What the $2,999 includes
- Salt-based water softener, sized to your hardness number and household, installed at the main line after the meter.
- Whole-home carbon tank with media matched to your utility's disinfectant, installed after the softener.
- Under-sink reverse osmosis system with a dedicated drinking-water faucet at the kitchen sink.
- Standard installation: connection at the main line, drain and bypass for the softener and carbon tank, the RO faucet and cabinet installation, startup and a walkthrough of salt and filter care.
- A written quote first that names the equipment sizing, tax, permits and warranty before you book.
What can add to it
We would rather list these here than surprise you with them. Each one is confirmed in writing, with its price, before you book.
- Well water pre-treatment. Heavy iron, manganese, hydrogen sulfide or bacteria need their own stage ahead of the bundle. We quote it from your water test. Details on the well water page.
- Unusual plumbing. No drain or outlet near the main line, a crawlspace or exterior install, or a home that needs a bypass loop for outdoor spigots.
- Permits. Where your municipality requires a plumbing permit for the install, the fee is listed on the quote.
- Larger equipment. Very large households or very high hardness can call for a bigger softener than the standard size. Your hardness number and household size decide it, and the quote says so.
Why the bundle instead of a softener alone
Joliet water has three separate problems: 12 to 22 grains of hardness, a chloramine residual of 1 to 2 ppm, and radium the city treats for but does not eliminate. A softener fixes exactly one of them. Selling a softener alone would be easier and cheaper, and it would leave you drinking the same water. So we price all three together and install them in the order they need to go. Read what each one does: softener, carbon tank, reverse osmosis.
What hard water is costing you now
The Battelle Memorial Institute ran gas water heaters on hard and softened water side by side. Heaters on hard water lost up to 25% of their efficiency to scale, and every one of them failed before the test ended. Every heater on softened water finished. The same work found softened water cut detergent use by about half. A water heater that dies at eight years instead of fifteen, plus the gas it wastes heating rock along the way, is money you are already spending.
Running costs after the install
- Salt. A bag or two a month for most homes, more at 22 grains with a big family, less at 12 grains with two people. Your walkthrough covers the schedule.
- Regeneration water. The softener flushes itself overnight on a schedule; the volume is small and it shows up as a minor line on the water bill.
- RO filters. Pre-filters and the carbon post-filter are usually changed yearly; the membrane lasts several years. We can text you when it is time.
- Carbon media. Replaced on the equipment schedule, which depends on tank size and water use and is spelled out in your quote.
Same price across the service area
The $2,999 standard package is the same in Joliet, Shorewood, Crest Hill, Plainfield, Lockport, Romeoville, New Lenox and the rest of our service area. What changes from town to town is the equipment sizing and the carbon media, which is why we pull the water report for your system before we quote.
Sources: Battelle Memorial Institute, softened water study of residential water heaters and detergent use; City of Joliet Public Utilities FAQ and 2024 Water Quality Report. Standard package terms are in the footer and confirmed in every written quote.