“Our glasses had a film no matter which soap we bought. The tech showed me the number, then said the softener I'd been quoted elsewhere was bigger than I needed. We went smaller.”
Sherry L.Eau Claire
Eau Claire and the Chippewa Valley
Find out what's in your water before you buy a thing
A tester comes to your kitchen, checks your tap water for hardness and writes the number down. The test is free, takes about twenty minutes and leaves you owing nothing. If a softener or filter would help, we show you why. If not, we say so.
Your water, tested
Test, choose, install. In that order.
Many hard-water calls start with a salesperson and a tank. Ours start with a number.
01Test
We test your tap water at the kitchen sink: hardness first, then iron, chlorine and pH. You get a result card in writing before we leave, and we explain every line.
About twenty minutes at your kitchen tap
A result card you keep
02Choose
If the card shows a problem, we lay out the options: a softener, a filter, both, or nothing at all. You see what each one changes on your numbers, what it needs, and a written price.
Salt, filters and a drain, spelled out
No sizing from a brochure
03Install
Our crew sets the equipment where your water comes in, runs the drain and overflow, and sets the valve for your hardness. Before we leave we retest the water and show you the new reading.
A bypass valve, so you can shut it off
How to add salt, shown on site
The numbers
What your hardness number means
Hardness is counted in grains per gallon. Your result card shows one number, and this is how most people read it.
Under 1 grain: soft
Soap lathers fast and scale is rare. Nothing to fix.
1 to 3.5 grains: slightly hard
Most people notice little. Some see faint spots on dark glass.
3.5 to 7 grains: moderately hard
Spots on dishes and a thin white crust on faucets begin to show. A softener is optional, and we'll tell you what it would change.
7 to 10.5 grains: hard
Scale on kettles and shower glass, and laundry that dries stiff. This is where people usually start asking about a softener.
Over 10.5 grains: very hard
Scale builds quickly, and soap and detergent have to work harder. Softening deserves a close look.
These bands are a common rule of thumb. Your own water, and what bothers you, decide what's worth fixing.
Signs at home
Does this sound like your house?
Hard water leaves a record. These are the usual signs.
White crust on faucets
A chalky ring around the base of a tap or on the showerhead.
Spots on glasses
A cloudy film or white dots on dishes, even after the dishwasher.
Towels that dry stiff
Laundry feels rough, and colors look duller than they should.
Soap that won't lather
You use more soap, shampoo and detergent than you'd like.
Scale in the kettle
White flakes in the coffee maker or a crust inside the kettle.
Orange or brown stains
That's usually iron, not hardness. The test tells the two apart.
Any of these can have more than one cause. A test is how you tell.
How a softener works
Salt, resin and a valve: what a softener does
Hard water carries calcium and magnesium. A softener swaps them for sodium or potassium as the water passes through.
Inside the tall tank, small resin beads hold the hardness minerals. When the beads fill up, the valve on top flushes them with salty water from the short tank, rinses, and starts again, usually overnight. That is why a softener needs salt and a drain, and why we size one to your hardness and how much water your house uses.
Three parts
The resin tank holds the beads that catch hardness
The brine tank holds the salt
The control valve decides when to refresh
Specials
Coupons from the shop
Show the coupon when you book your test, or read its code to whoever answers.
Your coupon here Put the end date and terms here. 
Your second coupon here Put the end date and terms here.
Sample offers.
One coupon per job. Each coupon carries its own end date and terms.
Customers
What people say after the test
“I wanted to know before I spent anything. The card they left had the hardness, the iron and a plain note on each line. It's still on the fridge.”
Jermaine P.Altoona
“They moved our softener out of the garage before the first hard freeze and set it up in the basement. Drop cloths went down first, and the floor was wiped when they left.”
Tracy W.Chippewa Falls
Sample reviews.
Where we work
Eau Claire and the towns around it
Tests and installs across the Chippewa Valley. If your town isn't listed, call and ask before you rule us out.
Eau Claire County
- Eau Claire
- Altoona
- Fall Creek
- Augusta
- Fairchild
Chippewa County
- Chippewa Falls
- Lake Hallie
- Cadott
Dunn County
- Menomonie
- Elk Mound
We don't go west of Menomonie, south of Augusta or into Minnesota. Past those lines, a local installer is the better call.
ZIP codes: 54701, 54703, 54720, 54722, 54727, 54729, 54739, 54742, 54751
Questions
Before you book a test
What does the hardness test cost?
Nothing. It's free, whether or not you buy anything from us. It covers your kitchen tap: hardness, plus quick checks for iron, chlorine and pH. For things a field test can't measure, like lead, bacteria or nitrates, we point you to a lab, and you pay the lab.
Do I need to be home?
An adult should be there to let us in and read the card with us. The test itself takes about twenty minutes.
I'm on a private well. Can you test it?
We can check hardness and iron at your tap. A well also needs a lab test now and then for things we can't measure on site, and we'll tell you which ones to ask for.
Will a softener change how my water tastes?
A little, for some people, because the hardness minerals are swapped for sodium or potassium. If you're watching your sodium, ask your doctor, and ask us about potassium.
When do I get a price?
In writing, before any work starts. How pricing works lists what moves it.
Book a test
Book a hardness test at your kitchen tap
The test is free and you owe us nothing after it, whether or not you hire us. Tell us where you are and what you notice, and we call to set a day.
Phone(715) 555-0100
Text(715) 555-0101
Hours
- Monday – FridayToday
- 7:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
- SaturdayToday
- By appointment
- SundayToday
- Closed