Water Softeners & Filtration in Austin
Spotty glasses, stiff towels, scale-crusted showerheads, a water heater that dies young — that's not a you problem, that's Austin water. Our municipal supply averages 180–280 PPM of hardness, and wells west of Mopac can run 300+. Treatment is the fix, but only if it's sized to your actual water and household.
What Hard Water Is Quietly Costing You
- Water heaters: sediment and scale cut tank life from 12–15 years to 8–10 — a $1,800 replacement, twice as often
- Energy bills: 1/8" of scale on a heating element cuts efficiency ~12%
- Fixtures & glass: etched shower doors and scaled aerators that never quite spray right again
- Skin & hair: that filmy, can't-get-the-soap-off feeling is mineral residue, not bad soap
Our Install Process
- Free on-site hardness test — we measure at your tap (it varies block to block, and wells vary season to season).
- Size to the household — grain capacity matched to hardness × people × bathrooms. Oversized units waste salt; undersized ones never keep up.
- Clean installation — loop installation or main-line cut-in, bypass valve for easy maintenance, drain routed to code.
- Set the regeneration cycle — metered, demand-initiated, not dumb timer-based. Most Austin households run 6–8 lbs of salt a month.
Softener vs. Conditioner vs. RO — Which One's You?
| System | What it does | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Ion-exchange softener ($1,400–$2,800 installed) | Removes hardness minerals — real soft water | Whole-house scale protection; the full fix |
| Salt-free conditioner ($1,200–$2,200) | Prevents scale buildup, minerals stay | Sodium-restricted households; easier maintenance |
| Under-sink RO ($400–$900) | Drinking-water filtration | Great add-on for taste; pairs with any softener |
💡 Well owners west of town: Lakeway, Bee Cave, Spicewood, Dripping Springs wells often need more than a softener — sediment filtration and sometimes iron treatment come first. We test all of it on-site and quote what the water actually demands.