Water softener help for Grand Junction and the Grand Valley
Chalky crust on the faucets, film on the shower glass, or a softener in the garage that hasn't used salt in months? One call connects you with a water treatment company that works in your part of Mesa County.
What does your water need?
- Water softener installationA new softener sized to a water test and your household, installed with a bypass and a proper drain.
- Water softener repairFix softeners that stopped softening, won't regenerate, never use salt or leak.
- Water softener replacementSwap an old, failing or poorly sized unit for one matched to your current water and household.
- Whole-house filtrationSediment, carbon and specialty filters for every tap, often installed ahead of a softener.
- Reverse osmosis drinking waterUnder-sink RO systems for drinking and cooking water, often paired with a softener.
How it works
Call or send a request
Tell us your community, your water provider and what you're seeing.
We connect you
Your call goes to an independent water treatment company that serves the Grand Valley.
They call you back
They test the water, recommend equipment or a repair, and quote the work directly.
Who is this site for?
Homeowners in Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Clifton, Orchard Mesa, the Redlands and the rest of the Grand Valley who want to do something about hard water. That covers people shopping for a first softener, people whose current unit has stopped keeping up, people who bought a house with a mystery softener in the garage, and people who want a separate drinking-water filter at the kitchen sink.
Is Grand Junction's water hard?
It depends on who sends your water bill, because the valley has several water providers. Ute Water Conservancy District, which serves about 92,000 residential customers, posts a weekly water quality dashboard; a recent reading listed hardness at 170 mg/L, which falls in the "hard" band of Ute's own scale (121 to 180 mg/L) and works out to about 10 grains per gallon. The City of Grand Junction and the Clifton Water District draw from different sources, and their annual reports don't list a hardness figure, so a quick test at your tap is the honest way to find out.
Where does the valley's water come from?
Most of it starts as snowmelt on the Grand Mesa. The City of Grand Junction draws from the Kannah Creek watershed and reservoirs such as Juniata and Purdy Mesa, with a pump station on the Gunnison River as another source. Ute Water relies mainly on the Plateau Creek watershed and the Jerry Creek Reservoirs, with the Colorado River as a secondary source. Clifton Water District takes water from the Colorado River and the Grand Valley Canal and buys water from Ute and the city. Water picks up dissolved minerals along the way, and that's what a softener deals with.
Do I actually need a softener?
Not always, and a good installer will say so. EPA's WaterSense program suggests installing a softener when hardness is substantial, such as above 180 mg/L or 10 grains per gallon, or when a local authority recommends it. Much of the Grand Valley sits near that line. If crust on fixtures, spotty dishes and scale in the water heater bother you, a softener solves them. If they don't, you may decide the salt, water and upkeep aren't worth it.
Signs your water is hard or your softener isn't working
- White or tan crust around faucets, showerheads and the dishwasher door
- Spots and haze on glassware and shower doors
- Soap and shampoo that won't lather
- A water heater that rumbles or pops as it heats
- Salt in the brine tank that never goes down
- Scale returning after a softener used to keep it away
What should I look for in a new softener?
Size and efficiency. The installer should size the unit to your measured hardness and household water use, not to a guess. WaterSense recommends softeners certified to NSF/ANSI 44, with demand-initiated regeneration rather than a fixed timer, and it treats 4 gallons or less of water per 1,000 grains of hardness removed as efficient. In a dry valley that averages about 9 inches of precipitation a year, wasting less water on regeneration is worth asking about. More on installation.
What about drinking water?
A softener isn't a drinking-water filter. Salt-based units trade hardness for sodium, and the Minnesota Department of Health advises anyone on a sodium-restricted diet to check with a doctor before regularly drinking softened water. Many households keep one cold tap unsoftened or add an under-sink reverse osmosis system for drinking and cooking. More on reverse osmosis.
What happens when you call?
You tell us where you live and what's going on. We connect you with an independent water treatment company that serves your address. Expect questions about your water provider and household size, then a water test and a look at where the equipment can go. Ask for the hardness reading, the model and size of the unit, and the warranty terms in writing.
Are you a water softener company?
No. Grand Junction Water Softener is a referral service. We connect you with an independent company that serves your address, and that company tests, quotes, installs and stands behind the work. Read our tips for hiring a water treatment company and the Grand Junction hard water guide before you buy anything.
Areas we cover
Planning ahead? Read our Grand Junction hard water guide.
Common questions
Who will work on my softener?
An independent water treatment company that serves your area. We connect you with them. We don't sell, install or repair equipment ourselves.
Does it cost anything to use this site?
No. Calling or sending a request is free. The company quotes and bills its work directly.
What areas do you cover?
Grand Junction, Fruita, Palisade, Clifton, Orchard Mesa, the Redlands, Whitewater, Loma and other parts of Mesa County.
How hard is Ute Water's water?
A recent reading on Ute Water's weekly dashboard listed hardness at 170 mg/L, about 10 grains per gallon, which Ute's own scale calls hard. Readings change week to week.
Scale on the faucets or a softener that stopped working?
Call and we'll connect you with a water treatment company that works in your part of the Grand Valley.