Louisville Water Softener Installation and Repair

The more dissolved calcium and magnesium present in a water supply, the harder that water is. Believe it or not, you can actually feel the different between hard water and soft water, which is because the mineral content, or lack thereof produces different reactions to soap. Hard water makes more soap scum as it mixes with calcium, causing you to use more detergent or soap to complete any cleaning task. It’s truly hard to wash with!

That’s not all – hard water creates undesirable feelings in your home, including:

• Dishes always look spotty and filmy even when clean.
• Clothing becomes dingy because soap doesn’t lather as much.
• Minerals affect the material quality of clothing, requiring more frequent replacement.
• Clothing feels stiff when touched.
• Tea, coffee, and other drinks made from the water have a different taste.
• Minerals can clog plumbing pipes in the home.
• More scale and film on fixtures in bathrooms.
• Skin feels dry.
• Hair looks limp and not vibrant as it holds too much shampoo residue.
• The water heater's lifespan diminished through mineral deposits.
• Water heater efficiency drops as minerals fill the tank and prevent heat transfer efficacy.

Water softening systems are especially popular in the Louisville area due to our natural hard water. All area homeowners need to consider adding softener systems to protect plumbing and more around the house.

If you wish to install a water softener to treat your entire home’s water supply, the cost of installation runs a few thousand dollars in most cases. For such a hardworking system, water softeners offer a great expected service life of 10 to 20 years.

Don’t wait to improve the water quality of your Louisville home. Jarboe’s Heating, Cooling & Plumbing explains how soft water makes home life more enjoyable!

• Fewer plumbing repairs. Without mineral buildup, pipes stay clean of growing blockages that lead to total clogs.
• More life from your clothes. Without minerals sticking in the fabric and stiffening it, the fabric stays nicer longer. Plus, you’ll need less soap to do your laundry!
• Nicer skin and hair with more efficient washing through water softening.
• Longer life from water-consuming appliances like dishwashers, washing machines, ice makers, humidifiers, water heaters, and more. Mineral buildup is kept out and appliance function is preserved.
• Better tasting water. By extracting hard minerals, the softening of water can eliminate odors and bad taste. You’ll drink more water from your tap and save money on bottled water.
• Improve the efficiency of water-consuming appliances. The addition of a water softener can lower your utility costs from day one.
• Banish water spots that stick around in hot water. Softer water helps your dishes stay spotless.
• Less cleaning. With better soap lathering, washing with softer water is more efficient, thus household chores require less time to perform.
• Improved water heater performance, as sediment deposits are kept out of the tank and the heat exchanger can freely operate.
• Cut skin irritations such as eczema and gain clearer-looking skin.
• Make your money back fast through the energy savings a new water softener generates in just a few short years!

Water softeners run year-round and have an important task to perform. In order to ensure proper performance of the softener system, you need to have preventive maintenance performed by your plumber.

A plumber should inspect your water softener once per year. At Jarboe’s Heating, Cooling & Plumbing, our water softener inspections follow this process:

• Test Water Quality Before and After a Cycle
• Valve, Motor, and Bypass Functionality Inspection
• Verify Time, Regeneration, and Cycle Settings
• Measure Salt Dosage Setting
• Inspect Backwash Performance
• Inspect Rinse Performance
• Inspect Water Flow and Flow Rate
• Inspect Brine Tank Draw Performance
• Inspect Brine Tank Refill Performance
• Look for Salt Levels and Salt Bridges
• Test Functionality of Safety Float
• Determine Quality of Ion Exchange Resin Beads

Along with professional inspections, homeowners need to enact some maintenance to care for these systems as well. Keep the following in mind as you do:

• Run an iron cleaner through the water softener annually.
• Never fill the salt bin over two-thirds full.
• Allow salt to become almost totally depleted before refilling the tank.
• Choose pure salt with iron remover for best results – never put rock salt in your home’s water softener.

Detecting issues with your water softener’s performance can be tricky, largely because the unit is out of mind and it’s not something homeowners check every day. Watch for signs that your water softener is no longer working the way it should, and then give us a call for quick and reliable service. Below are symptoms that share water softener systems have stopped working.

• Hard water spots show up on sink and/or shower fixtures.
• Water tastes quite salty.
• Clothing feels stiff after it is washed.
• Water pressure drops.
• Water quality declines.
• Mineral buildup seen on pipes and on faucets.

If you suspect your water softening system isn’t properly operating, call Jarboe’s so our expert plumbers can assess your system.