Water Softener and Water Filtration Systems in Burbank

Is the water hard enough to matter?

Hardness is measured in parts per million or grains per gallon, and the utility publishes it every year. Whether the number justifies a softener is a household decision, since hardness causes scale and spotting but is not a health issue in itself.

Signs at home include white crust on faucets and showerheads, spotted glassware, a film on shower doors and a water heater that rumbles. A test strip or a plumber's hardness test confirms the level at your tap.

Softener, conditioner or filter: what each does and does not do

The words are used loosely, so the difference is worth stating plainly.

Water treatment, in other words, is a set of tools, not one product. A plumber matches the tool to the problem you want to solve.

Call about water treatment

Whole-house filtration and what it can do

A whole-house system sits at the main line and treats every tap, shower and appliance. Sediment filters protect fixtures from grit. Carbon filters reduce chlorine and chloramine, which affect taste and smell. A softener can be paired with either.

Size and flow rate matter, since an undersized unit restricts pressure. Ask for the flow rate, the filter change schedule and the cost of replacement filters, because a filter that is expensive or hard to get tends to go unchanged.

Chloramine, rubber parts and filter choice

Chloramine is a disinfectant that municipal systems use, and it passes through some filters that remove ordinary chlorine.

Reverse osmosis and drinking water at the tap

A reverse osmosis system filters drinking water at one tap, usually under the kitchen sink. It pushes water through a membrane that holds back dissolved solids, and the rejected water goes to the drain. Pair it with pre-filters, and plan to change the membrane and filters on schedule.

An under-sink filter is simpler and less costly to run. It reduces chlorine taste and some contaminants but does not remove dissolved minerals. An ice machine or refrigerator filter works the same way at the appliance.

Water softener install: plumbing, drain and electrical needs

A softener installation needs a spot near the main water line, a drain for the regeneration water, a power outlet for the control head and room to add salt. The plumber adds bypass valves so the house can run unsoftened, connects the inlet and outlet, runs the drain line to an approved point and sets the control head for the household.

Ask about hard water to outdoor faucets, which most people prefer to leave untreated, and about the hot water side, where scale does the most harm. Ask also whether a permit is needed and who pulls it, since plumbing changes at the main may fall under the City's permit rules.

Softener replacement, repair and service

Softeners fail in a few predictable places: the control head, the resin tank, the brine tank and the valve. A softener that no longer softens, uses salt too fast or leaks from the valve usually needs a service call. Water conditioner repair and valve replacement are often possible without replacing the whole unit.

A unit past fifteen years or one with repeated valve failures is often replaced. Ask for the diagnosis and the age, and compare a repair to a replacement with a similar capacity. Water softener maintenance and water filtration maintenance are mostly salt, filters and membranes on a schedule.

Salt, brine and regeneration

A softener stores salt in the brine tank. When its resin is loaded with hardness minerals, it flushes with brine, rinses and resumes. The cycle runs on a schedule or on water use. Adding the right salt on time keeps it working, and a tank that has bridged, a crust over empty space, stops the cycle until it is broken up.

What to ask before you buy

Hard water solutions range from a salt-based softener to a filter or a conditioner, and comparing water softener companies is easier with the same questions for each.

• The hardness reading at your tap, and the capacity of the unit in grains
• Whether the quote includes bypass valves, a drain line and any electrical work
• Salt use per regeneration and how often you will refill
• What replacement filters or membranes cost and how often they change
• Who services the unit and whether parts are stocked
• Whether a permit applies and who pulls it

Softener and filter questions

Water heater and fixture services that pair with treatment