One of the most frustrating customer calls we get: "I have a water softener but I'm still getting spots on my dishes and glass shower doors. What's wrong?"
The good news is this is almost always explainable — and fixable. Here are the most common causes.
The Softener Needs Maintenance
Salt bridges, depleted resin, or a malfunctioning control valve can cause a softener to stop regenerating properly. The result is hard water slipping through. Regular maintenance and salt checks prevent this.
You Have High Iron in Addition to Hard Water
Spots aren't always from hardness. Iron leaves orange/brown marks. Manganese leaves black spots. If your softener is working but you're seeing colored stains, you may have iron or manganese that the softener alone isn't addressing.
Post-Softener Contamination
In rare cases, spots occur because your house has an unfiltered tap (like an outdoor hose bib connection) that occasionally mixes into the treated water supply.
The Spots Are From Spotting, Not Hardness
Some spotting on dishes and glass comes from soap and detergent residue, not minerals. Reducing detergent quantity (soft water requires much less) often solves this immediately.
If you have a softener and are still experiencing spotting, call us for a free service check. We'll test your water at the tap and diagnose exactly what's happening.