What is going on
Hard water leaves white crust on fixtures, spots on dishes, scale inside water heaters, and soap that does not lather. A softener removes calcium and magnesium through ion exchange, then regenerates with salt. Problems we see include units sized wrong for the household, control valves that fail, resin beds that are exhausted, brine tanks that bridge with salt, and bypass valves accidentally left open.
What we check
- 01
Water hardness
Tested to size the unit and set regeneration correctly.
- 02
Household use
Number of people and water use determine capacity.
- 03
Loop and drain
Softener loop location, drain line and air gap.
- 04
Brine tank
Salt level, bridging, and float operation checked.
- 05
Control valve
Settings, timer and regeneration cycle tested.
Your options
New install
Softener placed on an existing loop or a new loop installed.
Repair or service
Valve, resin, brine tank or settings issues on an existing unit.
Softener plus filter
Combined system for hardness and taste or chlorine.
Before we get there
Check the salt level in the brine tank and note any error on the control head. If the softener is new to the house, look in the garage for a capped softener loop near the water heater. That simplifies installation.