Signs you need this
- White scale on taps and kettle
- Orange stains in sinks
- Pump clicking on and off rapidly
- Pressure falling during a shower
Kit on the van, and the method
- Hardness and iron test kit
- Bypass valve and drain-line fittings
- Pressure switch and tank gauge
- Cartridge housings and wrenches
Before we leave: Test the water after the install and set the regeneration to the result.
Hardness and scale
Hardness describes dissolved minerals, chiefly calcium and magnesium. Heated water drops those minerals out as scale. You see it as white crust on faucets and glass doors; you do not see it forming on the inside of the water heater and inside fixture cartridges. That hidden scale shortens the life of appliances and reduces heater efficiency.
Durham Region posts annual water reports that list hardness for each supply system. Rural wells in north Whitby, Brooklin and beyond often run harder than municipal water and may carry iron as well. Our hard water field note goes into the local picture. We test your water before sizing a unit rather than relying on a general number.
Loop and drain
We tie the softener into the main just downstream of the meter, normally ahead of the heater. Many newer houses have a softener loop roughed in: a pair of capped pipes near the laundry or utility area. Where no loop exists, we cut one in. We add a bypass so the unit can be serviced while the house keeps running water.
- Outside taps: normally stay on unsoftened water so the lawn does not drink salt-treated water.
- Kitchen cold tap: some owners prefer unsoftened drinking water; we can route it separately.
- Drain: during regeneration brine discharges to a floor drain or standpipe across a code air gap.
- Power: the control valve needs a nearby outlet.
Salt and upkeep
Ion-exchange softeners swap hardness minerals for sodium or potassium. When the resin is saturated, the unit regenerates by flushing it with brine from the salt tank. Your job is mainly keeping that tank supplied. Lift the brine tank lid once a month; add a bag of salt whenever the pile sits below half. Use clean softener salt; rock salt leaves sediment.
Salt bridges occasionally form, a crust across the tank that looks full but leaves empty space underneath. Pushing a broom handle gently through it breaks the bridge. If the water starts feeling hard again with salt in the tank, the control settings, injector or resin may need attention.
Sizing
We size a softener from the measured hardness, the number of people in the home and the daily water use. Too small and the unit regenerates constantly; oversize it and the resin bed sits unused and starts to channel. Rural homes on wells may need iron handling built into the system, and a well service visit can be paired with the install.
Once the unit is running, we set the hardness value, the regeneration time and the household size in the controller, and leave you a short written note of those settings.
Asked on the phone
Is softened water safe to drink?
Softened water contains added sodium. People on sodium-restricted diets should ask their doctor; a separate unsoftened kitchen tap is a common solution.
Does a softener need a permit?
Requirements vary with the scope of work. We tell you if your installation needs one.
When does the salt need topping up?
That follows hardness and how much water you use. Most households check monthly and add a bag or two.