Test the tap before you buy anything
North Chicago does not publish a water hardness number. The city's water quality reports, which cover water drawn from Lake Michigan, do not include one, so we cannot tell you your hardness from the page, and we will not guess.
You have two easy ways to find out. Buy a hardness test kit and check the cold tap, or read the city's latest annual water quality report on its Public Works site and see what it lists. If you have scale on faucets, spots on glass or crust on a kettle, that tells you something too. The reading tells us whether a softener is worth the money in your house.
What the city's report does say
Chlorine, sodium and lead in the 2023 report
The latest report posted by the city covers calendar year 2023. It lists chlorine as the disinfectant, not chloramine, with a highest running average of 1.4 parts per million against a limit of 4 and no violation. Sodium was 15 parts per million.
For lead, the 90th percentile result was 15 parts per billion, which equals the action level of 15. Three sampled sites were over it, and the report lists no violation. A large part of the city is Navy property served by the Navy's own system, so this city report may not describe water there.
These numbers shape what we recommend. Chlorine is a taste and smell issue that a carbon filter handles well. Lead is a different matter, and a softener is not the answer to it.
Softener, filter or both
| Goal | Equipment | What it does not do |
|---|---|---|
| Scale on fixtures and appliances | Water softener on the main line | Does not remove chlorine or lead |
| Chlorine taste and smell | Whole-house or under-sink carbon filter | Does not soften water |
| Lead concerns at the kitchen tap | Under-sink filter rated for lead | Rating only covers filtered water at that tap |
| Scale plus taste | Softener plus a carbon filter | Needs space and a bypass plan |
Look for a filter that lists lead removal under a recognized standard, and change cartridges on schedule. A lead filter used past its limit stops protecting you.
About lead and the lines to your house
If lead is your worry, a filter is a short-term tap-side step. The longer fix is the pipe itself. Our water service line repair page covers the line from the main to your home, and the city's own replacement program covers eligible addresses.
Flush the tap for a short time after the water has sat for hours, and use cold water for cooking and drinking. Do not boil water to remove lead. Heat concentrates it.
Installing a softener the right way
Pick the spot
Usually near the main shutoff, with a floor drain and an outlet close by.
Plumb in a bypass
A bypass lets you isolate the unit for service without shutting off the house.
Run a drain line
The regeneration cycle sends brine to a drain with an air gap, never a direct connection.
Set the valve
We program it from your test reading and household size.
Keep outdoor taps hard
We leave the hose spigots and any irrigation off the softened line when asked.
Softened water carries a little added sodium, on top of the 15 ppm already in the city's report. If anyone in your home is on a low-sodium plan, tell us. We can keep the kitchen tap on unsoftened water.
When your softener or filter acts up
Common softener problems are an empty brine tank, a salt bridge that blocks the tank, a clogged injector and a valve that never cycles. Water that suddenly turns hard, or a drain line that keeps running, usually points to one of these. Overflow from a brine tank is a float or drain fault.
Whole-house filters fail through clogged cartridges and cracked housings, with weak pressure as the early sign. Scale also shortens the life of a tankless water heater unless it is flushed. If scale has built up in a tank-type heater, see water heater installation for when a swap makes sense.
What decides the price
What changes the price
Equipment is only part of the number. These factors matter too.
Tell us your goal and get a clear price before work starts.
Call (847) 281-8626Softener and filter questions
Yes, we are open 24/7. An overflowing softener or a leaking filter housing is urgent. Planned installs get a same-day appointment when available.
The city does not publish a hardness figure, so we do not quote one. Test your tap with a kit or read the city's annual water quality report, and we will size equipment from the result.
No. A softener removes hardness minerals. A carbon filter handles chlorine taste, and a filter rated for lead covers lead at the tap where it is installed.
Usually yes. Bring the model name, and tell us if it overflows, never cycles or leaves hard water.
Yes. We can keep the kitchen tap or outdoor spigots on unsoftened water when you ask.
Yes. We also take calls in Waukegan and the surrounding area.
Find out what your water needs
Call with your test result or your tap complaint. We will say whether a softener, a filter or neither is the answer.
Call (847) 281-8626