Helotes is in northwest Bexar County, outside Loop 1604, along Bandera Road. It is close enough to San Antonio that people assume the water is the same, and far enough out that it may not be. If you are thinking about a water softener in Helotes, this page explains which hardness figure applies to your home, how a softener is sized from it, and what to ask before you buy.
Water Filtration San Antonio is an independent referral service, not an installer or plumber. When you send the form, your details go to an independent local water treatment pro who can contact you and quote the work.
Which figure applies to your home
There are three possibilities. If SAWS supplies your water, SAWS’s typical range of 15 to 20 grains per gallon applies. If another utility supplies it, use the hardness in that utility’s annual water quality report. If your home is on a private well, only a test of your own water tells you. Your water bill, or the lack of one, tells you which case you are in.
| Your supply | Where the hardness figure comes from |
|---|---|
| SAWS | SAWS: typical 15 to 20 grains per gallon |
| Another utility | That utility’s annual water quality report |
| Private well | A test by a certified laboratory |
On the US Geological Survey scale, water over 180 mg/L as calcium carbonate is very hard; one grain per gallon is about 17 mg/L, so the line falls a little above 10 grains.
Sizing a softener
Once you have the figure, sizing is arithmetic: hardness in grains per gallon multiplied by the gallons your household uses in a day gives the grains the softener must remove each day. Ask the installer to show you the calculation and for a unit certified to NSF/ANSI 44, the standard for residential softeners regenerated with sodium or potassium chloride. A salt-based softener adds a little sodium in exchange for the hardness it removes; if that matters for your diet, ask your doctor and ask about potassium chloride.
Drinking water: reverse osmosis
If you want better drinking water as well as soft water, a point-of-use reverse osmosis system under the kitchen sink is one option to ask about. The EPA says RO systems can potentially remove contaminants such as lead, volatile organic compounds, PFAS, arsenic, bacteria and viruses, and that a typical unit sends five gallons or more down the drain per gallon treated, against 2.3 gallons or less for a WaterSense labeled unit. Ask for NSF/ANSI 58 certification. In Texas, RO work needs a Class III Water Treatment Specialist, or supervision by one, unless the person is a licensed plumber.
In Helotes and want soft water? Send the form with your ZIP code.
Request a quoteHomes on a private well
The EPA says private well owners are responsible for delivering safe drinking water to their households, and that private wells are not regulated under the federal Safe Drinking Water Act. It advises testing every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, using only laboratories certified for drinking water testing. Choose any treatment after the test, not before. Work on the well or its pump is licensed by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, which says a license is required to drill a water well and to install a pump for one.
Before a pro visits
- Check your bill, or confirm you are on a well
- Find the hardness figure that applies, or a recent well test
- Note what you see: crust, spots, soap scum, a taste or smell
- Find where the main line enters the house
- Decide whether you also want RO drinking water at the kitchen sink
License and permit
Anyone who installs or services water treatment equipment under contract in Texas needs a TCEQ Water Treatment Specialist license unless exempt; plumbers licensed under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1301 are exempt. Permits are local: the Limited Service Repair permit described on this site is the City of San Antonio’s, so in Helotes, ask the installer which permit applies to your property.
Questions people ask
Is Helotes on SAWS water?
Check your water bill. If SAWS supplies your home, its typical 15 to 20 grain range applies; if another utility does, use that utility’s annual report.
Do I need a softener and RO?
They do different jobs. A softener treats hardness for the whole house; an RO unit makes drinking water at one tap. Choose each for what you want to change.
Can a softener go on well water?
Yes, if a test shows the water is hard. Test the well first with a certified laboratory, then choose equipment for what the test finds.
