A whole house system treats water where it enters the home, so every shower, sink and appliance gets the same water. Target Plumbers reads your utility’s water report with you, matches the filter or softener to what’s actually in your water, installs it on the main line with a bypass, and comes back to change the cartridges.
Every water utility publishes an annual drinking water quality report, and it’s the best place to start. A few things it shows for this area:
So most homes here aren’t filtering because the water fails a standard. They want to remove the chloramine taste and smell, cut scale on fixtures and the water heater, and catch sediment. Those goals call for different equipment, which is why we start with your report and a test at the tap.
| What you notice | Likely cause | What treats it |
|---|---|---|
| Pool-like taste or smell at every tap | Chloramine or chlorine | Whole house carbon filter. For chloramine, catalytic carbon with enough contact time; ordinary carbon is made for chlorine. |
| White crust on faucets and shower glass, short water heater life | Hard water (calcium and magnesium) | Salt-based softener, or a salt-free conditioner that reduces scale without removing the minerals |
| Grit in aerators, cloudy water after main work on the street | Sediment and rust | Sediment pre-filter ahead of the carbon stage |
| Worry about a specific contaminant (lead from old home plumbing, PFAS, arsenic) | Depends on the test | A system certified for that contaminant, often a point-of-use reverse osmosis unit at the kitchen sink |
| Private well or bacteria concern | Untreated source water | UV disinfection plus filtration, after lab testing |
Many homes pair a sediment and carbon filter with a softener or conditioner on the same line.
Installing automatic water softeners has been prohibited in the Santa Clarita Valley since an ordinance took effect on March 27, 2003, and Measure S (approved by voters in 2008) required existing residential units to be removed by June 30, 2009 (LA County Sanitation Districts). The salt they discharge raises chloride in the Santa Clara River. If your home is in the valley, we’ll recommend filtration or a salt-free conditioner instead.
California’s Residential Water Treatment Devices program requires any home device that claims to reduce a contaminant with a health standard to be certified by an ANSI-accredited body such as NSF or IAPMO and registered with the State Water Resources Control Board before it’s sold here. Devices that only address taste, odor or hardness don’t need registration (State Water Board RWTD FAQ). If a system is sold to you for lead or PFAS, ask to see its certification and California registration. We show you both before you buy.
How often cartridges need changing depends on the system, your water and how much the household uses. Most systems show it as a pressure drop across the filter housing or a falling flow at the taps. Carbon media lasts longer than sediment cartridges; softener salt is topped up as it’s used.
Adding a softener at the same time? Both can go on one 0% financing plan, subject to approval.
If you dislike the taste or smell of chloramine, fight scale on fixtures, or see sediment, yes. If your goal is a specific health contaminant, a certified system at the kitchen tap may be the better spend. Read your utility’s water report first; LADWP’s 2025 report shows it met all primary standards.
A sediment and carbon system costs less than one paired with a softener. The install price depends on the flow rating, where the main line is, and whether a drain or outlet has to be added. We give a written price after seeing the main and your water test.
A filter improves taste and smell and removes particles; a softener removes the minerals that cause scale. If your problem is spots and crust, you need softening or a conditioner. If it’s taste and smell, you need carbon. Many homes use both.
Yes, if it’s built for it. Chloramine needs catalytic carbon and enough contact time; a basic carbon filter sized for chlorine removes much less of it.
Cartridges and media have to be replaced on schedule, an undersized system lowers water pressure, and it takes space at the main line. A softener also needs salt, a drain and power.
It depends on the system, the water and household use. Watch the pressure gauges: a growing difference across the housing means the cartridge is loading up. We set the first change date at install.
Not an automatic one. They’ve been banned from installation in the Santa Clarita Valley since 2003, and existing residential units had to be removed by June 30, 2009. Filtration and salt-free conditioners are the usual alternatives.
Only if the system is certified for that contaminant. In California, any device sold with that claim must be certified and registered with the State Water Board. For drinking water, a certified point-of-use unit is often the practical choice.
One number for every booking, (844) 941-2727; the install crew comes from the closest of these six offices:
Tell us what bothers you about your water (taste, smell, spots, sediment, a test result), your city and where the main line comes in. We’ll call back with a time.