Phoenix & the Valley
Softener installation, sized from a measurement.
The install is the easy part. Choosing the size is where the money is won or lost, and it is the part most quotes skip straight past.
What we do
Test your hardness at the tap, size the resin from that number rather than a rule of thumb, fit the unit at the soft-water loop or in the garage, set the regeneration schedule to your actual demand, and leave the bypass valve where you can reach it without moving anything.
Sizing, in the open
Grains per day is people × 75 gallons × your hardness. Size the resin to regenerate about weekly. At 14 grains — the midpoint of the city’s published range — that works out as:
| Household | Grains per day | Typical unit |
|---|---|---|
| 1–2 people | 2,100 | 24,000 grain |
| 3–4 people | 4,200 | 32,000 grain |
| 5–6 people | 6,300 | 48,000 grain |
| 7+ people | 8,400+ | 64,000 grain |
Your measured hardness moves these. A house at 17.6 grains needs meaningfully more capacity than one at 10, which is the whole reason for testing first.
The soft-water loop
Plenty of Valley homes were plumbed with a loop — a capped pair of pipes in the garage waiting for a softener that never arrived. If yours has one this is a short job. If it does not, it is still doable and the quote will show the extra plumbing separately rather than burying it.
What we will tell you not to buy
If you are in a condo with no drain access, if you are selling within the year, or if your complaint is really about taste rather than scale, a softener may be the wrong purchase. We would rather say so than fit one and have you unhappy about it.
Typical prices
| Item | Typical range |
|---|---|
| 24,000 grain, loop install | $1,100–$1,600 |
| 32,000 grain, loop install | $1,300–$1,900 |
| 48,000 grain, loop install | $1,600–$2,400 |
| New plumbing where there is no loop | add $350–$900 |
Ranges, not quotes. The figure that matters is the written one you get after we have measured your water and seen the plumbing. We would rather give you a wide honest range now than a precise number we have to walk back on the day.
Questions
Where does it go?
At the soft-water loop if the house has one, otherwise in the garage on the main line after the hose bibs, so you are not softening the water going onto the landscaping.
Does it need a drain?
Yes. Salt-based softeners discharge brine when they regenerate and need a drain and a power outlet. That requirement is what rules them out in some condos, and it is the first thing we check.
How long does it take?
A straightforward loop install is usually a couple of hours. A garage install with new plumbing is longer, and the quote will say which one yours is before we start.