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Best Water Softener
in Thousand Oaks

High-quality water treatment solutions for your home and business

How Do I get Soft Water in my Home?

When it comes to your home and family, you always want TOP quality. But how is the quality of the water in your house? Sign up for our free home water evaluation and let us show you how we can transform your life with fresh, healthy water running through your entire house.

Advanced Water Solutions has been serving the central coast since 1997. Our continued growth and expansion is due to our commitment to delivering the highest quality products backed with the best customer service. We have a team of highly qualified installers and service technicians. We service and maintain all brands and models of water treatment equipment. Serving both residential and commercial markets in Ventura, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles counties.

Water is the Lifeblood of
Your Home Just as it is for Your Health

If you can picture your life with less time spent cleaning and worrying about what's in the water you drink, then you can picture your life with water treatment from the professionals at Advanced Water Solutions.
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Serving The Central Coast and Southern California

Ventura County

Agoura, Camarillo, Conejo Valley, Fillmore, Malibu, Moorpark, Newbury Park, Oak Park, Oak View, Ojai, Oxnard, Port Hueneme, Santa Paula, Simi Valley, Somis, Thousand Oaks, Ventura, Westlake Village

Santa Barbara County

Ballard, Buellton, Carpinteria, Gaviota, Goleta, Isla Vista, Lompoc, Los Alamos, Los Olivos, Montecito, Orcutt, Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, Santa Ynez, Solvang, Summerland, Vandenberg

The Problems with Hard Water

According to the U.S. Geologic Survey, 85 percent of the U.S. has hard water. Hard water is caused by excessive levels of calcium and/or magnesium. Earlier generations coined the phrase “hard water” because it made cleaning difficult.

While hard water is not unhealthy, it does cause other problems:

  1. Laundering - Studies indicate that fabrics washing in hard water wear out up to 15% quicker. Colors also fade and whites darken more quickly. In addition, laundry washed in hard water is more easily re-soiled.
  2. Hard Water Scale - Minerals in hard water settle, forming a hard scale surface that will eventually clog pipes and decrease the life of toilet flushing units and water faucets. Hardness scale also shortens the life of washing equipment, including dishwashers and clothes washers, by as much as 30%.
  3. Water Heater Efficiency - Hard water scale can reduce a gas heater's efficiency by as much as 29%, and an electric water heater's efficiency by as much as 21%. A study conducted by The Office of Saline Water found that a water heater's useful life can be reduced by as much as 50% through hard water scale build-up.
  4. Cleaning Tasks - A comparison of hard and softened water sources for household use conducted by Ohio State University indicated that the time required for typical cleaning tasks was increased by almost 50% with hard water. Soap curd makes cleaning and washing less effective and efficient. Greater physical effort and more cleaning agents are needed for surfaces such as floors, sinks and bathtubs.
  5. Bathing - Soap curd film on the body can leave skin dry and hair dull and limp.
  6. Streaks and Spotting - Soap curd formation can result in streaks, spots and film on glass and dishware.

The negative effects of hard water can be reversed through the use of softened water. At Advanced Water Solutions, our experienced staff will help you select the water conditioner/water softener for your needs, install it, and provide top-quality service.

Thousand Oaks is a city in southeastern Ventura County, California, United States. It is in the northwestern part of the Greater Los Angeles Area, approximately 35 miles from Downtown Los Angeles and is less than 15 mi from the Los Angeles city neighborhood of Woodland Hills. It was named after the many oak trees that grow in the area, and the city seal is adorned with an oak.

Soft Water FAQs

How is the "hardness" of water measured?

The hardness of water is measured in grains per gallon (gpg). One grain of hardness is equal to 1 / 7,000 pound of rock. Your municipal water supply may measure water hardness in milligrams (mg), liters (L) or parts per million (ppm). One gpg is equal to 17.1 mg / L or 17.1 ppm.

What does the grain capacity of a water softener mean?

The rated capacity of a softener is the maximum number of grains of water hardness the unit can remove prior to regeneration.

How do these numbers impact my water softener purchase?

To determine the appropriate water softener size for your home, multiply the number of people in your home by the gallons of water they use each day. (80 gallons per person is the average.) Multiply that number by the grains of hardness in your water to figure out how many grains need to be removed each day. Then, shop for a water softener equipped to handle the load. Most four-person households use a 33,000-grain unit.

How much electricity does a water softener use?

It uses about as much as a digital alarm clock.

What type of salt should I use?
  • There are several different types of salt that is sold for water softeners. We recommend using solar salt.
  • Solar or coarse salt has far less insoluble matter than rock salt. We sell and can deliver salt should you need it.
What is the difference between salt and potassium?
  • Sodium chloride, known as salt, is a naturally occurring mineral.
  • Potassium chloride (KCL) is also a salt and functions exactly the same in your water softener as sodium chloride.
  • Potassium chloride is a naturally occurring mineral that is primarily used in agriculture. It promotes plant growth and conditions soil.
  • It is safe to use on your plants; whereas sodium chloride is not.
Where do I add the salt or potassium?
  • Lift the lid and add to the tank. Do NOT add to small white tube inside the tank. Keep salt level below the top of the white tube inside the tank.
  • The salt or potassium (KCL) is added to the brine tank. This is a short round or square plastic tank with a lid on it and is usually black.
The level of salt or potassium is not going down and I have hard water.
  • Humidity or wrong type of salt may create a cavity between the water and the salt. This action, known as “bridging”, prevents the brine solution from being made, leading to your water supply being hard.
  • If you suspect salt bridging, carefully pound on the outside of the brine tank or pour some warm water over the salt to break up the bridge. This should always be followed up by allowing the unit to use up any remaining salt and then thoroughly cleaning out the brine tank. Remember to add water to the brine tank after cleaning.
  • Allow four hours to produce a brine solution, and then manually regenerate the softener.
Why is there a loss of water pressure?
See Manual
Do I still use the same amount of soap?
No, you will want to use 3/4 the amount of detergents and soaps than you did with hard water.
What if there has been a power outage?
See Manual
Why is there water in the brine tank?
  • On some models, the brine tank will always have water in it. This is the brine solution that will be used during the regeneration.
  • If the brine tank is more than half full the system may need servicing.
What do I have to do when I switch from salt to potassium or vice - versa?
This depends on a few factors:
  1. Amount of chlorine/chloramines in the supply water. (Chlorine shortens resin life) Chlorine can be removed with a carbon pre-filter. Average life span with a carbon pre-filter is 11-15 years.
  2. Resin Quality. Average life span without carbon filter is 7-9 years.
  3. How often the system regenerates.
When do I have to replace the water softening resin?
This depends on a few factors.
  1. Amount of chlorine/chloramines in the supply water. (Chlorine shortens resin life) Chlorine can be removed with a carbon pre-filter. Average life span with a carbon pre-filter is 11-15 years.
  2. Resin Quality. Average life span without carbon filter is 7-9 years.
  3. How often the system regenerates.

What are the Benefits of Soft Water?

If you live in Thousand Oaks, our experience shows that you most likely have hard water in your home. That includes homes both on city water or a well. As a homeowner, it seems like there is always something to do to keep our house clean and presentable. However, with hard water we never realized how much time and money we were wasting each week.

The Benefits:

  1. Having soft water saves you money. According to a study by the Battelle Institute, you use up to 75% less soap and fewer cleaning products with soft water. Considering the soap and detergent aisle is the most expensive aisle in the grocery store, your budget will immediately reflect the savings!
  2. Your plumbing will last longer. Hard water can cause a build up of scale from mineral deposits. Over time, pipes and fixtures can clog, water flow can diminish, and water pressure can be reduced. This doesn't happen with soft water. Soft water is low in mineral content and therefore doesn't leave deposits in the pipes.
  3. Your hot water heater will last longer. Scale and lime build-up created by minerals will not take place if your water is soft. This adds life to your hot water heater. Also, if you have deposits in your hot water heater, the University of New Mexico found it will cost up to 29.6% more to heat the water that your family does use.
  4. Diminished razor burn and less dry, cracked skin: Soft water causes the razor to glide more easily across the face. This, in turn, causes your razor blades to last longer. Hard water minerals can also build up on your skin. You know that “squeaky” clean feeling after a shower? Well that's not the feel of your natural skin. Often it's the result of minerals bonding with your soap to stick to your skin.
  5. Water-using appliances will last longer. Whether it's your coffee pot, humidifier, or hot tub, your hard water is causing a build-up of minerals and reducing the life of these products.

Our Certifications

Advanced Water Solutions is a member of the Santa Barbara and Ventura Better Business Bureau (BBB) and the Water Quality Association (WQA). In March of 2011 AWS was recognized as a Hall of Fame Member with the BBB for a record of no outstanding complaints.  Jay Hellenbrand is a certified Water Specialist, Certified Installer, and has specialty certifications in Reverse Osmosis, Deionization, Filtration, and Ultra filtration. Jay also carries a California State Contractors License. Advanced Water Solutions also meets California's requirement for water softeners to have a salt efficiency rating of at least 4,000 grains of hardness removed per pound of salt used in regeneration.