City water is laced with chemicals to kill or prevent bacteria and microbes while that water is on its way to your home. Although these chemicals are required and help provide safe water, many clients of Dapper Plumbing prefer not to drink and bathe in them because of the negative health effects associated with the chemicals used.
For a list of the chemicals used in your city water, contact your water utility company and ask for a water quality report. These water quality reports are typically published online as well. Here is an example: Seattle Water Quality Report
Saltless water softeners are a play on words because it’s impossible to “soften” water without salt. Traditional water softeners work using ion-exchange, exchanging salt for calcium and magnesium. While a “saltless” water softener may contain some filtering properties, they do not remove calcium and magnesium from the water. Therefore, fixtures, toilets and dishes still get plugged with the minerals. So, if you’re looking to prevent the build-up of “hardness” in your plumbing system, we recommend you install a real water softener.
The useful life of a water softener is largely dependent on what is in your water and how much water your home uses. We find the average life to be 10-15 years in the Stanwood area.
Most bottled water is simply city tap water treated by RO or reverse osmosis and then bottled! Dapper Plumbing can install a cost-effective and environmentally friendly RO system right at your kitchen sink!
Thank you so much Colton and staff for excellent service and genuine kindness in getting my plumbing emergency taken care of in a timely manner. Will recommend highly! - M Cox
