Water Softener in Broomfield, CO

Things Broomfield homeowners notice

• Spotting on dishes that comes and goes rather than staying constant
• Light scale on showerheads in some homes but not in a friend's across town
• A chlorine-like smell, especially in hot water
• A tankless heater asking for descaling earlier than expected

The variability is a clue in itself. It points to the way Broomfield's supply is put together.

Two sources in one system

The City and County of Broomfield treats Colorado and Fraser River water delivered through Northern Water's Colorado-Big Thompson Project, piped from Carter Lake to Matthew D. Glasser Reservoir and on to the city's plant. It also buys treated water from Denver Water's Moffat and South Platte systems. The two supplies mix in the distribution lines. Broomfield's report puts hardness anywhere from 24 to 140 ppm, roughly 1.4 to 7.9 grains per gallon, and describes it as soft to moderate.

That spread is wide. A home near the soft end gets little from a softener. A home near the top could see enough scale to justify one, especially with a tankless water heater. Broomfield disinfects with chloramines, adds fluoride, and adds sodium carbonate for corrosion control. None of those are reasons to buy a softener, but the chloramine is a reason to choose catalytic carbon if taste is your main complaint.

Nearly every home in Broomfield is on the municipal system, so private well treatment rarely comes up here.

Cost depends on

• Your tested hardness and household water use
• Softener alone or combined with a carbon stage
• Main line location: basement, garage or mechanical closet
• A nearby drain for regeneration water
• Coordinating with a water heater replacement, which always needs a Broomfield permit

When you call

The number on this page links you with an independent plumber who works in Broomfield. Tell them what you are seeing and whether the water heater is tank or tankless. Broomfield's Building Division requires a permit for every water heater installation, including like-for-like swaps, so if you are replacing one at the same time, the plumber will need to pull that permit and can ask about the softener in the same application.