By source
| WASD county water | Private well | |
|---|---|---|
| Do first | Tap test for chlorine and hardness | Certified lab test (Village list: coliform, nitrates, TDS, pH) |
| Usually needed | Filter for chloramine | Filtration for iron and odor, plus softening |
| Softener? | Only if hardness bothers you | Often |
Pinecrest has both situations on neighboring streets: a home connected through the Village's water project may be on lime-softened, chloramine-treated county water, while another a few blocks away still draws from a well. The same complaint, such as spots on glass, can have different causes and different fixes in each, which is why the source comes first.
By complaint
- Chemical or pool smell: filter.
- Spots and crust: hardness; softener if the number supports it.
- Orange stains outside: irrigation well iron, separate from the house line.
- Rotten eggs on every tap: well water; test and treat.
- A contaminant on a lab report: a filter or RO certified for that contaminant. A softener is not the tool.
It also helps to notice when each problem appears. A smell strongest in a hot shower suggests a disinfectant. Spots that appear only where water dries suggest minerals. Stains only where sprinklers reach point to the irrigation source.
Newly connected homes
Homes that joined WASD through the Village's water project may still have a softener from their well days and no filter. That is backwards for county water: the Orr plant already lime-softens, while chloramine is new. Many such homes are better served by keeping the softener off or removed and adding a whole-home filter. Jorge tests and tells you.
The same goes for an old iron filter: on county water there is usually no iron to remove, and the media may simply be taking up space and pressure.
When you need both
Wells, businesses with heavy hot water use, and county water homes with measured hardness that still bothers them. Order matters: sediment and iron first, softening next, drinking water RO last. Read softener vs. filter: which do you need and salt-free vs. ion exchange.
For a business, the logic is the same but the stakes are equipment: water heaters, dishwashers, ice machines and espresso machines. Living Water installs ion-exchange softening plants for businesses, sized to daily volume after a test on site.
Let the test decide
Jorge measures chlorine, hardness, iron, TDS and pH and tells you which tool, if any, fits. Call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974.
Writing down what bothers you before the visit, such as smell, taste, spots, skin, stains or appliance scale, makes the conversation faster.https://www.miamidade.gov/resources/water/documents/2025-water-quality-report.pdf
https://www.pinecrest-fl.gov/Resident/Water/Your-Well-Water
https://www.pinecrest-fl.gov/Government/Communications-Division/News/Potable-Water-Project-Nears-Completion
Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist