People love options. Until they don’t.
That’s how it feels when you’re standing in front of a wall of water treatment systems, trying to figure out what your home actually needs.

“Do I need a softener?”
“Wait, isn’t that the same as a filter?”
“Why are there like six tanks?”

Let’s break it down — no tech talk, no fluff. Just the stuff that actually matters when you’re trying to make your water less annoying.

Let’s Start With Your Water

If you’re living in Sacramento or nearby, chances are your water is… fine.
But “fine” comes with:

• cloudy dishes after every dishwasher cycle
• stiff towels
• crusty faucets
• that weird film on your shower glass
• and soap that never really lathers right

That’s not a plumbing problem. That’s a water problem.

Softeners vs. Filters: What’s the Difference?

Softeners deal with hard water — stuff like calcium and magnesium that leave buildup and wear out your appliances.
Filters deal with what’s in the water — chlorine, sediment, funny tastes, odd smells.

You can think of it like this:

• The softener makes your water feel better.
• The filter makes your water taste and smell better.

Different tools. Different jobs.
Sometimes you need one. Sometimes both. Sometimes… neither.

What We See in Real Homes

We’ve been in homes where people spent thousands on the wrong setup — just because someone said “you need this.” And we’ve been in places where folks didn’t do anything for years and now their water heater’s shot and they’re buying bottled water for cooking.

It doesn’t have to be like that.

Most houses?

• A simple softener helps a lot — longer appliance life, cleaner dishes, softer laundry.
• If your water tastes weird or smells off? A filter takes care of that.

Still not sure? You’re not supposed to be.
That’s literally why we’re here.

So… Do You Need Both?

Maybe. Maybe not.
That’s not a cop-out — it’s just real. Some homes are better off with just a softener. Others need filtration too. And some folks honestly don’t need either — they just want peace of mind.

What matters is:

• What’s in your water
• What bugs you about it
• And what actually makes life easier in your home

At Golden Valley Plumbing, we don’t believe in “one-size-fits-all.”
We believe in looking, listening, testing if needed, and then giving you a real plan. Not a sales pitch.

Want to stop guessing? Let’s take a look at your water and walk through it together. You ask, we answer — no pressure, just plumbing.

Water shouldn’t feel like a chemistry quiz.
It should just do its job — clean, clear, and quietly helpful.