Lutz lies north of Tampa, and the first thing to settle about water there is where yours comes from. Some homes in the communities around Tampa are on a water provider and some draw from a private well, and the right softener or filter depends on which. This page explains how to tell, what to test and what to ask a pro about a water softener in Lutz, or filtration.
Water Filtration Tampa is an independent referral service, not an installer or plumber. When you send the form, your details are passed to an independent local water treatment pro, who can contact you and prepare a quote.
In Lutz and thinking about a softener or filter? Ask a local pro.
Utility water or a well?
If you pay a water bill, it names your provider, and that provider publishes a yearly water quality report with its test results, and many reports give a hardness figure. We have not confirmed which provider serves each part of Lutz, so this page gives no figures. If your home has its own well, no report covers it: the water is yours to test and look after.
If you are on a private well
The Florida Department of Health says about 12% of Florida residents rely on limited-use systems and private wells, and that private well owners are responsible for ensuring their own well water is safe to drink. It names poorly maintained septic systems, livestock areas, fertilizer and poorly built wells as ways bacteria and nitrate reach wells.
- Test every year for total coliform bacteria, nitrates, total dissolved solids and pH (EPA and CDC)
- Use a laboratory certified for drinking water testing
- Ask your local health department: the EPA notes it may provide private well testing for free
- Test again after flooding, nearby construction or any repair to the well
- Add hardness, iron and manganese if you are thinking about a softener or filter
Treatment for a well is chosen from the results. If a test shows bacteria or high nitrates, talk to your health department and a qualified pro before anything else. The water testing in Tampa page explains the tests in more detail.
Softening water in Lutz
Once you know your hardness, you can decide whether a softener is worth it. The USGS grades water as soft up to 60 mg/L as calcium carbonate, moderately hard from 61 to 120, hard from 121 to 180 and very hard above 180; about 17 mg/L is one grain per gallon. A softener reduces soap scum and the deposits on dishes, fixtures and in pipes. It does not filter, and many softeners add sodium to the water, so on a sodium-restricted diet, ask your doctor. See water softeners in Tampa for the full picture.
Filtration in Lutz
For taste, odor, stains or a specific contaminant, a filter is the tool, and it should be certified for what you want removed: NSF/ANSI 42 for aesthetic effects such as chlorine taste and odor, NSF/ANSI 53 for health effects such as lead, NSF/ANSI 58 for reverse osmosis. The whole house water filter Tampa guide covers point-of-entry filters.
Softener and filter together
Hard water and a taste or odor problem can turn up in the same house, and they need different tools. A softener removes hardness and does not filter; a filter removes what it is certified for and does not soften. If you want both, ask the installer how they will be arranged on the main line for your water, and how the upkeep of each will work. On a well, the test results decide what goes first.
What to tell the pro
- Whether you are on a provider or a private well
- Your latest well test results, if you have them
- What you notice: spots, scale, taste, smell, stains or pressure
- Any system you already have, with its make and model
Getting a quote in Lutz
Send the form with your Lutz ZIP code, say whether you are on a provider or a well, and add what you notice. Your request goes to the operator of this site, who passes it to an independent water treatment pro who works in the Tampa area. That pro can contact you and prepare a quote. Ask about permits for your location before work starts. Asking is free and you never have to hire anyone.
Get a softener or filtration quote in Lutz.
Questions people ask
How do I know if my Lutz home is on a well?
If you pay a water bill, it names your provider. A home that draws from its own well has no utility report; the owner tests the water.
How often should a well in Lutz be tested?
The EPA and the CDC advise every year, at a certified laboratory, and again after repairs or changes nearby.
