4101 East 12th Avenue Tampa, FL 33605
Email: info@bayareaplumbinginc.com
Monday-Friday : 8:00am to 4:00pm.
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Water Filtration & Water Softeners

Bay Area Plumbing, Inc. specializes in the sale and installation of both water filtration and water softeners, and for good reason.  The water that many of us here in the Tampa Bay area use in our homes on a daily basis may not meet the high standards of many health conscience consumers today.  Yes, the water departments are required by Federal law to provide potable water that meets established Federal water quality standards, but does this mean that it is the best source of drinkable water for you?  Most people probably do not believe that it is, hence the skyrocketing sales of bottled water today. Drinkability, however, is not the only concern that a Tampa Bay area resident may have, our water here also has a high TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) level or in other words, we have hard water. This hard water can have a negative effect on items in your home such as appliances, bathroom fixtures, glass,  pipes, and drains. For these reasons and maybe others as well, it is a good idea to install a water filtration and water softeners in your home.

We can help you choose which is the best water filter and water softener for you in your specific situation and our experienced plumbers can even install these devices for you in order to ensure that they are installed correctly and working properly.

At Bay Area Plumbing, Inc. we carry a variety of water filtration and water softeners from leading manufacturers. The Northstar water softener is our most popular unit.  The Watts carbon filter is recommended to take out chlorine and chloramines in the water and also to help extend the life of the water softener. We also sell the Everpure H104 & H300 point of use water filters, these are normally put in the kitchen for drinking water and ice machines.  Another newer product is the Nuvo salt-less water conditioner, this unit doesn’t require electric or even a drain. To learn more about some of the water filtration and water softeners we sell, click on a link in the list below to view a PDF with more information about that product.

Florida’s Hard Water

If you have been a Florida resident for any significant amount of time, then you are most likely aware of the fact that Florida has a problem with hard water .  Oh yes, every rose has it’s thorn and Florida is no exception.  Some of the effects produced by hard water that you may have seen are spots or stains on shower doors, dishes, windows, aquariums or even your car after you have washed it.  Often times these spots or stains are not easily removed without the use of an acidic cleaner of some type and in some cases may need to be removed by a professional which can be costly.  There are also unseen effects produced by hard water, such as buildup in your home’s pipes and drains.  This too can lead to costly repairs if not addressed.  Fortunately, there is a solution available to those of us who reside here in Florida and that solution is water filtration and water softeners.

Why Is There A Problem With Hard Water In Florida?

The reason for this has to do with the fact that most of Florida is known as a “karst region”, which is essentially a region wherein the subterranean soil is made up largely of layers of soluble bedrock such as limestone. This effects the hydrologic cycle that is part of Florida’s water supply. The hydrologic cycle is essentially the process whereby the surface water evaporates and becomes a vapor when the earth is warmed by the sun. This water vapor eventually cools as it rises into the atmosphere and forms clouds. Once the clouds become heavy with water, that water then falls back to earth as rain (or maybe snow, sleet or hail in colder climates). When the rain falls back down to the earth’s surface it moves through openings in the ground and back into the underground water supply. As the water passes through the ground it also passes through layers of sand, rock and limestone which help to purify it. Unfortunately since most of Florida’s subterranean typography is made up of limestone and therefore considered karstic. it adds to the hardness of our water supply.

The effects of this can often be seen on the surface, hence the many sinkholes that are reported throughout Florida annually. Most of the ground water in Florida has a concentration of hardness as calcium carbonate in milligrams per liter of 121 – 180 according to the Us Geological Survey (USGS). In some locations throughout the Greater Tampa Bay Area the ground water may have an even higher concentration of hardness. You can test the hardness of the water in your home by using what is called a TDS Meter which indicates the amount of Total Dissolved Solids in the water, typically in parts per million (ppm).

What To Do About Florida’s Hard Water Problem?

So what is one to do if they want to avoid the damage caused by hard water? The answer to that question is simple, install the proper water filtration and/or water softener to appliances in your home or even your entire home if you so choose. But with so many water filtration and water softener devices on the market today, how is a person to know which one to choose? The answer to this question is also simple, call us at Bay Area Plumbing, Inc., we specialize in water filtration and water softeners.