Water Treatment
FAQs
Answers to Common Water Questions
From hard water and chlorine taste to PFAS, iron, and system maintenance, homeowners across Minnesota have questions about their water. With decades of local experience, Commers Water provides clear, practical answers to help you understand water problems, treatment options, and how to protect your home and family.
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Frequently Asked
Questions
1. What causes hard water in Minnesota homes?
Hard water comes from dissolved calcium and magnesium in groundwater, creating scale buildup, soap inefficiency, dry skin, and reduced appliance efficiency throughout Twin Cities plumbing systems.
2. How do I know if I need a water softener?
Signs include white scale on fixtures, cloudy dishes, stiff laundry, soap not lathering, and shortened water heater life caused by mineral buildup in pipes and appliances.
3. What is reverse osmosis water purification?
Reverse osmosis uses a semi-permeable membrane to remove dissolved solids, chlorine, lead, PFAS, and contaminants, producing high-purity drinking water at the kitchen sink.
4. Is chlorine in city water harmful?
Chlorine disinfects municipal water but can cause taste, odor, skin irritation, and by-products. Filtration systems reduce chlorine while maintaining safe, clean water.
5. Why does my well water smell like rotten eggs?
Hydrogen sulfide gas or sulfur bacteria cause rotten-egg odors. Specialized filtration and oxidation systems eliminate sulfur and restore clear, odor-free water.
6. What causes orange or brown staining in sinks and toilets?
Iron in well water oxidizes when exposed to air, creating rust-colored stains, metallic taste, and buildup that requires iron filtration systems.
7. What is TDS in water testing?
Total Dissolved Solids measure minerals, salts, and metals in water. High TDS can affect taste, scaling, and performance of treatment equipment.
8. How often should water softener salt be refilled?
Most systems require salt every four to eight weeks, depending on household size, hardness level, and efficiency features like W.E.T. proportional regeneration.
9. What is W.E.T. Water Efficient Technology?
W.E.T. is a patented softening technology that reduces salt and water usage through proportional brining, regeneration, monitoring, and smart performance tracking.
10. What is the Wripli® mobile app?
Wripli® allows homeowners to monitor water usage, remaining capacity, salt levels, alerts, and efficiency savings from their connected Commers water treatment system.
11. Do I need a water test before installing equipment?
Yes. Professional water testing identifies hardness, iron, sulfur, chlorine, bacteria, PFAS, and TDS so systems are properly sized and correctly configured.
12. How long does a water softener last?
With proper maintenance, high-quality systems often operate 15–25 years, supported by lifetime tank warranties and long-term valve and component coverage.
13. What maintenance do water treatment systems require?
Routine salt refills, filter changes, membrane replacement, and periodic inspections ensure consistent performance, efficiency, and protection of warranty coverage.
14. Can filtration remove PFAS and microplastics?
Advanced carbon filtration and reverse osmosis systems can significantly reduce PFAS, microplastics, and emerging contaminants from drinking water supplies.
15. Do water softeners remove iron?
Standard softeners remove small amounts of dissolved iron, but higher levels require dedicated iron filtration or combined conditioning systems.
16. Are whole-house filters different from RO systems?
Whole-house filtration treats all water entering the home, while RO systems provide high-purity drinking water at specific points of use.
17. What is counter-current regeneration?
It is an advanced softening process that cleans resin more efficiently, using less salt and water while improving hardness removal performance.
18. Does Commers service commercial water systems?
Yes. Commers provides commercial water testing, softening, reverse osmosis, filtration, office coolers, and high-capacity purification systems.
19. Is emergency water service available?
Commers offers 24/7 emergency service with on-call technicians to respond quickly to system failures, leaks, and urgent water treatment issues.
20. Why choose Commers for water treatment?
Since 1947, Commers has provided Minnesota homeowners and businesses with custom-engineered systems, certified installation, advanced technology, and long-term service support.
Get Clear Answers About Your Water
Understanding your water quality is the first step toward choosing the right solution. Whether you’re dealing with taste, odor, staining, scale, or health concerns, our specialists can review your situation, explain your options, and recommend the right next step based on real data—not guesswork.