Culligan Water Softeners
in Dearborn, MI

No. A properly functioning water softener will never make your water taste salty. The small amount of sodium added to the water will never create a salty taste.

Hard water usually manifests itself in several ways. It leaves white residue behind wherever water evaporates. When hardness reacts with soaps and detergents, it leaves a sticky soap scum behind, and in hot water heating systems it leaves behind a hard scale. With Dearborn tap water around 101 to 102 ppm, the first signs are usually spotty glasses out of the dishwasher and chalky buildup on showerheads and faucet aerators.

Dearborn’s averages sit around 101 to 102 ppm, but individual samples in the most recent report ran from 88 ppm up to 114 ppm depending on the plant and the day. Rather than programming a softener from a citywide average, Culligan tests the water at your own tap and sets the system for the hardness you actually have and the amount of water your household uses.

A water softener works through a process known as “ion exchange,” which means that as it removes calcium and magnesium (elements that make water “hard”), it replaces those ions on a one for one basis, usually with sodium. This means that the amount of sodium added to the water is directly proportional to how hard your water is. In most instances the amount being added is so small that it is not a significant contributor to the amount of sodium in your diet.

Very little of either. The most recent report lists sodium at 5.2 ppm and iron averaging 0.2 ppm. Because Dearborn water is only moderately hard, a softener adds only a modest amount of sodium. If you are on a low-sodium diet, potassium chloride can be used in place of salt, or a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink can handle your drinking and cooking water.

Yes, if your hard water has been building up scale in your appliances, once you install a softener it will begin to remove that built-up scale. It will take a long time to remove it, but it will remove it.

Unfortunately, no. A water softener is designed to remove hardness (calcium and magnesium) from water. They can sometimes remove a limited amount of iron and manganese if you happen to have these problems as well. But if you are looking for great water for drinking and cooking, you should probably consider a reverse osmosis system for that purpose.

Other than salt or potassium chloride, there are no other chemicals that a water softener uses. On the contrary, using a water softener reduces the amount of cleaning supplies and detergents that you need to put down the drain trying to keep your home and family clean. Using a water softener is very environmentally friendly.

Once a softener is installed, it will begin to soften your water immediately, However, if you have a tank-type hot water heater, it may take a few days to use up that hard water, until you feel the full effects of soft water.

Most good softeners today, recharge based on how many gallons of water you use, and how hard your water is to start with. However, most of our customers today are adding salt once or twice a year, on average.

Yes. Dearborn homeowners and renters can choose water softener rental from Culligan, which includes installation, routine service and repairs from our local team, so you can get soft water without a large up-front purchase.