Water softener installation in Hobbs
A softener works best when it's sized to your water and the people using it. Here's what a careful install in Hobbs looks like.
Most home softeners pair two tanks. One holds resin beads that pull calcium and magnesium out of the water as it passes through. The other holds salt, which turns into brine. Every so often, on a timer or when a meter says the resin is nearly used up, the unit regenerates: it washes the resin with brine, which knocks the hardness minerals loose and flushes them to a drain. Installed well, it mostly asks you to add salt now and then.
How should a softener be sized?
From two numbers: the hardness of your water in grains per gallon, and how much water the household uses. Together they set the resin capacity and how often the unit has to regenerate. Go too small and it runs out between cycles and lets hard water through. Go too big and you pay more up front and may waste salt and water. The City of Hobbs report doesn't publish a hardness figure, and private wells around the county can differ from city water, so a test at your tap should come before anyone picks a model.
What's part of a typical installation?
- A water test. Hardness at minimum. On a well, ask about iron and manganese too, since they affect resin life.
- A spot for the unit. Usually near where the main line enters the house, often in the garage or a utility room. Hobbs has hit -7°F on record, so a unit outside or in an unheated space needs freeze protection.
- A bypass valve. Lets water go around the softener during service or for lines that don't need softened water.
- Drain and power. Regeneration water needs a drain with an air gap, and the control head needs an outlet.
- Setup and a walkthrough. Programming the hardness and household size, then showing you how to add salt and switch to bypass.
Should the yard get softened water?
Generally no. NDSU Extension says softened water isn't recommended for lawns, gardens or houseplants because of the sodium it carries. Installers commonly leave hose bibs and sprinkler lines on unsoftened water. Ask how your plumbing will be split before work starts.
What changes the price?
- The type and capacity of the softener
- How much re-piping it takes to reach the main line
- How close a drain and outlet are
- Extras like a sediment pre-filter or an RO faucet
The water treatment company sets the price after it has tested your water, looked at your plumbing and worked out what equipment fits. We don't quote prices. Treat any figure you hear over the phone, before anyone has tested the water or seen where the unit would go, as a rough starting point only.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Do I need a softener on Hobbs city water?
It's your choice. The city's water comes from the Ogallala Aquifer, and the report doesn't list hardness. Test your tap, then decide whether the scale bothers you enough.
Who can install a softener in New Mexico?
Tying a softener into your water line is plumbing work, which the Construction Industries Division licenses under classifications like MM-1. Ask the company which CID license it holds.
Related services
More background: Hobbs hard water guide.
Scale on the shower head or a softener that quit on you?
Call the number above and we'll connect you with a water treatment company that works in Hobbs and Lea County.