Lab notes
Hard water & well water notes
Hardness and testing
- Hard Water vs Soft Water Hard water vs soft water side by side: minerals, scale, soap, appliances, sodium in softened water and what it costs to switch, with each point sourced. Updated 2026-11-01
- How to Test Water Hardness How to test water hardness: check your water report, use test strips or a drop-count kit, or send a sample to a lab, then read the result in gpg or mg/L. Updated 2026-11-01
- Water Hardness Scale: gpg, ppm and mg/L Explained The water hardness scale in grains per gallon and mg/L: how Penn State Extension and USGS classify soft to very hard water, and how to convert your number. Updated 2026-11-01
- Water Hardness Test Kits: Strips, Drops or a Lab? Water hardness test strips, drop-count kits, lab tests and TDS meters compared from maker specs and extension advice: what each measures and what it costs. Updated 2026-11-01
- Well Water Testing Cost: Lab Prices and What to Order Well water test prices at state and university labs, what basic and full packages include, which tests to order before buying treatment, and how often. Updated 2026-11-01
- What Is Hard Water? Hard water is water high in dissolved calcium and magnesium: where it comes from, how common it is in U.S. wells, the signs at home and how to measure it. Updated 2026-11-01
Softeners
- Does a Water Filter Soften Hard Water? Common whole-house filters don't remove hardness. What softeners, sediment, carbon and RO each handle, when you need both, and in what order. Updated 2026-11-01
- Salt-Free Water Softeners: Do They Work? Most salt-free conditioners don't remove hardness; at best they reduce scale. What independent sources say, which standards exist and how to check a claim. Updated 2026-11-01
- Water Softener Cost (system + install + salt) What a water softener costs to buy, install and run: equipment, labor, salt by your hardness, upkeep, and a 5- and 10-year total from named sources. Updated 2026-11-01
- What Size Water Softener Do I Need? How to size a water softener: multiply people, gallons per day, hardness and days between regenerations. Worked examples for 2–6 people and salt settings. Updated 2026-11-01
Whole-house filters
- Sediment vs Carbon Whole House Filters: What Each Removes A sediment filter strains out sand and silt by size; a carbon filter adsorbs chlorine, tastes and odors. Micron ratings, costs, and when you need both. Updated 2026-11-01
- Whole House Water Filter Cost (2026) What a whole house water filter costs in the U.S.: installed price by system type, labor, replacement filters and yearly upkeep, each number from a source. Updated 2026-11-01
- Whole House Water Filter Installation Cost What a plumber charges to install a whole house water filter: labor, bypass, drain, outlet and permit costs, and what to ask before you hire. Updated 2026-11-01
- Whole House Water Filter Maintenance: When to Change Filters How often to change whole house filter cartridges, how to read the pressure gauges, signs a filter is spent, and what upkeep costs per year. Updated 2026-11-01
Well water
- Iron Filter for Well Water: Match the Treatment to Your Iron Level Why well water stains orange, what your iron and manganese numbers mean, which treatment fits which level, and what iron filters cost. Updated 2026-11-01
- Sulfur (Rotten Egg) Smell in Well Water: Find the Source First Hydrogen sulfide gas can give well water a rotten-egg smell. How to tell a water heater problem from a well problem, what to test, and treatment by level. Updated 2026-11-01
- Whole House Water Filter for Well Water: What to Test First Choosing a whole house filter for a private well: what to test, which treatment matches each lab result, the usual order of stages, and what systems cost. Updated 2026-11-01