What the utility already does
Lime softening adds lime to the water so calcium and some magnesium settle out as sludge before filtration. It reduces hardness but does not bring it to zero. WASD does not publish a single hardness figure for your street in the 2025 report, so a tap test in grains per gallon is the fair way to decide.
In practice, WASD's softening is designed for the whole county system, not for your espresso machine or tankless heater. If you own sensitive equipment, check the manufacturer's water specifications and compare them with your tap reading. That comparison, not a sales pitch, is what should decide whether a softener is worth buying.
When a softener still makes sense
- Your test shows hardness high enough to leave scale on fixtures and inside the water heater.
- You run equipment sensitive to scale: espresso machines, tankless heaters, ice makers.
- You own a business such as a restaurant, salon or laundromat where scale shortens equipment life.
Living Water installs ion-exchange softening plants for homes and businesses.
Signs that point to hardness include white crust on shower heads, cloudy spots on glasses, soap that will not lather, and a tank water heater that rumbles. See hard water spots in Miami Shores for how to tell hardness from other causes.
How ion exchange works
- Water passes through resin beads that hold sodium.
- Calcium and magnesium swap places with sodium on the beads.
- The system regenerates with brine from a salt tank and flushes the rinse to a drain.
Septic, sewer and the rinse water
Miami Shores has both sewered and septic homes, and the Village is converting neighborhoods such as Shores Estates from septic to a centralized sewer connected to North Miami's system. A softener's regeneration rinse has to go somewhere. Plan the discharge location with your installer and follow local rules, whichever system your home uses.
Sodium and drinking water
WASD's main system lists sodium at 33 ppm. A softener adds some sodium in proportion to the hardness removed, which is why many homes pair it with an under-sink RO for drinking and cooking. If you follow a sodium-restricted diet, ask your doctor and mention it to Jorge.
Book a hardness test
Call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974. Compare first in softener vs. filter in Miami Shores. Living Water offers financing through its financing partners; you apply with a credit application, and a co-applicant can apply with you.
https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/water/documents/2025-water-quality-report.pdf
https://www.msvfl.gov/shoresestatesseptictosewerconversion
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist