Water Softener Installation near you

Health Canada notes that hard water takes a considerable amount of soap to lather and causes scaling of hot water pipes, boilers and other household appliances. Water that is too soft has drawbacks too: the same guidance says hard water is generally less corrosive than soft water, and that a hardness of 80 to 100 mg/L as calcium carbonate provides an acceptable balance between corrosion and scaling.

A conventional softener passes water through a tank of ion-exchange resin beads loaded with sodium or potassium. As the water flows through, calcium and magnesium cling to the resin, which releases sodium or potassium in their place. When the resin is saturated, the unit regenerates: it rinses the beads with brine from a separate tank, flushes the hardness minerals down the drain and starts again. Health Canada notes that discharging sodium chloride regeneration solutions can add chloride to the environment, one more reason to set the unit so it regenerates only as often as needed.

Most softeners regenerate with sodium chloride, sold as pellets or crystals, and the softened water carries more sodium as a result. Health Canada's sodium guideline document states that for every 40 mg of calcium per litre exchanged, the sodium in the treated water rises by 46 mg/L. Its operational guidance adds that children under 8 generally shouldn't drink water containing sodium from a softener, since they may exceed their recommended upper limit, and that, to avoid excessive sodium intake, a portion of the water most often consumed, from the kitchen tap, should bypass the softener altogether.

Potassium chloride can replace salt in most softeners and keeps sodium out of the water, but it adds potassium instead, usually costs more and may call for different settings. Health Canada's guidance on potassium from water softeners identifies people with kidney disease, and those taking certain medications that affect how the body handles potassium, as most at risk, and it too recommends having a portion of the water bypass the softener.

The job starts with a water test: hardness, plus iron if you're on a well, along with the household's daily water use. Those figures set the size of the unit and how often it regenerates; an undersized softener lets hard water through between regenerations, and one that isn't programmed for your water wastes salt and water.

The softener goes on the main supply after the water meter or, on a well, after the pressure tank and any sediment or iron filter, and before the water heater, so hot water is softened too. The installer fits a bypass valve so the unit can be isolated for service, keeps outdoor taps on a line that leaves the main before the softener, and leaves the kitchen cold tap, or a separate drinking water faucet, on unsoftened water.

The regeneration drain needs an air gap where it discharges, so wastewater can't be siphoned back into the supply, and the unit needs a nearby outlet and a spot that stays above freezing. Where the house's electrical grounding runs through metal water pipe, a jumper across the softener keeps that path intact. Connecting to the main supply is plumbing work, so hire a licensed plumber or a water treatment company whose installers hold the qualifications your province requires, and leave any new outlet to an electrician.

Municipal water is treated and monitored by the utility, and many cities publish water quality results that include hardness, so you can see the figure before testing at home. A private well is the owner's responsibility: along with hardness, its water can carry iron, manganese, a sulphur smell or bacteria, and each calls for its own treatment, installed in the right order.

Have well water tested by an accredited laboratory before choosing equipment, and keep testing it as often as your province recommends. A softener does nothing about bacteria, and iron can foul the resin unless the unit is designed for it or a filter comes first.