Water Softener in Sterling, VA

Signs your home needs a softener, or a new one

• White scale on faucets, tile and glass that keeps coming back
• Dishwasher film and spotty glasses
• A water heater that pops, rumbles or runs short on hot water
• Showerheads that lose pressure year to year
• An old softener with a cracked brine tank or a valve that no longer cycles

Local conditions in Sterling

Sterling is older than most of Loudoun County. It began with the early-1960s Sterling Park development, and about 43 percent of homes in ZIP 20164 predate 1980, many from the 1960s through the 1980s. Those houses often have their original main shutoff and a utility layout that wasn't designed for a softener, so fitting one may involve new valves and a short reroute.

Loudoun Water supplies Sterling from the Potomac River, treated at its Trap Rock facility and at Fairfax Water's Corbalis plant, with the Beaverdam and Goose Creek reservoirs available as needed. Both sources are treated with chloramine. Potomac water in this region is generally moderately hard, but Loudoun Water's own report is the figure to read, and a tap test tells you what reaches your sink.

Chloramine can wear down standard softener resin over many years. Crosslinked resin or a carbon prefilter helps; the carbon also cuts disinfectant taste, which a softener alone doesn't touch.

What affects the cost

• System capacity and whether it regenerates by meter or timer
• Replacing old valves at the main
• Access in a finished basement or crowded utility closet
• Drain line run for the regeneration discharge
• Carbon prefilter or a reverse osmosis faucet
• Removal of an existing unit

What happens when you call

The number on this page is a free referral line, not a plumbing company. It connects you with an independent plumber who works in Sterling. Say how many people are in the home, roughly when it was built, and whether a softener is already installed. Irrigation and pool backflow preventers on Loudoun Water must be tested yearly, so if lines are being rerouted, mention any irrigation system. Loudoun County Building and Development handles trade permits for Sterling.