You finally installed a water softener or a filter system. Great move — your water feels better, tastes better, your appliances run longer, and your faucets aren’t crusted in white mineral flakes.

But here’s the thing most people don’t hear:
these systems need attention too. Quiet, reliable, helpful — until they’re not.

“It’s Just Sitting There… What Could Go Wrong?”

Honestly? A lot — if you ignore it for long enough.

• The salt runs low.
• The filter gets clogged.
• The resin bed inside starts breaking down.
• A crusty “salt bridge” forms and blocks water flow.
• And eventually, you’re wondering why your dishes are spotty again and your shampoo barely lathers.

We’ve been called to homes where a system that “was working great for years” suddenly stopped — and it wasn’t broken. It was just neglected.

What Regular Maintenance Actually Looks Like

This isn’t rocket science. But it’s not “set and forget” either.

Check the Salt

Seems obvious, but we’ve seen systems run dry for months. No salt = no softening.
Keep the level above halfway. Not full. Not empty. Just steady.

Break the Crust

Sometimes salt clumps together and forms a hard layer. Water can’t get through. If you knock on the top of the salt and it feels like concrete? That’s a bridge. Break it up. Clean the Tank

A full clean isn’t needed monthly, but once a year? Totally worth it. Especially if your brine tank looks more like a salt swamp than a system.

Replace the Filters

If you’ve got a combo unit (softener + filter), don’t forget the filter part. It collects the bad stuff. But if you leave it too long, it stops filtering and starts clogging.

“Do I Really Need a Pro for This?”

Some of it? You can totally handle yourself.
But once a year, it’s smart to get someone out who knows what to look for. We don’t just shake the tank and walk away — we test the system, check for early wear, reset things if needed, and make sure it’s actually doing the job you paid for.

And yeah — sometimes we do find things early enough to save you from replacing the whole thing.
Not because we’re magic — just because we’ve done this a thousand times.

Real Talk From the Field

• One client had a system working at 30% capacity — they thought it was fine until their dishwasher quit.
• Another hadn’t changed a filter in 2 years. Their “clean” water wasn’t so clean anymore.
• And we’ve seen systems from big-box stores that were installed but never programmed properly — they ran nonstop and wore out twice as fast.

Moral of the story? Maintenance is cheaper than repairs. And it actually keeps your water clean — which is the whole point.

At Golden Valley Plumbing, we don’t push replacements unless you really need one. We just keep what you already have running right.

Not sure if your system needs attention? We’ll come take a look, give you the honest truth, and tune it up if it needs it. That’s it. No upsells. Just good water.

Your system’s quiet. Reliable. Helpful.
Let’s keep it that way.

We serve both residential and commercial properties in the following areas:

Antelope, Arden-Arcade, Auburn, Cameron Park, Citrus Heights, Davis, Dixon, El Dorado Hills, Elk Grove, Fair Oaks, Folsom, Gold River, Granite Bay, La Riviera, Lincoln, Loomis, Orangevale, Placerville, Rancho Cordova, Rocklin, Roseville, Sacramento, Vineyard, West Sacramento, Wilton, Woodland, McClellan Park, Pleasant Grove, Rio Linda, Foothill Farms, North Highlands, Elverta, Carmichael, Riego.