Test your tap before you buy anything
Read the city report
Ask the Riverton water division for its annual water quality report. The 2022 report lists a hardness average of about 190 mg/L with a range of 174.5 to 202.5.
Look for the symptoms
White crust on faucets and showerheads, spots on glass, stiff laundry and scale in the kettle.
Test at your own tap
A home test strip or a lab test gives your number, since pipes and any existing softener change what reaches you.
Decide what you want solved
Hardness, chlorine taste, or a drinking-water concern each call for a different tool.
Old settings can waste salt
A notice from the Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District to Riverton residents says hardness moved from about 30 grains per gallon to about 12 after the 2015 switch to JVWCD water. It adds that softeners set for the old water waste salt.
If your softener was installed before that change and nobody has reset it, the hardness setting may be far too high. Resetting the control valve to match today's water is quick work, and it cuts salt use and the brine going down your drain.
Regeneration flushes brine to the drain, so a setting that is higher than you need sends salt down the line with no benefit. We set the unit to the number your test shows.
Softener, filter or reverse osmosis: what each one does
| Option | What it does | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Salt-based softener | Removes hardness minerals from all water in the house | Does not remove chlorine taste or most contaminants |
| Carbon or sediment filter | Cuts chlorine taste, odor and particles | Does not soften water |
| Reverse osmosis at one tap | Treats drinking and cooking water finely | Treats one tap only and wastes some water |
| Softener plus filter | Soft water through the home, better-tasting water at the kitchen tap | Costs more and needs two sets of maintenance |
Our usual advice is to solve the problem you can see or taste, not to buy the largest system. Chlorine is listed as the drinking water disinfectant in Riverton's 2022 report, so a kitchen filter may handle the taste issue alone.
Want a straight answer on a softener?
Call us with your test result or your current unit's age and symptoms. We tell you whether to reset, repair, replace or skip it, and we give a clear price first.
When a softener stops working right
Hard water comes back
Spent resin, a stuck valve, an empty salt tank or a bridged salt crust can all stop regeneration.
Salt level never drops
A cycle that is not running, or a salt bridge that keeps the brine from forming.
Water runs to drain constantly
A worn control valve or a stuck piston leaves the unit cycling.
Loud cycling or odd noises
Often a failing motor, a clogged injector or a pressure issue.
Valve and head replacement is often cheaper than a whole new system, but resin that is many years old may be worth replacing along with it. We tell you which parts have failed before we quote.
Not every home needs a softener
A softener tends to pay off if
- Scale is building on fixtures, in the water heater or in appliances.
- You are tired of spots and stiff laundry.
- Your own test confirms hard water.
Skip it or use a filter if
- Your complaint is taste or smell, not scale.
- Your test shows moderate hardness and you are not bothered.
- You cannot maintain salt and the unit.
Scale can shorten the life of heaters. Our heater repair and tankless service visits see this scale often. New softeners are plumbed in by a licensed plumber, and a larger plumbing installation can include it.
What shapes the price of a softener job
System size and type
Capacity should match household use and your measured hardness.
Plumbing changes
A bypass, shutoffs, drain connection and power outlet all affect the install.
Existing equipment
Resetting, repairing or replacing a valve costs less than a new tank.
Add-ons
A filter or a reverse osmosis tap adds equipment and labor.
Access
Garage, basement or utility closet space changes the work.
Insurance usually does not cover softeners, since they are planned equipment. Call us and we can give you a real number after your test result.
Rules and sources behind this page
According to Riverton's 2022 water quality report, average hardness was about 190 mg/L, roughly 11 grains per gallon, with a range of 174.5 to 202.5 mg/L. Jordan Valley Water Conservancy District, Riverton's wholesale supplier, publishes a district-wide report as well.
Softener installs tie into the plumbing and the drain, so they follow the IPC. Utah Code 15A-2-103 adopts the 2024 International Plumbing Code (IPC) as the state plumbing code, effective July 1, 2026, with Utah amendments on top.
Water softener questions from Riverton homes
Riverton's 2022 water quality report lists average hardness of about 190 mg/L, or around 11 grains per gallon. Test your own tap, since the number at your home can differ.
Possibly. A JVWCD notice says Riverton hardness dropped after the 2015 switch to its water, and that softeners set for the old water waste salt. We check the setting against a current test.
Yes. We diagnose the valve, resin, injector and salt system, and tell you whether repair or replacement makes more sense.
A softener handles scale. A carbon filter handles taste and odor. Many homes need only one. Tell us what bothers you, and we point you to the right tool.
The unit flushes brine to the drain during regeneration. A correct setting limits how much salt goes down the line. If you have questions about drain limits, ask the Jordan Basin Improvement District at (801) 571-1166.
Yes. We dispatch to Herriman and nearby cities from our Riverton base.