Arizona gets its water from a variety of sources and it has to travel a long distance to reach our homes. Along the way, it accumulates high levels of dissolved minerals like calcium and magnesium. If you buy your water from the city, it is purified for safe drinking, but still may have floaters.

 Most of the water in Arizona is between 15 and 25 grains per gallon, which is considered “extremely hard” by the Arizona Water Quality Association. The hardness is really dissolved rock. The average family of four will have more than 15 pounds of rock per year in their water for each grain of hardness.  Water suppliers periodically test the water and usually publish an annual report, often found on municipality or utility websites.

Water softeners can improve the “working water” throughout the home (water used for bathing, cleaning, laundry, etc.). However, softeners alone only remove calcium and magnesium bicarbonates which are the hard water deposits.  To further clean the water for other contaminants such as iron and manganese, heavy metals, nitrates, arsenic, chromium, selenium and sulfate, a whole house filter using granulated activated charcoal (GAC) is used to remove these things.  In tandem, a whole house filter and softener together is the most efficient and economical option available to do the job. This would give you drinkable water throughout the home and increase the life of your appliances pipes and plumbing fixtures. Your laundry, skin and hair will be softer. There is less spotting on dishes, less mineral build-up in tubs, showers and toilets and reduced cleaning time.

If you are considering a water treatment system, here are a few things to consider:

  • The size of your water service (where water line enters the building)
  • How many bathrooms are in your home
  • How many people reside in your home
  • Your estimated usage of water
  • Your budget
  • The type of system you want; whole home or just the refrigerator and kitchen tap
  • The hardness of your water

Kowality Plumbing can help you determine the right system for your family, simply call (602) 653-9230 to schedule a complimentary site visit!