Water Softener & Filtration Installation in Northern Virginia
Northern Virginia is our home territory. From Arlington rowhouses to Ashburn new builds, most homes here get moderately hard, chloramine-treated Potomac water that leaves scale on fixtures and a chlorine edge in the glass.
Virginia requires a DPOR contractor license for home improvement work. Every installation is performed by a Virginia-licensed plumber.
Your utility
- Hardness
- Disinfectant
- Source
What we would install:
Data from the utility's published reports as of . See EWG's tap water database for this ZIP.
Virginia cities and neighborhoods we serve
Each page has the local utility's reported numbers, the kind of homes there and what we usually install.
Water utilities in Northern Virginia
Fairfax Water produces most of the region's drinking water and reports 5 to 10 grains per gallon of hardness. Arlington, Alexandria, Loudoun and Prince William all share the same Potomac and Occoquan sources and the same chloramine disinfection.
Water utility
Fairfax Water
- Hardness
- 5 to 10 grains per gallon
- Moderately hard to hard
- Disinfectant
- Chloramine
- Needs catalytic carbon
- Source
- Potomac River (Corbalis plant) and the Occoquan Reservoir (Griffith plant)
Fairfax Water meets or exceeds state and federal standards. The everyday complaints in its territory are scale on fixtures and glassware, dry skin after showering, and a chlorine taste that gets stronger in spring.
Checked September 2026. Source: Fairfax Water annual water quality report.
Water utility
Arlington County Water
- Hardness
- 7 to 9 grains per gallon
- Moderately hard
- Disinfectant
- Chloramine
- Needs catalytic carbon
- Source
- Potomac River, treated by the Washington Aqueduct (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers)
Arlington water is safe and well documented. Its moderate hardness shows up as spotting on dishes and buildup on shower doors, and the chloramine residual is what people taste and smell.
Checked September 2026. Source: Arlington County water quality reports.
Water utility
Virginia American Water (Alexandria)
- Hardness
- about 5 to 10 grains per gallon
- Moderately hard to hard (approximate, confirm with latest report)
- Disinfectant
- Chloramine
- Needs catalytic carbon
- Source
- Treated water purchased from Fairfax Water (Potomac and Occoquan sources)
Alexandria homeowners get Fairfax Water quality through a different utility. The practical treatment answer is the same as in Fairfax County: soften, remove chloramine, and polish drinking water.
Checked September 2026. Source: Virginia American Water quality reports.
Water utility
Loudoun Water
- Hardness
- about 5 to 10 grains per gallon
- Moderately hard to hard (approximate, confirm with latest report)
- Disinfectant
- Chloramine
- Needs catalytic carbon
- Source
- Potomac River (Trap Rock plant) plus water purchased from Fairfax Water
Loudoun Water serves the newer, fast-growing part of the county. Hardness shows up quickly in the tankless water heaters and high-end fixtures common in Ashburn and Brambleton homes.
Checked September 2026. Source: Loudoun Water drinking water quality page.
Water utility
Town of Leesburg Utilities
- Hardness
- about 5 to 10 grains per gallon
- Moderately hard (approximate, confirm with latest report)
- Disinfectant
- Not yet confirmed
- We confirm before ordering media
- Source
- Potomac River, treated at the town-owned water treatment plant
Leesburg runs its own treatment plant. Addresses just outside town limits (Lansdowne, River Creek, Potomac Station) are on Loudoun Water instead, so the first thing we confirm is which utility bills you.
Checked September 2026. Source: Town of Leesburg Utilities.
Water utility
Prince William Water
- Hardness
- about 5 to 10 grains per gallon
- Moderately hard to hard (approximate, confirm with latest report)
- Disinfectant
- Chloramine
- Needs catalytic carbon
- Source
- Mostly treated water purchased from Fairfax Water (Occoquan), with some supply from the City of Manassas (Lake Manassas)
Prince William Water (formerly the Prince William County Service Authority) delivers Fairfax-quality water to a county full of 1980s to 2010s single-family homes with basements and garages, which makes installs straightforward.
Checked September 2026. Source: Prince William Water.
Water utility
City of Manassas Utilities
- Hardness
- Moderately hard (confirm)
- Moderately hard (confirm) (approximate, confirm with latest report)
- Disinfectant
- Not yet confirmed
- We confirm before ordering media
- Source
- Lake Manassas (Broad Run), treated at the city-owned plant
Manassas is one of the few DMV cities with its own reservoir and plant. Its water profile is different from Fairfax Water, which is why we never size a Manassas system from county-wide assumptions.
Checked September 2026. Source: City of Manassas.
Water utility
Private well
- Hardness
- Unknown until tested
- Unknown until tested (approximate, confirm with latest report)
- Disinfectant
- Varies
- We confirm before ordering media
- Source
- Your own well and pump
Well water is a different job. Iron, manganese, hardness, low pH, sediment and bacteria all need their own treatment step, and the order matters.
Checked September 2026. Source: Loudoun County well water testing program.
Published prices. No in-home sales pitch.
Prices include equipment, a licensed plumber's installation and startup for a standard install. If anything about your home changes the price, you hear it before we book the plumber, not after.
Whole-Home + Drinking Water
The complete package for a municipal-water home.
$2,499installed
- Metered whole-home softener
- Catalytic carbon for chloramine and chlorine
- Sediment pre-filter and bypass
- 5-stage under-sink reverse osmosis with faucet
- Licensed installation, startup and salt
Whole-Home Only
Soft, chlorine-free water at every tap and shower.
$1,899installed
- Metered whole-home softener
- Catalytic carbon media
- Sediment pre-filter and bypass
- Licensed installation, startup and salt
- Add reverse osmosis any time
Reverse Osmosis Only
Clean drinking water for condos and kitchens.
$799installed
- 5-stage NSF/ANSI 58 system
- Removes lead, PFAS and dissolved solids
- Dedicated lead-free faucet
- Optional fridge and ice line
- Licensed installation and first filters
Standard install covers
- Main water line, a drain and an outlet within reach in a basement, garage or utility room
- Kitchen sink with cabinet space for the reverse osmosis unit
- Copper or PEX supply lines in serviceable condition
- Permit where your jurisdiction requires one
Quoted before we book
- Long plumbing runs to reach the main line, or adding a drain or outlet
- Crawlspace or exterior installs, and galvanized pipe that needs replacing
- Private wells: lab test first, then a system designed to the results
- Fridge and ice maker line for the reverse osmosis unit