Getting a water softener installed in Phoenix

What the installer needs on site

• The main line, after the shut-off and before the water heater, often in the garage.
• A drain for the rinse water when the softener recharges: a floor drain, laundry standpipe or similar, with an air gap.
• A power outlet for the control valve.
• Space for the resin tank and the salt tank, on a level floor, somewhere you can reach to add salt.

Softener loop or not?

Look for two pipes coming out of the wall and joined by a short loop or capped ends, often labelled. If they are there, installing a softener means connecting to them with a bypass valve. If not, the main line has to be cut, and that is where most of the labor and cost goes.

What a good installer will tell you

• The hardness figure they used and where it came from (for your city, it should match our Phoenix water hardness table).
• The softener size in grains and how many days it will go between recharges for your household.
• The hardness setting they will program, and how to change it.
• Which lines will get soft water and which stay hard.

Questions to ask before you sign

• Is the quote fixed, and does it list the unit, bypass valve, drain line, fittings and haul-away of any old unit?
• What does the warranty cover on the tank, resin and valve, and for how long? Who honors it?
• Is a permit needed for this job at your address? Ask your city if unsure.
• What is their Arizona Registrar of Contractors license number, if they are doing plumbing work?

Doing it yourself

With a loop already in place, a softener install is within reach of a handy homeowner: mount the bypass, connect the inlet and outlet the right way round, run the drain line with an air gap, add salt, set the hardness and start a manual recharge. Without a loop, weigh the cost of a plumber against the risk of a leak on your main line.