Water Softener Installation in Ajax

Telltales that call for water softener installation

Ajax drinks treated Lake Ontario water supplied by the Region of Durham. It is safe and well tested, but it is moderately hard, and that hardness shows up around the house. White crust builds on faucet aerators. Kettles fur up. Shower doors cloud over a week after cleaning, and soap never seems to lather the way it should.

• Scale on fixtures and inside the kettle
• Water heater making popping or rumbling sounds
• Dry skin and stiff laundry
• An old softener that no longer regenerates or uses salt

How we do the work

We start by looking at where the main comes in and where the softener can sit. It needs a level spot near the main, a drain for regeneration water, and a standard outlet. We fit a three-valve or built-in bypass so you can shut the unit out of the system without turning off the whole house. The kitchen cold tap is often left on hard water for drinking, if you prefer that; just tell us.

The drain line gets an air gap so waste water can never be drawn back into the supply. Once the unit is plumbed in, we set the hardness and the household size, run a first regeneration and show you how to add salt and check the brine tank.

On Ajax streets

Many houses in Central and South Ajax have the main entering in a tight front corner of the basement, sometimes behind finished walls. That can mean a short run of new pipe to bring the line out to where the softener fits. In newer homes north of Rossland Road there is often a rough-in loop left by the builder, which makes the job simpler.

Price swings on

The unit you choose matters most, along with how far the main is from a drain and an outlet. Replacing an existing softener on the same loop is usually less work than a first-time install. We will walk through both the hardware and the labour before you decide.

Worth asking the plumber

• What hardness setting suits Durham water?
• How much salt will a household my size go through?
• Do I also need a filter for taste and chlorine?

For background, read our page on hard water in Durham and softener basics.

Looking after it

A softener asks little of you. Keep the brine tank topped up with salt, glance at it once a month for a hard crust called a salt bridge, and break that up with a broom handle if it forms. Every few years, a resin cleaner keeps the beads working well. If the unit ever needs service, the bypass we fit lets the rest of the house carry on with normal water.

When moving into a home that already has a softener, ask for its age and model. Older timer-based units waste salt and water compared with newer demand-based controls.