Culligan Water Softeners
in Lancaster, CA

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 shows up in a few 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. Cal Water’s Lancaster water system reports groundwater hardness averaging 101 ppm (range 61–140), or about 5.9 grains per gallon, so many homes served by it see at least some of these signs.

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

Yes, if hard water has been building up scale in your appliances, installing a softener will begin to remove that built-up scale. It takes time to remove, but it will remove it.

No. A water softener is designed to remove hardness (calcium and magnesium) from water. It can sometimes remove a limited amount of iron and manganese if those are present as well. If you’re looking for great water for drinking and cooking, and given the arsenic and the disclosed hexavalent chromium exceedance in Cal Water’s Lancaster water system, consider a reverse osmosis system for that purpose.

Other than salt or potassium chloride, a water softener uses no other chemicals. Using a water softener also reduces the amount of cleaning supplies and detergents you need, so it’s a net positive for the environment.

Once a softener is installed, it will begin softening your water right away. If you have a tank-type hot water heater, it may take a few days to use up the hard water already inside it.

Most softeners today recharge based on how many gallons of water you use and how hard your water is to start with. Most Lancaster customers add salt once or twice a year, on average.

A few factors inform this: the size of your water softener, how hard your water is, and how much water your household uses. Most customers won’t go more than a few months without adding salt to the tank. Culligan can deliver your salt and service your softener with scheduled maintenance.

Culligan follows all state and local plumbing codes and regulations set by the UPC (Uniform Plumbing Code) and CPC (California Plumbing Code) for water softener installation and maintenance. This includes venting, drainage, and backflow prevention requirements.

Water softeners use extra water for regeneration, but they rarely cause septic issues when an expert handles the installation. Culligan understands septic system capacity and its relationship to water softening better than third-party installers and general plumbers, and we use septic-safe softener cleaners only.

Hard water can cause dry skin in people sensitive to it. Calcium and magnesium can leave a film on your body that keeps soap and shampoo from rinsing cleanly. Studies have also shown that areas with hard water have higher rates of childhood eczema.

Since a site inspection and water test are required, Culligan water softener installation differs from buying a softener online and asking a plumber to install it. This upfront work helps avoid issues down the road. Installation usually takes a day or two, depending on work needed on drain lines, your water supply, and electrical connections. Your Culligan expert tests the softener after installation to confirm it’s working properly.

After a site inspection and water analysis, your Culligan expert will help pick the softener that’s right for you based on your budget, home needs, and the hardness levels measured in Cal Water’s Lancaster water system.