Water Softener in Edgewater, CO

Edgewater at a glance

Edgewater is a small, fully urban city just west of Sloan's Lake, bordered by Denver, Lakewood and Wheat Ridge. The city distributes Denver Water supply through six master meters, owns and maintains its own pipes, and bills customers itself. Denver Water's 2026 report lists average total hardness of about 105 mg/L. Bear Creek Water and Sanitation District notes that Denver Water uses a long-lasting chloramine disinfectant. The median home in Edgewater was built in 1958, and about 79% predate 1980.

Steps to take first

1. Look at the symptom. Crust and spots suggest hardness; a pool smell is chloramine.
2. Have a plumber test hardness at your kitchen tap.
3. Ask the plumber to check the pipe and shutoff where the softener would tie in. In homes this age, old galvanized sections and stiff valves are worth replacing first.
4. Know what you own. Edgewater homeowners own their water service line and water meter.
5. Decide whether a softener, a catalytic carbon filter or both fit your goals.
6. Sort out the permit before work begins.

Symptoms and likely causes

Cost factors

• Hardness reading and household size
• Repairs to old pipe or valves at the tie-in point
• Catalytic carbon for chloramine taste
• Space in a small basement or utility room
• Drain access and an air gap
• City permit and inspection

Edgewater's Building Department at City Hall on Harlan Street handles plumbing permits. Homeowners can pull their own plumbing permit only if they certify they will personally do the work and the property is not for sale or rent, and work must meet the International Plumbing Code. Most people have the plumber pull the permit instead. With so much older housing in town, it often makes sense to pair a softener with a broader plumbing inspection, since a softener slows new scale but will not fix pipes that are already restricted or corroding.