it, and hoping the customer doesn't realise it. We hold manufacturers to account when this happens.
The delight on a customer’s face when they first feel softened water never gets old — it's a light bulb moment for them. And when they then try completely softened water, it is yet another light bulb moment - WOW!
Every day, for the rest of your life, bathing and showering should be that 'wow' moment — and we’re proud to understand it enough and care about it so passionately that we commit to making that happen.
