Water Softener in Lakeside, CA

Lakeside homes get water from either Lakeside Water District or Padre Dam Municipal Water District depending on the address, and both deliver hard imported water that leaves scale in fixtures and heaters. Since we don't have a readable hardness figure for either, a test at your tap sets the softener. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Lakeside.

Water softener tank and brine tank with a filtration system in a garage, water softeners & filtration in Lakeside, CA

Which district supplies my water in Lakeside?

San Diego LAFCO lists two retailers in the area. Lakeside Water District serves Lakeside, Eucalyptus Hills, Moreno Valley, Muth Valley and Wintergardens, while Padre Dam Municipal Water District serves other parts of Lakeside along with Crest, Harbison Canyon, Blossom Valley and Alpine. The boundary runs address by address, so check your bill. Lakeside Water District takes calls about water problems at any hour at 619-443-3805.

Does the local water change what I should buy?

Lakeside Water District's main supply is surface water treated at Helix's R.M. Levy plant, plus imported water from the Skinner plant and groundwater from the Santee-El Monte Basin, which the district treats at its Vine Street plant to remove iron and manganese. It disinfects with chloramine. The district's report includes a hardness row, but we couldn't read its values reliably, so we won't print a number. Padre Dam customers have a different report again.

The practical answer is a test at your faucet. A softener is the right tool for calcium and magnesium; it isn't a chloramine filter, so a carbon stage is the add-on if taste bothers you or if you want to protect the resin. Because the district already treats its groundwater for iron and manganese, a standard softener sized to your measured hardness is usually enough.

Will a softener fit an older Lakeside house?

Usually, with some piping. Lakeside's median home was built around 1978, and about 52.5 percent of homes predate 1980. Many have no softener loop, and the main may come in at the front or side of the house. The plumber cuts in a bypass and shutoffs, finds a drain for the brine line with an air gap, and makes sure there's power for the valve. On larger lots, splitting the irrigation and hose bibs off ahead of the softener saves a lot of salt.

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

(619) 597-1567

A Lakeside note

Lakeside is unincorporated, so if the job needs a permit, it comes from the County of San Diego Planning & Development Services Building Division, which handles simple permits and inspection scheduling online. Sewered parts of Lakeside are served by the San Diego County Sanitation District. Ask the plumber where the brine line will discharge on your property before the install.

Water Softeners & Filtration questions in Lakeside

How do I tell which water agency serves my address?

Check the bill. LAFCO maps Lakeside between Lakeside Water District and Padre Dam Municipal Water District, and the boundary depends on the street address.

Where can I look up the hardness of the water at my address?

Each district publishes its own water quality report. We couldn't read Lakeside Water District's hardness values reliably, so a test at your faucet is the dependable figure.

Where does a softener go in a house with no pre-plumbed loop?

In a pre-1980 Lakeside house, the plumber opens the main where it enters, adds a bypass and valves, and places the softener near a drain and an outlet, often in the garage or a shaded side yard.

Does softened water add sodium to what we drink?

Some sodium replaces the hardness removed. Using potassium chloride, or adding a kitchen tap that bypasses the softener, avoids it.