Water Softener in Lemon Grove, CA

Signs the water is working against you

• Crust around faucet handles and the base of the tub spout
• Cloudy glasses straight out of the dishwasher
• A water heater that pops or hisses as it warms up
• Shower doors that look fogged a few days after cleaning
• An inherited softener with salt in the tank and spotting anyway

Helix water in Lemon Grove

Helix Water District supplies Lemon Grove, La Mesa, El Cajon and nearby unincorporated areas. Its water is a blend of supply bought from the San Diego County Water Authority, which carries Colorado River and State Water Project water, and local runoff stored in Lake Cuyamaca and El Capitan Reservoir. Most of it is treated at Helix's R.M. Levy plant in Lakeside, where ozone is used, and chloramines are carried through the pipes to your tap.

The district's report breaks hardness out by source. Water from its own treatment plant runs 155 to 250 mg/L as calcium carbonate, averaging 206, which Helix states as 9.1 to 14.6 grains per gallon with a 12.0 average. Water it buys already treated runs 54 to 232 mg/L, averaging 146. Because a home can receive either or a mix, test at the tap and program the valve to what you measure.

Lemon Grove's sewer is run by the City-operated Lemon Grove Sanitation District, so the brine line goes to a household drain with an air gap, such as a laundry standpipe.

What drives the cost

• Your measured hardness and household water use, which decide tank size
• Whether there's a loop near the water heater or the main needs to be opened
• A metered valve versus a simpler timer model
• Distance to a drain and an outlet
• Splitting off hose bibs and irrigation ahead of the softener
• Any carbon stage or kitchen drinking water unit

When you call

You'll be connected with an independent plumber who covers Lemon Grove. Tell them whether this is a new install, a replacement or a repair, and where the main shutoff is. If the job means adding new piping, the plumber can check permit requirements with the city's Building Division at City Hall, (619) 825-3800. Ask them to write the hardness setting they programmed on the softener so you can recheck it after a few months, and to show you how to put the unit in bypass. For a water main problem on the street side, Helix's number is 619-466-0585.