Water Softener in West Miami

What lime softening does

At the plant, lime is added so calcium and some magnesium settle out as sludge, then the water is disinfected and filtered. It lowers hardness for the whole system but does not take it to zero, and WASD's report does not list a hardness number for your street. A reading in grains per gallon at your kitchen tap is the fair test.

West Miami's own report covers lead, copper, bacteria and disinfection byproducts, not hardness. WASD's report describes the softening process. Neither gives you a number for your kitchen, which is why the free test exists.

When a softener still makes sense

• Visible scale on shower heads and in the water heater despite regular cleaning.
• Tankless heaters, espresso machines or ice makers with strict water specifications.
• Restaurants, bakeries, salons and laundromats where scale shortens equipment life.

Living Water installs ion-exchange softening plants for homes and businesses.

Signs worth testing for: crust on shower heads, cloudy spots on glasses, soap that will not lather, and a tank water heater that rumbles. Some of these come from dissolved solids or high heater temperatures rather than hardness, which is exactly what the test sorts out. See hard water spots.

How ion exchange works

1. Water flows through resin beads holding sodium.
2. Calcium and magnesium trade places with the sodium.
3. The system regenerates with brine and rinses to a drain.

Living Water sizes softeners to measured hardness and household water use, and recommends demand-based regeneration so salt and water are not wasted on a fixed schedule.

Sodium and drinking water

WASD's main system lists sodium at 33 ppm. Softening adds some sodium in proportion to the hardness removed, so many homes add an under-sink RO for drinking water. If you follow a sodium-restricted diet, ask your doctor and tell Jorge.

Drain and discharge

A softener needs a drain for its regeneration rinse. West Miami's Storm Water page posts Miami-Dade's septic system brochures, and some properties in the area use septic. Plan where the rinse goes with your installer, and never route it to a storm drain; the city's stormwater flows to the C-3 and C-4 canals.

Book a hardness test

Call, text or WhatsApp Jorge at (305) 793-5974. Compare first in softener vs. filter. Living Water offers financing through its financing partners; you apply with a credit application, and a co-applicant can apply with you.

Updated 2026-10-17 · Living Waters · Jorge Canela, Water Quality Specialist