Water Softener in Arvada, CO | Plumber Denver CO

Arvada's water is on the soft side: the city reports average hardness of about 43 ppm from the Ralston plant and 65 ppm from the Arvada plant. Most homes on city water do not need a softener, though a plumber can test your tap if you are seeing heavy scale. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Arvada.

Plumber connecting a water softener and whole-house filter, water softeners & filtration in Arvada, CO

Is a softener worth buying for city water in Arvada?

For most homes, probably not. The City of Arvada's 2026 water quality report lists average total hardness of 43.1 ppm for water from the Ralston Water Treatment Plant and 64.7 ppm from the Arvada plant. On the usual scale, anything under 60 counts as soft, and the Arvada plant's figure sits just over that line. Water that soft rarely leaves the thick crust people associate with hard water. If you see heavy scale anyway, the cause is worth checking before you spend money: an old water heater shedding sediment, a failing anode, or a home on a different district than you assumed. A hardness test at the kitchen tap settles the question in minutes.

Which provider actually serves my address?

Most Arvada homes are on City of Arvada water and sewer, which blends Denver Water's North System supply from Ralston Reservoir with Clear Creek water carried by canal to Arvada Reservoir. A few areas inside city limits are served by other districts instead, including Ralston Valley Water and Sanitation, Valley Water, North Table Mountain Water, Consolidated Mutual and Denver Water. The city's district maps show the boundaries. If your bill comes from one of those, look at that provider's report, since its hardness may differ.

What would help more than a softener?

Arvada disinfects with chlorine at both plants. Homeowners who notice a chlorine taste usually do better with a carbon filter at the kitchen sink or on the main line than with a softener. If your concern is older plumbing, the city says lead and pre-1960 galvanized service lines are prohibited in its system and its inventory has found no lead lines. Inside the house, Arvada's median home was built in 1979, so a plumbing inspection can flag aging fixtures and water heaters that a softener would not fix anyway.

Call now to be connected with a local plumber in Arvada.

(303) 529-9880

A note on permits

Arvada Building Services requires permits before replacing or installing water heaters and other plumbing appliances. If you do go ahead with a softener or filter on the main line, ask the plumber whether it needs a Residential Plumbing permit, which contractors with an active City of Arvada license can pull online.

Water Softeners & Filtration questions in Arvada

Does my water provider publish a hardness number?

Yes. Arvada's 2026 report lists averages of 43.1 ppm from the Ralston plant and 64.7 ppm from the Arvada plant, both soft to slightly hard.

How hard does water have to be before a softener is worth it?

Many plumbers start recommending one above roughly 7 grains per gallon, about 120 ppm. Arvada city water sits well under that, so most homes can skip it.

Will a softener get rid of chlorine or chloramine taste?

No. Arvada uses chlorine at both plants, and a carbon filter, not a softener, is what reduces chlorine taste and smell.

Is a reverse osmosis unit at the kitchen sink worth adding?

It can be, if you want very clean drinking water for coffee or ice. In soft-water Arvada it is a taste and preference choice rather than a scale fix.