What we won’t sell you
The water sales tactics we refuse to use.
Some of the most common pitches in water treatment don’t hold up in the Charlotte area. Here’s what we won’t do, and the data behind each one.
A water softener for soft city water, without a hardness test
Softeners remove hardness minerals. That’s useful when water is hard, and pointless when it isn’t. Charlotte Water’s supply is soft by the U.S. Geological Survey’s definition.
Plenty of private wells in the region are a different story, which is exactly why we test first. If a hardness result supports a softener, we’ll say so. If it doesn’t, we won’t sell you one. Try the softener check or read do I need a water softener?
32 mg/L
Charlotte Water hardness
About 1.9 grains per gallon.
Source: Charlotte Water, 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report (2025)
0–60 mg/L
The USGS range for “soft” water
Charlotte Water falls well inside it.
TDS-meter, color-change or electrolysis “tests”
These demos are designed to look alarming. None of them tells you whether your water meets a health standard.
- TDS meters measure total dissolved solids, which are mostly harmless minerals like calcium and magnesium. They can’t detect lead, PFAS, bacteria or disinfection byproducts. A reverse osmosis system makes the number drop, but that drop isn’t a measure of safety.
- Color-change or “precipitation” drops react with ordinary minerals or chlorine and darken the glass. The Water Quality Association has warned consumers that this darkening doesn’t indicate contamination.
- Electrolysis demos run current through the water with metal electrodes. The brown “sludge” is a product of the device and the process, not a measurement of contaminants.
What we use instead: certified-lab results and your utility’s published report. See how we test.
A “chloramine problem” pitch
Chloramine is a real disinfectant that some U.S. utilities use, and it takes a specific kind of carbon to reduce. Charlotte Water uses free chlorine. Other systems in the region differ, so we check your utility’s own report before recommending anything. If chlorine taste or smell bothers you, a standard carbon filter handles it. Chlorine taste and odor options.
Free chlorine
Charlotte Water disinfectant
Not chloramine.
Source: Charlotte Water, 2025 Annual Drinking Water Quality Report (2025)
A GenX scare
GenX contamination in North Carolina is tied to the Cape Fear River basin in the eastern part of the state. Charlotte Water draws from the Catawba River, and other utilities around Charlotte use the Catawba and Yadkin basins. Neither is the Cape Fear. PFAS questions are fair ones, so we answer them with your own utility’s numbers. How we approach PFAS.
Fear words
Municipal water that meets federal standards isn’t something to be afraid of, and we won’t describe it that way. When there’s a real reason to consider treatment, like disinfection byproducts below the limit that you’d still rather reduce, or arsenic in a private well, we explain it with the actual number and its source. See the Charlotte-area water report.
Fake urgency or same-night discounts
No “this price is only good tonight,” no manager on the phone with a special deal, no pressure to sign before we leave. You get a written quote with the full price, and you take as long as you need. If you do buy at home, you still have three business days to cancel. Read our promise.
Germ-kill claims without certification
We won’t claim a product kills or removes bacteria or viruses unless it carries the certification for that claim, such as NSF/ANSI 55 Class A for UV disinfection systems. The same goes for every other reduction claim: it has to match the product’s certification. About UV disinfection.
What we will do instead
- Show you your utility’s own report, or a certified-lab result for your well.
- Recommend only what those results support, including nothing at all.
- Put the full price in writing before you sign anything.
Common questions
Does Charlotte city water need a water softener?
Usually not. Charlotte Water's 2025 report lists hardness at 32 mg/L, about 1.9 grains per gallon, which the USGS classifies as soft. We won't recommend a softener on soft city water without a hardness test that supports it.
Is a TDS meter reading a sign my water is contaminated?
No. A TDS meter measures total dissolved solids, which are mostly ordinary minerals. It can't detect lead, PFAS, bacteria or disinfection byproducts, so it says very little about whether your water meets any standard.
Is GenX a problem in Charlotte's water?
GenX contamination is associated with the Cape Fear River basin in eastern North Carolina. Charlotte Water draws from the Catawba River, and nearby utilities use the Catawba and Yadkin basins, not the Cape Fear. If PFAS is your concern, your utility's annual report lists what it tested for and found.
Do Charlotte-area utilities use chloramine?
Charlotte Water disinfects with free chlorine, according to its 2025 water quality report. Disinfection differs from utility to utility, so we read your own utility's report rather than assume. Carbon filtration reduces chlorine taste and odor if it bothers you.
Why would a water company tell me not to buy something?
Because selling equipment a home doesn't need leads to unhappy customers, cancellations and complaints. We'd rather be the company that told you the truth.
Start with an honest answer about your water.
Tell us about your home and water source. We'll recommend testing first, and only the equipment your results support.