Here in Minnesota, we have "hard" water. We had Haferman Water Conditioning, Inc./ Kinetico install a water softener in order to reduce the calcium and magnesium in the water. The system uses salt to reduce the minerals in the water. It's pretty much a maintenance-free system. All I have to do is buy three bags of salt every six months. I buy the salt directly from Haferman Water Conditioning, Inc./ Kinetico and everybody at the business is very friendly. I'm very satisfied with Haferman Water Conditioning, Inc./ Kinetico, and I would highly recommend them!