Match the complaint to the equipment
| Complaint | Equipment |
|---|---|
| Pool smell in the shower, chemical taste | Chloramine filter (whole-home in a house) |
| Only drinking water bothers you | Under-sink RO with carbon stages |
| White spots on glass, crusty showerheads | Softener, if hardness is confirmed |
| Scale in hotel or restaurant equipment | Commercial softening, often plus filtration |
| All of the above | Filter plus softener, with RO at the kitchen |
What Miami Beach water brings
The City of Miami Beach buys its water from the Miami-Dade Water and Sewer Department (WASD), primarily from the Hialeah and John E. Preston plants, and distributes it across the island. WASD lime-treats the Hialeah water and uses enhanced softening at Preston, both of which lower hardness. Chloramine is added for disinfection. Every customer gets the chloramine; whether leftover hardness bothers you is a question for a test.
Condo owners
In most buildings you can not treat the main line, so the realistic choices are an under-sink RO for drinking water and a shower-head filter for partial chloramine reduction. Unit-level softening is sometimes possible depending on plumbing, space, drain access and association rules. For spots on glass in a condo, a squeegee and periodic descaling of fixtures are often enough.
Single-family homes
Houses on the islands and in North Beach can treat the whole home. A whole-home filter covers chloramine at every tap. Add a softener only if hardness readings support it. Placement matters on a barrier island: protect equipment from salt air and keep components above likely flood levels.
Businesses
Hotels, restaurants, laundries and gyms run hot water hard, so scale shows up in boilers, dishwashers and ice machines. Softening is often the priority there, with filtration for taste where guests drink or where coffee and ice quality matter.
Upkeep is different too
A softener needs salt or potassium and uses some water each time it regenerates; Miami Beach's smart meters and the EyeOnWater app make that easy to watch. A carbon filter needs its media serviced or replaced on a schedule tied to water volume. An RO system needs filter and membrane changes. Ask for each routine in writing so you know what you are signing up for, and see softener cost and filtration cost on Miami Beach.
What about salt-free conditioners?
Salt-free conditioners do not remove hardness minerals; they aim to change how scale forms. They do nothing for chloramine. See salt-free conditioner vs. ion-exchange softener and the general softener vs. filter comparison.
Jorge measures chloramine and hardness at your tap for free. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.
https://www.miamibeachfl.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/New-Water-Quality-Brochure-2025-final.pdf
https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/water/documents/2025-water-quality-report.pdf
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist