Culligan Water Softeners
in Detroit, 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. At Detroit’s average of about 107 ppm, many homes see a few of these signs, from cloudy dishwasher loads to crust around faucet aerators.

The citywide average in the most recent water quality report is about 107 ppm, but individual tap samples reached 142 ppm. Because your home may not match the average, Culligan tests the water at your tap first, then sizes and programs the softener for your actual hardness and how much 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.

Detroit’s water starts out low in sodium. The most recent report lists 6.8 ppm at the plant tap and an average of 3.6 ppm across tap samples. A softener adds a modest amount of sodium in proportion to the hardness it removes, and because Detroit water is only moderately hard, that amount stays small. Households watching their sodium intake can use potassium chloride instead of salt, or add a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink for 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. Culligan offers water softener rental for Detroit homes, with installation, maintenance and service handled by our local team. Renting is a good fit for renters, new homeowners, or anyone who wants soft water without buying a system up front.