Water Softener in Woodbridge, VA

Signs a softener would help

• White deposits on faucet aerators and around drains
• Spotty glassware and a film inside the dishwasher
• Showerheads that lose spray pattern over a year or two
• Scale flakes when the water heater is drained
• An old softener that leaves salty water or never regenerates

Woodbridge water and homes

Most of Woodbridge is served by Prince William Water, which supplies the eastern county with Occoquan Reservoir water treated at Fairfax Water's Griffith plant. Parts of the Woodbridge postal area around Dale City are served by Virginia American Water's Prince William system instead, which draws on the same Griffith plant. Your bill tells you which utility you have.

Prince William Water's hardness page puts its systems at 3.5 to 7.0 grains per gallon. At the low end, some households decide a softener isn't worth it; at the upper end, scale on tankless heaters and glass shows up sooner. A tap test settles it. The Virginia American Water system uses chloramines with a switch to free chlorine during the April to June flushing period; a softener won't change taste from either.

The median Woodbridge home was built around 1987, so most have copper supply lines and a garage or basement where a softener fits next to the water heater.

What affects the cost

• Unit size, which can be smaller here than in harder-water areas
• Whether the main is easy to reach or behind finished walls
• The distance to a drain for the regeneration discharge
• An outlet near the control valve
• Pairing with a carbon or drinking water filter
• Removing an existing unit

What happens when you call

The number on this page is a free referral line, not a plumbing company. You'll be connected with an independent plumber who works in Woodbridge. Say which utility is on your bill, how many people live in the home, and what problem you're trying to fix, whether it's scale, spots or a failing unit. If the job involves extending water piping, Prince William County Development Services handles plumbing permits; a plumbing permit is needed when piping is extended more than 10 feet or the pipe material changes.