How Water Softeners Work for Perth Homes and What to Expect

What water softeners do for Perth homes

Calcium build up can make a clean bathroom look unattractive. You wipe the taps, clear the shower screen, descale the kettle, and the white, chalky marks come back.

Perth water often feels hard in the home, especially where groundwater contributes to the water supply. Hardness comes from calcium and magnesium minerals, which are responsible for the white scale buildup on taps, kettles and shower screens.

A water softener system reduces those minerals before the water reaches your taps. Here is what that means for your home.

How a water softener system works

A water softener passes hard water through a tank filled with special resin. As the water flows through, the resin picks up the calcium and magnesium that cause hardness and holds onto them.

The water that comes out has much lower levels of hardness minerals like calcium that cause scale buildup.

The process is called ion exchange. As the water passes through the resin, calcium and magnesium are swapped for a small amount of sodium. In simple terms, the minerals that cause scale stick to the resin and sodium takes their place in the water.

Over time, the resin fills up with the minerals and needs to be cleaned to keep working properly. This is where salt plays an important role. The salt is used to flush those minerals out of the resin and recharge it, so the system can continue softening the water.

After installation, the main ongoing task is maintaining the salt level. Salt allows the system to keep working effectively by regenerating the resin. How often salt needs topping up depends on how much water you use and local hardness levels.

Across the Pilbara, in places like Karratha, Paraburdoo, Tom Price, Onslow and other regional areas of Western Australia, water softener systems tend to work harder due to higher mineral levels. That means salt may need topping up more regularly than in many Perth metro homes.

Our W2W Automatic Water Softener is designed to treat residential hard water in Perth and homes across Western Australia. 

All installations and servicing are carried out by our in-house team of professional plumbers and water filtration technicians.

A water softener changes water throughout your home

With a water softener, the difference shows up across the whole house, not just at one tap.

Because hardness is treated before it reaches the water entering your home, scale builds more slowly on taps, shower screens and tiles. Kettles, dishwashers, washing machines and coffee machines work more efficiently with less calcium buildup.

Shower water feels different and you’ll probably use less shampoo and soap for bathing. With softened water, soap lathers more easily and rinses away more cleanly.

Many households also find they can use less detergent and cleaning products over time.

Although magnesium, like calcium, contributes to scale buildup, it is a naturally occurring mineral in water and part of a normal, healthy diet. Softening reduces both calcium and magnesium as part of the process, and a simple remineralising filter can be used to reintroduce magnesium and other beneficial minerals.

Softening introduces a small amount of sodium during ion exchange. The WA Department of Health notes that sodium levels in drinking water are generally low, and softened water only adds a modest amount, depending on the starting hardness of the water.

For most households, this increase is small compared to daily dietary intake. Healthdirect Australia recommends Australian adults stay under 2,000 mg of sodium per day, and water contributes only a small fraction of that.

Water softener vs water filter

A hard water softener and a water filter system do different jobs. Knowing which one you need — and whether you need both — comes down to what you are trying to fix.

A water softener system reduces calcium and magnesium and manages hard water scale, protects appliances and changes how water feels throughout the home.

A whole house filtration system reduces chlorine, sediment and contaminants and improves the taste and odour of water from every tap across the home. Unless a whole house filter system is paired with a water softener, your water may remain hard, and you will not ultimately achieve complete home filtration including soft water.

If you are wondering whether a whole house filter alone is enough for hard water, why scale can stay after filtration explains the gap.

When a water softener is the right choice

If scale is building up on your taps, shower screens or bathroom tiles, and appliances need more frequent cleaning or maintenance, a hard water softener is usually the right choice.

In most Perth metro homes on municipal mains water, hardness levels are high enough for scale to be an ongoing issue and many households benefit from installing a water softener.

Water quality can vary across WA. In some areas, water hardness caused by high levels of calcium is the main problem. In others, there is also a higher risk of unwanted contaminants, sediments, chlorine and heavy metals in the water. If you’re new to hard water, our hard water guide explains what causes it and why Perth homes experience it more than our east-coast neighbours.

If improving drinking and cooking water is your priority, an under-sink filter like the W2W Maxiflow Scale Reduction Filter System is a cost-effective, targeted option. For softer, contaminant-free water from every tap and appliance, a whole house filter system paired with a water softener, like the W2W Ultimate Whole House Water Filter and Softener will provide that. 

When it comes to improving water quality and taste, there is no one-size-fits all and we recommend starting with a conversation about your water supply, how much water you use and what you would like to improve. 

At Water2water, we have been providing filtered water solutions to clients in Perth and across Western Australia for over 25 years. We know what’s in the water and how to treat it, and we’re always happy to share our knowledge and provide unbiased advice.

Our whole house filters and water softeners range shows the main systems we work with. For a broader overview of residential options, see our guide to water filtration for your home.