Water Softeners

Leak Detection

We’re able to find and detect leaks above or under the slab.

Slab leaks on your water system are more common than you may think. We have close to 40 years of experience repairing them.

What is Hard Water?

Hard water is caused by the presence of mineral ions in your home’s water. The most common, calcium and magnesium, are beneficial to our health, but they also cause scale build-up. This hard water scale causes costly damage to water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines and ice makers, and reduces water flow throughout your home. It also increases energy usage in your appliances and can cause them to fail prematurely.

Toxins

City Water Contaminants

We depend on city and municipal water treatment plants to help filter the water to our homes. Unfortunately, many of these microscopic contaminants are not able to be filtered out because of the cost involved with such a high quantity of water. Additionally, the chemicals such as chlorine and chloramines used to treat our water contain a dangerous by-product known as disinfection byproducts (DBPs). New research links DBPs to cancer, as well as reproductive and developmental problems. Here are some of the most common contaminants found in city water:

• Disinfection byproducts (DBPs)—linked to cancer, as well as reproductive and developmental problems
• Chlorine and chloramines—known to irritate to the skin and respiratory system
• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—known to cause nervous system damage
• Trihalomethanes (THMs), including chloroform—linked to cancer
• Perchlorates—linked to thyroid and developmental problems
• Petroleum products
• Pesticides
• Herbicides
• Hormone mimickers

Well Water Contaminants

Well water provides your home with direct access to an aquifer without relying on municipality treatment and chemicals, but it doesn’t mean your water is without contaminants. The well you draw your water from is connected to channels of aquifers all over your area. While our soil does a good job of filtering out toxins before they reach these aquifers, many contaminants such as herbicides, pesticides, pharmaceuticals (via septic systems) make their way into the water supply.

Here are some the most common contaminants found in city water:

• Volatile organic compounds (VOCs)—known to cause nervous system damage
• Trihalomethanes (THMs), including chloroform—linked to
• cancer
• Perchlorates—linked to thyroid and developmental problems
• Disinfectants, including chlorine
• Disinfection byproducts (DBPs)—linked to cancer, as well as reproductive and developmental problems
• Petroleum products
• Pesticides
• Herbicides
• Hormone mimickers

Staining

Orange/Red Water Stains

• Cause: Typically orange or reddish staining is caused by high contents of iron, which is most common in well water systems. These stains are typically found inside the home around sinks, tub drains, and toilets, and outside wherever irrigation is directed. If you are on city water and experiencing orange staining, this may be due to the presence of iron in your municipal aquifer.
• Cleaning: If applied quickly, lemon juice or white vinegar work well to remove iron stains before they set in. For older or tougher iron/rust stains, we’ve found CLR to be a very effective, eco-friendly solution (part of the EPA’s Safer Choice Program).
• Prevention: IronShield Whole House Water Filtration System filters out the iron from your home’s water and prevent orange staining from occurring. In addition, IronShield also removes the Hydrogen sulfide (rotten egg odor), manganese and many dangerous toxins that may be in your water, such as pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals.

White Stains/Spotting

• Cause: Untreated hard water can cause white staining or spotting also known as lime scale build-up on and around your fixtures, shower doors, glassware and silverware. Hard water is caused by natural (and healthy) minerals in your water, such as calcium and magnesium. High levels of these minerals cause the visible scale build-up you’re seeing, but this scale build-up, if left untreated, will also damage your water heater and other areas throughout your plumbing that experience pressure change, turbulence and especially heat.
• Cleaning: Soap and water. If this does not work, try lemon juice. White vinegar is another common solution that is able to cut through the limescale. For cleaning out scale that is harder to get to, such as inside your water heater, our No-Salt Conditioner will not only prevent scale from developing, but also remove existing scale.
• Prevention: The best way to treat hard water problems is our No-Salt Conditioner. This will treat the minerals in your water, so they no longer stick to areas in your home that are prone to pressure change, turbulence and heat. Unlike water softeners, our No-Salt Conditioner requires no salt or chemicals, and it leaves the healthy minerals in your water. If you’re looking for luxurious soft water, our Nexus hard water treatment system combines the power of our No-Salt Conditioner with our efficient water softener for the ultimate hard water solution.

Yellow Water Stains

• Cause:  If you’re seeing a yellow tint to your water and/or yellow stains on your sink, tub, fixtures and laundry, this is may be caused by natural organic material known as tannins. Tannins are typically a well water problem, but may occur in city water as well. They also cause the water to have a tart aftertaste (similar to tea) and an earthy odor. If you do not experience the taste or odor described, the yellow tint may be due to iron in your well water. Refer to Orange Staining above.
• Cleaning: White vinegar and a nylon sponge works great to clean stains caused by tannins. For tougher stains, try using a little baking soda along with the white vinegar.
• Prevention: If you’re on well water, IronShield Whole Water House Filtration System is a great solution for filtering out tannins, as well as removing iron, H2S (rotten egg odor), manganese and many dangerous toxins that may be in your water, such as pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals. For city water, ToxinShield Whole House Water Filtration System will prevent the yellow staining from tannins, as well as remove dangerous toxins such as chlorine, DBPs and VOCs from your water.

Black/Dark Brown Water Stains

• Cause:  Black or dark brown staining around your drains and fixtures is usually caused by high levels of manganese. While manganese is natural and in small amounts can actually be healthy, high levels in your water can be a nuisance to deal with. This is most common in well water systems, but can occur in city water as well.
• Cleaning: One home remedy for cleaning the black stains caused by manganese is to mix cream of tartar with hydrogen peroxide. Mix the solution thoroughly until it forms a thick paste and scrub the stained area with a nylon sponge. A mixture of baking soda and white vinegar is also known to help.
• Prevention: For black or dark brown stains from your home’s well water, get IronShield Whole Water House Filtration System. This will remove the manganese from your water. In addition, IronShield removes iron (orange stains), H2S (rotten egg odor) and many dangerous toxins that may be in your water, such as pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals. For city water, ToxinShield Whole Water House Filtration System prevents the yellow staining from tannins, as well as removes dangerous toxins such as chlorine, DBPs and VOCs from your water.

Blue-Green Water Stains

• Cause:  If you’re seeing blue-green stains around your plumbing fixtures and/or pipes, this is most-likely caused by acidic water. Other problems that can occur from acidic water over time are pinhole leaks in your pipes, as well as damage to your expensive appliances. Low pH/acidic water can occur anywhere, but is most common in the Northeastern region of the US.
• Cleaning: Mix baking soda and white vinegar into a paste and scrub the stained area with a nylon mesh sponge.
• Prevention: To neutralize the acidic water in your home, use AcidShield Whole House Water Filtration System. This whole house filtration system instantly balances your water’s low pH. Additionally, AcidShield will help remove the metallic taste from your water.

Odors

Rotten Egg Odor

• Cause: Water with a sulphur rotten egg smell is by far the most common water odor problem we hear about. This odor is commonly caused by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the water. H2S is a colorless gas that is naturally occurring in water and most common in private wells.
• Prevention: To treat H2S, we recommend our IronShield Whole House Water Filtration System. This will filter out that rotten egg smell from your home’s water. In addition, IronShield also removes iron (orange staining), manganese (black staining) and many dangerous toxins that may be in your water, such as pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals. If you’re looking to only treat your drinking water, RevitaLife RO is our innovative reverse osmosis system that removes everything from your water, but then adds healthy trace minerals back in for a better taste and pH balance.

Bleach Odor

• Cause: If you’re on city water or drink tap water when you’re out for dinner, you’ve probably experienced water with a bleach-like odor. This can vary throughout the year, especially during rainy seasons, as the city sometimes puts higher concentrations of chlorine and chloramines into the water to treat bacteria and other impurities. Cities will typically send out a notice warning residents of this increase.
• Prevention: This bleach-like odor can easily be treated with our IronShield Whole House Water Filtration System. In addition to removing unpleasant smells, Toxin Shield will filter out many of the 84,000 potential contaminants, such as chlorine, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and trihalomethanes (THMs). If you’re looking to only treat your drinking water, RevitaLife RO is our innovative reverse osmosis system, which removes everything from your water, but then adds healthy trace minerals back into the water for a better taste and pH balance.

Sewage Odor

• Cause: If you’re experiencing a sewage-like smell coming from your water, this could be an indicator that you have high concentration of dangerous bacteria present in your water. This can be caused by a damaged well, old city water pipes or recent flooding. Bacteria in your water needs to be taken very seriously. If you are concerned about bacteria in your water, contact your local health department or hospital to help with lab testing.
• Prevention: To treat bacteria in your home’s water, use BacteriaShield UV Whole House Water Filtration System. This natural, innovative UV system will treat 99.9% of the bacteria trying to get through to your home’s water.

Earthy Odor

• Cause: When the water coming from your tap has an earthy smell to it, this may be due to high concentrations of organic matter known as tannins. A major indicator of tannins is a yellowish color in the water, in addition to the earthy odor. Tannins are most common in well water.
• Prevention: For well water, we recommend our IronShield Whole House Water Filtration System to remove tannins. In addition to eliminating tannins, Iron Shield also removes H2S (rotten egg odor), iron (orange staining), manganese (black staining) and many dangerous toxins that may be in your water, such as pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals. For city water, we recommend ToxinShield Whole House Water Filtration System. In addition to removing tannins, Toxin Shield filters out many of the 84,000 potential contaminants, such as chlorine, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and trihalomethanes (THMs). If you’re looking to only treat your drinking water, RevitaLife RO is our innovative reverse osmosis system, which removes everything from your water, but then adds healthy trace minerals back into the water for better taste and pH balance.

Metallic Odor

• Cause: Cause: A metallic odor is typically a sign of either a high concentration of iron or a low pH. For iron, you will most-likely get iron/rust staining around drains. For acidic water, you may see some blue-green staining around fixtures. A simple water test can help you identify this. If you have a reverse osmosis system (RO) already installed for drinking water and this is the only source you’re experience a metallic odor or taste from, this could be a sign that your RO water is not balanced properly (low pH).
• Prevention: For iron, we recommend our IronShield Whole House Water Filtration System. For low pH/acidic water, we recommend our AcidShield Whole House Water Filtration System. If your RO appears to be the only source of a metallic odor, we recommend RevitaLife RO. This innovative reverse osmosis system removes everything from your water, but unlike most RO systems, also improves the taste and pH balance by adding healthy trace minerals back into the water.

Bad Tastes

Sulfur Taste

• Cause: Water with a sulphur rotten egg taste is by far the most common water taste and odor problem we hear about. This is commonly caused by hydrogen sulfide (H2S) in the water. H2S is a colorless gas that is naturally occurring in water and is most common in private wells.
• Prevention: To treat H2S, we recommend our IronShield Whole House Water Filtration System. This will filter out that sulfur-like taste from your home’s water. In addition, Iron Shield also removes iron (orange staining), manganese (black staining) and many dangerous toxins that may be in your water, such as pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals. If you’re looking to only treat your drinking water, our innovative reverse osmosis system, RevitaLife RO, removes everything from your water, but then adds healthy trace minerals back into the water for a better taste and pH balance.

Chlorine Taste

• Cause: If you’re on city water or drink tap water when you’re out for dinner, you’ve probably experienced water with a bleach-like taste (lemon wedges can only do so much). This can vary throughout the year, especially during rainy seasons, as the city sometimes puts higher concentrations of chlorine and chloramines into the water to treat bacteria and other impurities. Cities will typically send out a notice warning residents of such an increase.
• Prevention: This bleach-like taste can be treated with our ToxinShield Whole House Water Filtration System. In addition to removing the unpleasant taste, ToxinShield filters out many of the 84,000 potential contaminants, such as chlorine, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and trihalomethanes (THMs). If you’re looking to only treat your drinking water, our innovative reverse osmosis system, RevitaLife RO, removes everything from your water, but then adds healthy trace minerals back into the water for a better taste and pH balance.

Tart Taste

• Cause: When the water coming from your tap has an earthy smell to it, this may be due to high concentrations of organic matter known as tannins. A major indicator of tannins is a yellowish color in the water, in addition to the earthy odor. Tannins are most common in well water.
• Prevention: For well water, we recommend our IronShield Whole House Water Filtration System to remove tannins. In addition to eliminating tannins, Iron Shield also removes H2S (rotten egg odor), iron (orange staining), manganese (black staining) and many dangerous toxins that may be in your water, such as pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals. For city water, we recommend ToxinShield Whole House Water Filtration System. In addition to removing tannins, Toxin Shield filters out many of the 84,000 potential contaminants, such as chlorine, disinfection byproducts (DBPs), volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and trihalomethanes (THMs). If you’re looking to only treat your drinking water, RevitaLife RO is our innovative reverse osmosis system, which removes everything from your water, but then adds healthy trace minerals back into the water for better taste and pH balance.

Metallic Taste

• Cause: A metallic taste is typically a sign of either a high concentration of iron or a low pH. For iron, you will most-likely see iron/rust staining around drains. For acidic water, you may see some blue-green staining around fixtures. A simple water test can help you identify this. If you have a reverse osmosis system (RO) already installed for drinking water and you’re experiencing a metallic odor or taste, this could be sign that your RO water is not balanced properly (low pH).
• Prevention: For iron, we recommend our IronShield Whole House Water Filtration System. For low pH/acidic water, we recommend our AcidShield Whole House Filtration System. If your RO appears to be the only source of metallic taste, we recommend RevitaLife RO. Like most RO systems, this innovative reverse osmosis system removes everything from your water; however, our system also adds healthy trace minerals back into the water for a better taste and pH balance.

Bacteria

Well Water Bacteria

• Cause: Bacteria typically makes its way into private and community wells through one of three ways:
1. Poor well construction, recent well repairs or new construction
2. Aquifer or surrounding soil contamination
3. Contamination in your home’s plumbing or water systems
• Although bacteria is tasteless and odorless, if you do notice a sewage stench coming from your water, that’s a good indicator that bacteria could be leaching into your water. That said, the only way to know for sure is to have your water tested.
• Testing: Contact your local health department or hospital to have your well water tested for bacteria. The EPA states that testing 2–6 hours of sampling provides the most accurate results.
• Prevention: For bacterial iron (commonly found in toilet tank), we recommend our IronShield Max Whole House Water Filtration System. IronShield Max injects hydrogen peroxide into our proprietary filtration media to eliminate bacterial iron and other contaminants. For coliform bacteria, such as E. coli, we recommend our BacteriaShield UV Whole House Water Filtration System. This natural, innovative UV system will treat 99.9% of the bacteria trying to get through to your home’s water. If you’re looking to only treat your drinking water, see our RevitaLife RO.

City Water Bacteria

• Cause: City water treatment uses disinfectant chemicals such as chlorine and/or chloramines to treat water for bacteria. Therefore, for bacteria to be present in your city water, it typically must leach in after treatment prior to reaching your home. This usually occurs due to old city pipes or bacteria growing within your home’s plumbing or water equipment. If your area has experienced high amounts of rain or surge causing flooding, city water is at a higher risk for bacteria leaching into the water. This is why there are water boil alerts put out by cities from time to time.
• Testing: Contact your local health department or hospital to get help with lab testing your water for bacteria. The EPA states that testing within 2–6 hours of sampling provides the most accurate results.
• Prevention: If you have concerns about bacteria in your water, we recommend our BacteriaShield UV Whole House Water Filtration System. This natural, innovative UV system will treat 99.9% of the bacteria trying to get through to your home’s water. If you’re looking to only treat your drinking water, see our RevitaLife RO

Low ph

Signs of Acidic Water

• Damage: When your home’s water has a low pH, this can cause damage to your plumbing and water-using appliances. Typically, acidic water damage first shows up as a blue-green build-up around pipe fittings. These eventually lead to pinhole leaks in piping, which can cause water damage within your walls.
• Staining: If you see blue-green staining around your fixtures or on your laundry, this could be due to acidic water. To clean these areas, try mixing baking soda and white vinegar into a paste, then scrub the stained area with a nylon mesh sponge.
• Odor/Taste: Acidic water can leave a metallic taste or odor in your drinking water. This can also be noticeable in water used for showering, cooking and brushing your teeth. If you have a reverse osmosis (RO) system already installed for drinking water, and this is the only water source where you’re experiencing a metallic odor or taste, this could be a sign your RO water is not balanced properly (low pH).

Sediment

Signs of Acidic Water

• Damage: Similar to the impacts of hard water scale damage, sand, silt and other sediment can build up in your water heater, aerators and other water-using appliances, leading to ongoing maintenance and/or early failure.
• Clarity: Although fine sediment particles might not be visible, larger sediment in your water can cause it to come out looking murky or muddy. It can also cause lead to the appearance of dirt-like particles in your water and ice.
• Odor/Taste: Water with sediment in it can impact the water’s taste and odor, giving it a earthy taste or odor

Removing Sediment from Your Water

• Whole House: To treat the water in your entire home for sediment, suspended solids, sand, silt and organic matter, we recommend our SedimentShield Whole House Water Filtration System. SedimentShield is available with 5 customizable filter cartridge options, each designed to fit your filtration needs.
• Drinking Water: If you are only looking to filter your drinking water, we recommend our RevitaLife RO. Like most RO systems, this innovative reverse osmosis system removes everything from your water, but unlike other systems, it also adds healthy trace minerals back into the water for a better taste and pH balance.

Clarity

Orange Water

• Cause: Typically, orange color water is caused by high contents of iron, which is most common in well water systems. You might also see stains around sinks, tub drains and toilets.
• Prevention: IronShield Whole House Filtration System removes iron from your home’s water and prevents orange water and staining from occurring. In addition, IronShield also removes H2S (rotten egg odor), manganese and many dangerous toxins that may be in your water, such as pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals.

Orange Water

• Cause: Typically, orange color water is caused by high contents of iron, which is most common in well water systems. You might also see stains around sinks, tub drains and toilets.
• Prevention: IronShield Whole House Filtration System removes iron from your home’s water and prevents orange water and staining from occurring. In addition, IronShield also removes H2S (rotten egg odor), manganese and many dangerous toxins that may be in your water, such as pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals.

Yellow Water

• Cause: If you’re seeing a yellow tint to your water, this is may be caused by natural organic material known as tannins. Over time, tannins can cause stains around your sinks, toilets and tubs, as well as cause your water to have a tart aftertaste (similar to tea) and an earthy odor.
• Prevention: SedimentShield Whole House Water Filtration System is great for removing tannins and other sediment, such as sand, silt and suspended solids, from your water. If you’re on well water and looking for a solution to filter more than tannins, we recommend IronShield Whole House Filtration System. In addition to removing tannins, IronShield filters out iron, H2S (rotten egg odor), manganese and many dangerous toxins that may be in your water, such as pesticides, herbicides and pharmaceuticals.

Brown Water

• Cause: Although fine sediment particles might not be visible, larger sediment in your water can cause it to come out looking murky or muddy. It can also cause your water to have dirt-like particles floating in your water or ice. Similar to the impacts of hard water scale damage, sand, silt and other sediment can build up in your water heater, aerators and other water-using appliances, leading to ongoing maintenance and/or early failure.
• Prevention: To filter out sediment such as suspended solids, sand, silt and organic matter, we recommend our SedimentShield Whole House Water Filtration System. SedimentShield is available with five customizable filter cartridge options, each designed to fit your filtration needs.

Blue-Green Water

• Cause: Water that has a blue-greenish tint to it may be a sign that you have low pH. This is typically more visible around fixtures and plumbing, but can impact clarity over time. If not treated, this acidic low pH water can begin to cause pinhole-sized leaks in your pipes, causing serious damage. Acidic water will also damage your water using-appliances and lead to early failure.
• Prevention: To neutralize the acidic water in your home, use AcidShield Whole House Water Filtration System. AcidShield instantly balances your water’s low pH, preventing blue-green staining and metallic-like tastes common in acidic water.

Milky Water

• Cause: If the water coming out of your tap or drinking water system looks milky, this typically means there is air (very small bubbles) in your water. This can be caused by high turbulence in your pipes or within a filtration system. A good way to test if it is air in your water is to leave a glass of water out for a few minutes. If after a few minutes the water appears clear with no sediment at the bottom of the glass, there is air in your system. Air bubbles in your water is a nuisance, but it is safe to use and drink until the cause of the air in your water line can be resolved. If you just put new filters in a water treatment system, the air bubbles may stop after a few uses.

Feel

Dry or Itchy Skin

• Cause: If your water is causing your skin and/or scalp to feel itchy throughout the day, this may be due to chlorine or chloramines in your water, which most cities use to treat bacteria and other potential contaminants. During certain times of the year, such as a rainy season, the level of chemicals may increase. The other contributing factor may be that you have untreated hard water. These mineral deposits can cause your skin to feel dry.
• Treatment: For removing chlorine, chloramines and other chemicals from your home’s water, we recommend ToxinShield Whole House Water Filtration System. For treating hard water, our No-Salt Conditioner can help minimize minerals that may stick to your skin. If you prefer a soft water feel, then our SimplySoft Water Softener or our combination hard water conditioner and soft water system, Nexus, may be better suited for you

No Soap Lather

• Cause: Have you felt like no matter how much soap you use, you cannot get a good lather? This is caused by high levels of hard water minerals in your home’s water.
• Treatment: To treat hard water, we recommend our No-Salt Conditioner. This helps to treat the hard water minerals so they do not prevent your soap from lathering. For even more lather, we recommend our SimplySoft Water Softener or our combination hard water conditioner and soft water system, Nexus.

Slippery Skin

• Cause: The soft water from a salt-type water softener coats your skin with a saline mixture left over from treating your hard water. For some this feeling is unpleasant and feels as if you are not able to rinse the soap off, resulting in longer showers. For others, soft water is a luxurious feeling they prefer for their skin and hair. It really is a matter of personal preference.
• Treatment: To treat hard water but not experience the soft water/slippery feeling, we recommend our No-Salt Conditioner. For those who prefer softened water, we recommend our SimplySoft Water Softener or our combination hard water conditioner and soft water system, Nexus.

Coarse Hair

• Cause: If your hair is feeling coarse, this could be due to your water. If you’re on city water, the chlorine or chloramines used in your water to treat bacteria and other potential contaminants may be the culprit. During certain times of the year, such as a rainy season, the level of chemicals may increase. Another common cause for coarse hair from water may be due to untreated hard water. The mineral deposits in hard water stick to your hair and skin leaving a dry feeling.
• Treatment: For removing chlorine, chloramines and other chemicals from your home’s water, we recommend ToxinShield Whole House Water Filtration System. For treating hard water, our No-Salt Conditioner can help minimize minerals that stick to your hair and skin. If you prefer a soft water feeling for your hair, then our SimplySoft Water Softener or our combination hard water conditioner and soft water system, Nexus, may be better suited for you.