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Servicing the Tri-County Area

and Northern, IL

Your Water FAQs

Soft Water City Inc

Find Answers to Some Common Questions Related to Drinking Water Problems


All of us have some common questions related to the water problems that we face in our home or business. Let Soft Water City Inc help you solve a few of your queries by answering some of the crucial questions. Check out the answers to the listed frequently asked questions below.


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Call us now at (815) 895-6666 to request our water improvement services.

  • Why Does My Water Smell Like Rotten Eggs?

    A test should first be done to determine if the odor is on the hot or cold water. Rotten egg smell in hot water only is caused by the anode rod in the water heater. Softened water reacts with organics in the water and the magnesium in the rod to create the foul odor. Replacing this sacrificial rod with one made of aluminum can help.


    If the odor is in the cold water, then we're dealing with hydrogen sulfide in the water supply. To remove this, we first need to convert it to the filterable state as elemental sulfur by oxidizing the water. Soft Water City Inc has many “green” solutions to effectively perform this.


  • Why Is My Water Rusty Even With a Water Conditioner?

    It is four times more difficult for a water conditioner to trap iron than hardness. As a water conditioner ages and the mineral bed becomes exhausted, the ability to remove iron is the first to go. Many people might have perfect soft water, but it bleeds iron through an exhausted system. That does not mean you necessarily need a new system, you may just need a new mineral bed.


    It could also mean that the incoming iron content to your home exceeds what your system can handle. A properly engineered iron filter can help.


  • Is My Well Water Safe to Drink?

    If you live on a private well, you do not have the protection of chlorinated water such as those on a city water supply. Nevertheless, most dangers of drinking water are found in the surface water supplies. Most wells in the area are 150 to 500 feet deep and they typically do not contain dangerous bacteria.


    The local health department can test for evidence of fecal coliform and E. coli bacteria as well as evidence of pesticides and herbicides (nitrate and nitrites). We would still recommend at least an annual chlorination to keep organics from building up in your well.


  • How Can I Remove Radium From My Water?

    A properly working water conditioner can effectively remove 80 to 97 percent of radium, barium, and strontium. In fact, your water conditioner prefers to remove these contaminants. A properly engineered water conditioner from Soft Water City Inc can additionally remove dissolved iron and manganese along with the hardness of water.

  • Does Reverse Osmosis Water Deprive Me of Minerals?

    No. We achieve health and gain minerals primarily through the food we eat. It would be necessary to drink many gallons of high-mineral water a day to supplement the minerals that the body needs daily. By comparison, one glass of cow’s milk contains the typical same mineral content of multiple gallons of ordinary well water.

  • Is Chlorine Safe for Me and My Family?

    Unlike many in our industry who might scare you regarding the dangers of chlorine, we have a great regard for its impacts in the water treatment industry. In fact, the addition of chlorine to control bacteria in potable water supplies is one of man’s greatest advances in the last 100 years. With that in mind, once chlorine is in the home water supply, its job is done.


    The concerns of then showering, bathing, drinking, and doing laundry in chlorinated waters need to be an informed decision. Trihalomethanes are dangerous by-products produced when chlorine comes in contact with organics in your water. This has prompted some municipalities to add ammonia to the water supply to make chloramines.


    Chloramines have none of the same by-products. Both products can dry skin and hair and there are concerns about inhaling its properties while showering. We carry faucets and whole-home systems to remove these from your water supply.


  • Can I Buy a Water Treatment System From a Store?

    Absolutely, you can. Keep in mind that all water treatment systems are not created equally. A water conditioner, drinking system, or a whole-house filter is an appliance. All appliances are not created equally. This is why you can buy a good, better, or best washing machine, fridge, or dishwasher.


    Should you expect the same longevity, reliability, and reparability from the lowest-price “big box store” appliance? Keep in mind that your water treatment system will protect all other water-using appliances in your home. A properly engineered water treatment system from Soft Water City Inc will pay for itself and can offer decades of reliable service to your family or business.


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