If you're on City of Greensboro water, you may not need a softener at all: the City's water quality report describes its water as moderately soft. Most Greensboro homeowners who want treatment are after better taste or less chlorine smell, which is a filtration job, not a softening one. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Greensboro who can install either.
How hard is Greensboro's water?
Not very. The City draws from Lake Brandt and Lake Townsend, and its annual water quality report puts average total hardness at 43 to 46 milligrams per liter, which the City describes as moderately soft. Softeners are built for hard water that leaves heavy scale on fixtures, glass shower doors and water heater elements. At Greensboro's levels, many homes on city water see little benefit from one.
That's worth knowing before anyone sells you a system. Ask to see a hardness test of your own tap water, not a general claim about the area.
What most Greensboro households actually want
The common complaints on city water are taste and smell. Greensboro disinfects with chloramine, and in some years it switches to straight chlorine for a few months as routine maintenance, most recently from December 2025 to mid-April 2026. During those periods the water can taste and smell more strongly of chlorine.
| Concern | Usual solution |
|---|---|
| Chlorine or chloramine taste and smell | Carbon filtration, either whole-house or at the kitchen tap. Chloramine generally needs a filter rated for it. |
| Sediment or cloudiness | A sediment prefilter on the main line |
| Drinking water quality in general | An under-sink filter or reverse osmosis unit |
| Confirmed hard water (often a private well) | A water softener |
When a softener does make sense
Homes on private wells are the main exception. Well water near the edges of the county can be very different from the City's treated lake water, so a test comes first. If a test shows real hardness, a softener can protect the water heater and fixtures. Keep in mind that standard salt-based softeners add some sodium to the water; the City's report already lists sodium at 17 to 18 milligrams per liter, so anyone on a low-sodium diet may want an unsoftened tap for drinking.
What a plumber does on install
A softener or whole-house filter is plumbed into the main line after the shutoff, usually with a bypass valve so you can service it without cutting water to the house. Softeners also need a drain connection and an outlet. In a crawl space home, the plumber will look at where the unit can sit level and stay serviceable.
What affects the cost
Price depends on the type of system, its size for your household, whether it's whole-house or point-of-use, how easy the main line is to reach, and whether a drain and outlet are already nearby. Filter cartridges and salt are ongoing costs, so ask about those too.
Water Softener questions from Greensboro homeowners
Do I need a water softener in Greensboro?
Why does my Greensboro tap water smell like chlorine?
Will a water softener remove chlorine?
Does a water softener add salt to drinking water?
Related plumbing services in Greensboro
Helpful guides
Water Softeners & Filtration in nearby cities and towns
Guilford County
Alamance County
Randolph County
Rockingham County
Davidson County
Orange County
Chatham County
Sources
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