New Braunfels sits northeast of San Antonio on I-35, the seat of Comal County, where the Comal River runs through town to meet the Guadalupe. If you are thinking about a water softener in New Braunfels, the first step is the same as anywhere: find out how hard your own water is, from the people who supply it. This page explains how, 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.
Why the San Antonio figure does not apply
You will see SAWS’s range of 15 to 20 grains per gallon quoted a lot on this site. That figure is for water the San Antonio Water System provides to its customers. Unless SAWS supplies your New Braunfels home, its number is not yours. The name of your supplier is on your water bill. Ask it for its annual water quality report and use the hardness it gives.
Reading your hardness figure
Utilities give hardness in grains per gallon (gpg), in milligrams per liter (mg/L) as calcium carbonate, or both. One grain per gallon is about 17 mg/L. The US Geological Survey grades it like this:
| USGS grade | mg/L as calcium carbonate |
|---|---|
| Soft | 0 to 60 |
| Moderately hard | 61 to 120 |
| Hard | 121 to 180 |
| Very hard | Over 180 |
If your figure is in the hard or very hard band, a softener is the equipment that removes it. If you also want a test at your own tap, ask the water treatment pro to do one before quoting, and ask to see the reading.
Sizing a softener for your water
Softener capacity is counted in grains: your water’s hardness in grains per gallon multiplied by the gallons your household uses in a day gives the grains the softener must remove each day. That is why the hardness figure matters so much: the same house needs a different softener on water of a different hardness. Ask the installer to show you the figures behind the size they recommend, and for a unit certified to NSF/ANSI 44, the standard for residential softeners that regenerate with sodium or potassium chloride.
A salt-based softener adds a little sodium in exchange for the hardness it removes. If anyone in the house is on a sodium-restricted diet, ask your doctor, and ask the installer about potassium chloride.
In New Braunfels and thinking about a softener? Send the form with your ZIP code.
Request a quotePermits and licenses in New Braunfels
Permit rules are set by each city. The Limited Service Repair permit described on this site’s installation page is the City of San Antonio’s. In New Braunfels, check the city’s own permit rules, and ask the installer which permit your job needs and who files it.
The license rule is statewide. TCEQ’s Water Treatment Specialist rule covers anyone who under contract installs, exchanges, connects, maintains or services water treatment equipment in Texas. That person needs a Water Treatment Specialist license unless exempt, and plumbers licensed under Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1301 are exempt. Reverse osmosis work needs Class III.
If your home is on a well
Homes outside a water system’s lines may be on a private well. The EPA says private well owners are responsible for the safety of their own water and advises testing every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH, using only laboratories certified for drinking water testing. Treatment should follow the test. Work on the well itself is licensed separately: the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation says a license is required to drill a water well and to install a pump for one.
Comparing quotes in New Braunfels
- Which hardness figure did you size from: my utility’s report, or a test at my tap?
- What capacity is the softener, and is it certified to NSF/ANSI 44?
- Is it set up for salt, potassium chloride or both?
- Which Texas license do you hold, and which New Braunfels permit applies?
- Where will the drain line and the bypass go?
- What does the maker say about maintenance?
Questions people ask
How hard is the water in New Braunfels?
This site does not publish a figure for New Braunfels. Ask the utility named on your water bill for its annual water quality report, or have your tap tested.
Does New Braunfels use SAWS water?
SAWS’s 15 to 20 grain figure is for water SAWS provides. Your bill names your supplier; use that supplier’s figures.
Do I need a permit for a softener in New Braunfels?
Check with the City of New Braunfels and ask the installer which permit applies. The LSR permit on this site is San Antonio’s.
