Los Angeles · Greater Basin · Since 2009

Los Angeles water is 16 grains hard.
Your pipes remember every single one.

Soften pulls calcium-crusted pipes from beneath Pasadena bungalows and Koreatown complexes alike — swapping hard-water damage for glass-clear flow across 42 ZIP codes.

Water hardness (gpg)LA: 16 gpg

0 — Soft18 — Very Hard

Scroll to dissolve the problem

Cross-sectioned copper pipe heavily encrusted with white calcium scale deposits, lit clinically against dark background

Specimen · 1.5″ Copper Main · 14 years service

Effective bore reduced 62% by calcium carbonate scale. Flow pressure loss: 41 PSI.

CaCO₃ deposit ring

Copper wall: 0.9mm intact

Scale: 8.4mm thick

ROI Question

How many units before a commercial system pays for itself?

The math is simpler than your maintenance logs. LA's 16-gpg water destroys water heaters in 3.4 years instead of 10 — and that's before you count emergency plumber calls, tenant complaints, and repiping bids.

Annual hard-water damage per 50-unit complex

$41,000/ year average

0 gpg

LA Basin Hardness

Faster Water Heater Wear

Avg. Pipe Bore Reduction

Systems Installed

Payback Analysis · LA Basin Properties

Payback by portfolio size

System cost includes supply, installation, and first-year service. Damage figures are 2025 averages across Soften's active service territories.

Portfolio	Annual Damage	System Cost	Payback
12–24 units	$8,400	$6,200	8.8 months
25–49 units	$18,900	$9,800	6.2 months
50–99 units	$41,000	$14,500	4.3 months
100–200 units	$86,000	$22,000	3.1 months

Untreated damage cost (10-yr)$410k

Soften system (10-yr total)$89k

Net savings over 10 years$321k

* Based on 50-unit complex. Includes water heater replacement, emergency plumbing, fixture descaling, and tenant-reported maintenance hours. Soften field data 2023–2025.

Plumber working on water pipe retrofit installation in a residential building basement, showing above-slab bypass valve connection

Above-slab install — no concrete cuts

Bypass valve at main entry

Typical 1940s Bungalow Main — Retrofit Schematic

Saves $4,200–$18,000 vs. traditional slab-cut repiping on a typical 1940s Pasadena bungalow or Koreatown 4-plex.

Retrofit Question

Can you retrofit a 1940s main without opening the slab?

Every Soften install is engineered above-slab. We've completed 340+ retrofits on pre-war construction across Pasadena, Boyle Heights, and West Adams — never a concrete saw on site.

Bypass valve install at main entry

No trench required. We tap the main at the meter — works on 1940s galvanized and modern copper alike.

⏱ 2–4 hrs$ Included in system price

Non-invasive descaler on existing scale

Inline template crystals prevent new scale from binding. Existing scale softens and flushes over 30–90 days.

⏱ 45 min$ $0 added cost

Slab clearance: zero cuts needed

Every Soften install is designed above-slab. No concrete saw, no post-pour, no permit for structural work.

⏱ N/A$ Saves $4,200–$18,000 vs. slab work

Final flow and pressure certification

We deliver a written pressure report and before/after TDS reading — your documentation for insurance or HOA records.

⏱ 1 hr$ Included

Partnership Question

Why does your install partner matter more than the softener brand?

A mis-sized system on a 100-unit building leaves 40% of the water untreated. A wrong bypass configuration voids the manufacturer warranty. The brand is the hardware — we're the engineering judgment that makes it work.

Average maintenance hours saved per year · 50-unit complex

186hours / year

At $85/hr plumber rate = $15,810 saved annually

Current install partners include

Valley Plumbing Co.Koreatown PM GroupSoCal Builders GuildSanta Clarita HOA Assoc.Eastside Repiping

Why Soften

What you get with a Soften partnership

Every credential below is verifiable. We'll send the documentation before you sign anything.

Certified by WQA

100% of installs certified

Water Quality Association Gold Seal. Every system we install meets NSF/ANSI 44.

48-hr install SLA

96.4% on-time rate, 2025

From signed agreement to live system in 48 hours — guaranteed for commercial accounts.

14 dedicated field crews

Valley · Eastside · South Bay

Stationed across the Valley, Eastside, and South Bay — no subcontractors, ever.

Real-time flow monitoring

Included at no extra cost

Every commercial system ships with a cellular monitor. You see TDS, flow rate, and salt level from your phone.

Written warranty on labor

5-yr labor / 10-yr parts

5-year labor warranty, 10-year parts. Transferable to new property owner — a documented asset at sale.

Partner dashboard access

180+ active contractor partners

Contractors see all active jobs, permit status, and inspection docs in one portal. No phone tag.

Primary Partnership Path

Become an Install Partner

Join 180+ plumbing contractors, property managers, and developers across the LA basin. Priority scheduling, partner pricing, and a dedicated account manager from day one.

$200–$800 referral credit per completed install

48-hour install SLA on all commercial accounts

Real-time job portal — no phone tag, no status calls

Co-branded proposals for your client bids

Not Ready to Partner Yet?

The Hard-Water Cost Report

2025 Edition · 18 pages · Free

The definitive financial case for water treatment in LA-basin multifamily properties. Includes actual repair invoices, insurance claim data, and a cost-per-unit calculator for portfolios of any size.

Water heater replacement cycles by ZIP code

Plumber call-out frequency vs. water hardness

Insurance claim rates for untreated properties

ROI calculator: 12 to 200 units

Soften vs. competitors: install cost breakdown

Active service territories

PasadenaKoreatownSan Fernando ValleySanta ClaritaBoyle HeightsWest AdamsBurbankGlendaleLong BeachTorrance