Different tools
| Filter | Softener | |
|---|---|---|
| Targets | Chloramine, chlorine, taste, odor | Calcium and magnesium |
| Solves | Pool smell, chemical taste | Scale, spots, soap scum |
| Needs | Media replacement or service | Salt and a drain for brine |
Living Water describes its Puronics whole-home systems as removing chloramine and chlorine, and installs ion-exchange softening plants for homes and businesses. Because both are on the table, the recommendation follows your test.
Each has its own upkeep, so it pays to buy only what your water needs.
What Miami Springs water points to
- Chloramine: 2.5 ppm running annual average in WASD's 2025 report, present by design all the way to your tap. A filter job.
- Hardness: reduced at the plants by lime or enhanced softening; your test decides whether more is useful.
- Volatile organic compounds: removed at the plants by air stripping, according to WASD.
In other words, part of the softening job is already done before the water reaches the city, while the chloramine is there on purpose all the way to your faucet. That's why the filter usually comes first here.
Match the symptom
| Symptom | Likely answer |
|---|---|
| Pool-like smell | Filter |
| White crust on faucets | Softener, if hardness is high |
| Orange stains outside | Irrigation water treatment |
| Rotten-egg smell on hot taps | Water heater |
Details: chloramine, hard water spots, iron stains, sulfur smell.
If you notice more than one, you may have more than one cause, and a test separates them.
When both make sense
- A private drinking well with hardness and iron.
- A hotel or restaurant needing scale protection and better-tasting water.
- A home whose test shows notable hardness plus chloramine complaints.
When both are installed, they go on the main line in a set order with planned drains. Living Water installs both, so the plan can follow your numbers rather than a sales script.
Most homes on county water end up needing only one.
The cost of choosing wrong
A softener won't touch chloramine; a filter won't stop scale. Read water softener vs. water filter for the basics and see filtration cost in Miami Springs for how the choice affects your total.
Testing first keeps you from paying for equipment that solves a problem you don't have.
Book the test
Jorge measures chloramine and hardness at your tap in under an hour and explains both. You keep the results. Call, text or WhatsApp (305) 793-5974.
There's no obligation, and if neither is needed, he'll say so.
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist