We test hardness, total chlorine, total dissolved solids (TDS), and pH, usually at your kitchen sink, plus iron on well water. If you have a Brita filter or pitcher, we test that too so you can see what it is and isn't removing. We use liquid reagents, which are more accurate than store test strips, and we test again after your water so you can see the difference.

Water hardness is the amount of dissolved calcium and magnesium in your water, measured in grains per gallon (GPG). Most DFW homes test between 8 and 15 grains. Anything above 5 GPG is considered hard water. At 6 grains, one evaporated gallon leaves behind about one to one and a half aspirin tablets' worth of rock.

Yes. Your municipal water is safe to drink, and local water providers do an excellent job delivering it. But safe and great are two different things. Many homeowners choose to reduce things like chlorine, taste, odor, and total dissolved solids for better skin and hair, better-tasting water, and longer-lasting appliances.

Hard water can shorten the life of any appliance that uses water by up to 30%, including water heaters, dishwashers, washing machines, and ice makers. It builds scale in plumbing and fixtures, spots glassware and shower doors, and makes you use more soap, because soap can't lather properly in hard water. Scale is worst anywhere water gets heated, which is why water heaters build up so fast.

Most of the year, North Texas Municipal Water District and other local providers disinfect with chloramines, a combination of chlorine and ammonia. From about early March to mid-April, they switch to free chlorine to clean biofilm out of the distribution lines. Free chlorine is much more noticeable in the shower and in your drinking water. Chloramines are there the rest of the year too, and can still contribute to dry skin, hair issues, and an unpleasant taste.

Chlorine keeps water safe as it travels through miles of pipe to your home. Once it arrives, its job is done. Think of it like the peel on a banana; it protects the fruit on the way, and you remove it before you eat. Whole house carbon filtration removes chlorine and chloramines where water enters your home, so you get safe delivery without bathing in and drinking chlorinated water.

It’s one of the top reasons people call us. Hardness keeps soap from rinsing clean, and chloramines can be drying and irritating. A softener alone only handles the hardness, so we pair it with whole house filtration. Many homeowners tell us the difference is night and day. Every person is different, and if you have a skin condition, talk to your doctor.

A water softener replaces calcium in the tank, resin beads trade the calcium and magnesium in your water for sodium. Periodically, the system rinses the resin with salt brine, which exchanges the beads and sends the captured hardness down the drain. It all happens automatically, based on how much water you use.

No. A softener removes calcium and magnesium only. Chlorine and chloramines pass right through it unless you have the included catalytic carbon filter. That’s why so many people who already have a softener still smell chlorine in the shower.

No. Ion exchange is the only way to actually soften water. A salt-free conditioner does not remove hardness; it treats the minerals so they’re less likely to form scale, but they’re still in your water, and you may still see spots on dishes and shower doors. A conditioner can make sense if you can’t use salt, and we'll be honest about what it will and won't do.

No. A softener doesn't add salt. A very small amount of sodium replaces the hardness that’s removed. If you drank a full gallon of softened water, you’d take in about as much sodium as one slice of bread. A reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink removes even that.

It might at first. That slick feeling isn't soap left on your skin. Soft water rinses soap off completely, and what you're feeling is your skin's natural oils. Using less soap helps. Give it two or three weeks. Most people prefer it after a short time.

The softener regenerates overnight, around 2:00 AM, about twice a month for most families, and it sounds like a washing machine draining. Because it's metered, it only regenerates based on the water you actually use. On your water bill, it's about like having another person in the house flushing the toilet a few more times a month.

Whole house filtration uses catalytic carbon to reduce chlorine, chloramines, and their byproducts at every tap in your home. A softener handles hardness, but it doesn't remove the added chemicals. For other DIY filters like pitcher filters or fridge filters and pitchers, catalytic carbon handles chloramines and also reduces contaminants like PFAS/PFOA, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals.

The blue filter on the wall catches dirt and debris (down to about the width of a human hair) before it reaches your system. Its biggest job is protecting the control valves, since grit is one of the most common causes of service calls. The cartridge is changed once a year, and most homeowners are surprised by how much dirt is in it the first time.

A dual media system puts softening resin and carbon in one tank. It saves space and suits about 2 to 3 people. For larger households, or homes where several showers run at once, we recommend separate tanks so each one has the capacity to do its job right. We'll recommend the right setup after your water test.

Reverse osmosis pushes water through an extremely fine membrane that removes virtually all dissolved solids and impurities, including fluoride and chloramines. It's installed under your kitchen sink and gives you bottled water quality for drinking and cooking. Tap water in DFW typically measures 200 to 300 PPM of dissolved solids. RO water measures 10 to 25.

It depends on what you want from your drinking water. With whole house filtration, you can drink from any tap and notice a huge difference. RO goes further, cutting dissolved solids, fluoride, and other contaminants down to bottled water quality. Most of our clients choose both, and RO can always be added later.

Both make the same quality water. A traditional RO stores a few gallons in a tank, needs no electricity, and works during a power outage. A tankless RO makes water on demand, takes up less space under the sink, and needs an outlet. We'll help you pick based on your space and how you use water.

Often, yes. RO needs a drain, so it does get under the kitchen sink, and we can run a line to the fridge when there's a path to it. If your sink is on an island or far from the fridge, an ultrafiltration system above the fridge is the next best option, and it doesn't need a drain. With whole house carbon, your fridge filter becomes redundant, so you can stop buying replacements.

No. You can have a dedicated faucet for the RO if you like your current fixtures, or we can install a hidden button under the countertop that sends RO water through your main faucet. That option means no new hole in your countertop, which is the better choice for some high-end stone.

The whole house system is typically installed in the garage, near where the main water line enters the home. If the layout of the home makes it difficult, loop already plumbed in, which makes installation simple. RO goes under the kitchen sink.

Almost always, yes. We do these every day. If the main line comes in at the front of the house, we connect outside and run supply and return lines in a single hand-dug trench to the garage, putting a small frame if the shutoff is on an inside wall, we make a clean cutout with an access panel. Either way, you get a new shutoff and bypass right next to the system in your garage.

A softener needs a drain for its cleaning cycle, but it doesn't need a pump. Your water pressure pushes a small half-inch drain line up, over, and around to reach one. We often use the washing machine drain or a sewer clean-out, installed with a code-required air gap and P-trap. The drain can't go to your yard or driveway, because the sodium kills grass and plants.

Yes, but very little: about as much as an alarm clock. The control valve plugs into a standard outlet within about 8 feet of the system. If your garage doesn't have one, an electrician can usually add one quickly.

Plan on about 3.5 to 4 feet of wall and about 20 inches out from the wall for a two-tank system with a salt tank. A single-tank system needs about 3 feet. Tanks fit under most garage wall cabinets.

With a pre-plumbed loop, a whole house system typically takes 3 to 4 hours. Homes that need trenching can take most of the day. Your water is only off for about 20 to 30 minutes while we make the final connection, and you don't need to be home for most of the install.

Usually within about a week of approving your estimate. Jobs that need trenching wait a few days for utility line marking before we dig.

Yes. We can partially bury the tanks near your main line under an insulated cover and a faux landscape rock, or build an insulated enclosure against the house. We can also insulate the garage when possible, since it protects the equipment from weather. If you have an HOA, check weather rules or equipment may stay hidden from the street.

Your main job is keeping salt in the brine tank. Check it once a month and keep it between the fill lines. We recommend one professional visit a year: we test your water, sanitize the system, check the valve, and change the pre-filter. With regular care, systems last 20 years or more.

Most families add one to one and a half bags every couple of months. We recommend high-quality pellets to reduce sludge in the brine tank. Don’t overfill to the very top, which can cause bridging.

Yes. We offer service plan options that can include testing and diagnostics, scheduled visits, salt refill, monitoring, and discounts on repairs.

Every system is sized to your home, so your price depends on your free water test and your home's size.

Here's where our systems start:

Softener Only: $2,250

Dual Media: $3,900

Separate Tanks: $5,100

Best: $6,300

Traditional RO: $775

Tankless RO: $1,225

After your water test, you'll get a detailed estimate with line-item pricing. The quote you get is the price you pay.

Yes. We offer financing through Wisetack, with 0% interest for up to 24 months for qualifying applicants. Checking your options uses a soft credit pull, so it won't affect your credit score. The link is on your estimate.

We are daily busy, and don't rely on massive marketing budgets, we don't use high-pressure tactics or inflated prices with dramatic discounts. We'll never be the cheapest company in town, and that's by design. Very low prices usually mean budget equipment and subcontracted installers. We install quality equipment with our own team, and we're still here to service it years later.

We install Clack-manufactured systems, built to spec for your home in our Flower Mound shop. As an OEM dealer, we buy direct from the manufacturer, with no middleman markup. Many national brands sell the same components under their own name for a premium. Our systems are non-proprietary, so you're never locked into one company for parts or service.

Our own team. Everyone who works on your home is a DFW Water Softeners employee, and every project is overseen by our two licensed water treatment specialists, Roger Engbrock and Chad Martin.

Yes. Water treatment specialists in Texas are licensed by the TCEQ in three levels. Roger and Chad both hold the top level, Licensed Water Treatment Specialist III. Roger has over 10 years and Chad has 26 years in the water treatment industry.

Our Clack equipment manufacturer warrants of 5 years on the control valve and electronics and 10 years on the tanks. On top of that, we cover parts and labor on your entire system for the first year, with no service call charge. Your warranty terms are listed on your written estimate.