Best Water Softener for Lakewood, CO — 17 Things to Know BEFORE You Buy!

Written by Craig "The Water Guy" Phillips

1. The Local Water Problem in Lakewood, CO

Your neighbors on West Alameda Avenue are replacing their tankless water heaters after just 18 months — not because of defects, but because of what's flowing through Lakewood's pipes. At 14.2 grains per gallon (GPG), Lakewood's water ranks among the hardest in Jefferson County, creating a relentless assault on every appliance, pipe, and fixture in your home.

To understand what 14.2 GPG means, think of your plumbing system like a construction site where concrete is being poured continuously. Each gallon of Lakewood water carries 14.2 grains of dissolved calcium and magnesium — the raw materials that crystallize into rock-hard scale wherever water flows, heats, or evaporates. This isn't a minor inconvenience; it's a structural threat to your home's infrastructure.

Lakewood draws its water primarily from the South Platte River system and Denver Basin aquifers, both naturally rich in dissolved minerals from Colorado's limestone and gypsum geology. At 14.2 GPG, Lakewood's water is classified as "extremely hard" — the highest category on the water hardness scale. This classification isn't academic; it's a warning that without intervention, your home is operating under siege.

The financial stakes are immediate and compound annually. Lakewood homeowners with untreated extremely hard water face an estimated "hardness tax" of $2,800 to $3,500 per year in extra energy costs, soap waste, appliance depreciation, and premature replacements. Your home's value depends on functional systems — and at 14.2 GPG, those systems are failing faster than they should.

2. What 14.2 GPG Does to Your Home

At 14.2 GPG, calcium carbonate doesn't just coat your water heater's heating elements — it encases them like concrete armor, forcing the unit to work 35-45% harder to heat the same amount of water. This isn't gradual efficiency loss; it's accelerated equipment failure. A 40-gallon electric water heater serving a Lakewood family can lose 40% of its heating capacity within 18-24 months of continuous exposure to 14.2 GPG water.

The scale formation process at this hardness level is aggressive and irreversible. When Lakewood's mineral-saturated water is heated above 140°F, calcium and magnesium ions precipitate out of solution and bond directly to metal surfaces. Each heating cycle adds another microscopic layer. Over months, these layers build into thick, insulating crusts that block heat transfer and trap debris.

Your home's copper and galvanized steel pipes face a similar fate. At 14.2 GPG, scale deposits form concentric rings inside pipe walls, progressively narrowing the diameter and restricting water flow. Galvanized pipes in older Lakewood neighborhoods — particularly homes built before 1980 — show measurable flow restriction within 3-5 years of exposure to untreated extremely hard water. The calcite crystals create rough interior surfaces that trap sediment and accelerate corrosion.

Appliance manufacturers recognize the threat that 14.2 GPG water poses to their equipment. Many tankless water heater warranties are voided if the unit operates without a water softener in extremely hard water conditions. The manufacturers know what Lakewood homeowners learn the hard way: scale buildup at this mineral concentration destroys heat exchangers, clogs pressure sensors, and damages flow meters beyond repair.

The soap and detergent waste at 14.2 GPG is both chemically predictable and financially painful. Calcium and magnesium ions react with soap molecules to form insoluble precipitates — gray scum instead of cleansing lather. A Lakewood household requires 3-4 times the normal amount of laundry detergent, dish soap, and shampoo to achieve basic cleaning results. The annual extra cost ranges from $400-600 for a typical four-person household.

Your skin and hair bear the physical burden of 14.2 GPG water daily. Calcium ions strip natural oils from skin, leaving a tight, dry feeling that many Lakewood residents mistake for "thoroughly clean." Hair becomes coated with mineral residue, appearing dull and feeling coarse. Dermatologists report that patients with eczema and sensitive skin conditions see measurable improvement when extremely hard water exposure is eliminated.

Laundry and glassware show the visible evidence of mineral assault. Clothes washed in 14.2 GPG water emerge gray, stiff, and scratchy as calcium deposits embed in fabric fibers. White cotton shirts develop a dingy, permanent cast within months. Dishwasher interiors develop irreversible etching on glass surfaces — the cloudiness cannot be removed because the minerals have physically altered the glass structure.

For a Lakewood household, the combined annual "hard water tax" — encompassing energy waste, soap overuse, appliance depreciation, and premature replacements — ranges from $2,800 to $3,500. This isn't theoretical; it's the measurable cost of allowing 14.2 GPG water to flow untreated through your home's systems year after year.

3. Lakewood's Specific Contaminant Profile

Lakewood's water profile presents a layered challenge: beyond the 14.2 GPG hardness baseline, residents are also contending with iron, chlorine, and sediment — each of which interacts with water hardness in its own way.

Iron in Lakewood's Water Supply

Iron enters Lakewood's water system through natural geological processes as groundwater passes through iron-rich sedimentary rock formations in the Denver Basin. The iron exists primarily in its ferrous (dissolved) form when it leaves the treatment plant — invisible, tasteless, and undetectable to homeowners until it oxidizes upon contact with air or chlorine.

At 14.2 GPG hardness, iron creates compounded staining problems throughout your home. Iron molecules bond chemically with the calcium and magnesium deposits, creating orange-brown scale that is exponentially more difficult to remove than either mineral alone. Lakewood residents notice this most clearly in toilet bowls, where the waterline develops a rust-colored ring that resists standard cleaning products.

The EPA's secondary maximum contaminant level for iron is 0.3 mg/L — a threshold based on taste and staining rather than health concerns. Lakewood's iron levels typically range from 0.1-0.4 mg/L, meaning some areas of the city experience noticeable iron effects while others do not. The variability depends on which aquifer zone supplies your neighborhood and the age of the distribution pipes serving your street.

Standard water softeners can handle iron concentrations up to 0.3 mg/L, but iron above this level will foul the softening resin over time. For Lakewood homes testing above 0.3 mg/L iron, an iron-specific pre-filter upstream of the SoftPro Elite HE prevents resin contamination and extends system life.

Chlorine Treatment and Disinfection Byproducts

Lakewood's water treatment facilities add chlorine as a disinfectant to eliminate bacteria and viruses during distribution through the city's extensive pipe network. This chlorination process is essential for public health, but it creates secondary issues for homeowners dealing with extremely hard water.

Chlorine accelerates the corrosion of rubber gaskets, O-rings, and seals throughout your plumbing system — damage that is compounded by the abrasive effects of 14.2 GPG mineral deposits. Lakewood residents often notice stronger chlorine taste and odor during summer months when higher temperatures require increased disinfection levels. The interaction between chlorine and organic matter in the distribution system also creates trihalomethanes (THMs) and haloacetic acids (HAAs) — regulated disinfection byproducts with their own health considerations.

EPA regulations limit total trihalomethanes to 80 parts per billion and haloacetic acids to 60 parts per billion in municipal water supplies. Lakewood's levels are typically well below these thresholds, but residents sensitive to chlorine taste or concerned about long-term exposure can address both chlorine and its byproducts with activated carbon filtration.

The SoftPro Elite HE water softener does not remove chlorine — its ion exchange resin targets calcium and magnesium specifically. Lakewood homeowners seeking comprehensive water treatment should consider pairing the SoftPro with a whole-house activated carbon filter positioned upstream of the softener to protect the resin from chlorine degradation.

Sediment from Aging Infrastructure

Sediment in Lakewood's water originates from aging cast iron and steel pipes in the distribution system, particularly during main breaks, system maintenance, or periods of high flow velocity. This particulate matter consists of rust flakes, pipe scale, and mineral deposits that have loosened from pipe walls over decades of service.

At 14.2 GPG hardness, sediment particles become nucleation sites for additional mineral buildup — creating larger, more troublesome deposits that clog aerators, showerheads, and appliance inlets. The combination of sediment and extremely hard water creates a synergistic fouling effect that damages water softener resin faster than either contaminant would alone.

EPA regulations monitor turbidity as an indicator of filtration effectiveness and potential contamination. Lakewood's treated water typically meets all turbidity standards, but localized sediment events can occur in older neighborhoods during infrastructure work or seasonal demand fluctuations.

The SoftPro Elite HE includes a self-cleaning sediment pre-filter specifically designed to capture particulate matter before it reaches the softening resin. This feature is particularly valuable for Lakewood installations, where protecting resin life against both sediment and 14.2 GPG mineral loading is operationally essential.

4. Why Most Lakewood Homeowners Pick the Wrong Softener

Walk through any Lakewood neighborhood built in the 1980s or 1990s, and you'll find garages filled with undersized water softeners that couldn't handle the city's 14.2 GPG assault. These units worked fine in the showroom demonstrations, but they fail within weeks when confronted with extremely hard Colorado water. The mistakes homeowners make are predictable, expensive, and entirely avoidable.

Mistake 1: Buying on Price Alone

An undersized water softener cannot physically process the continuous mineral load that 14.2 GPG water delivers to a Lakewood household. The ion exchange resin becomes exhausted faster than the system can regenerate, allowing hard water to break through during peak usage periods. A 24,000-grain unit that works adequately in a soft-water city like Seattle will fail a Lakewood family within 3-5 days of installation.

The math is unforgiving: a four-person household using 300 gallons daily at 14.2 GPG generates 4,260 grains of hardness demand every day. A 24,000-grain softener reaches capacity in just 5.6 days — and that's assuming perfect efficiency, which never occurs in real-world conditions.

Mistake 2: Confusing Softeners with Filters

Water softeners use ion exchange resin to remove calcium and magnesium ions — period. They do not reliably remove iron, chlorine, or sediment, though they may capture small amounts incidentally. Lakewood residents dealing with both 14.2 GPG hardness and the additional presence of iron, chlorine, and sediment need a coordinated treatment approach, not a single "miracle" unit that promises to solve everything.

The distinction matters operationally: iron fouls softening resin, chlorine degrades it chemically, and sediment clogs the distribution system physically. Homeowners who expect their softener to handle all of Lakewood's water challenges simultaneously end up with expensive equipment failures and frustrated service calls.

Mistake 3: Ignoring Grain Capacity Math

Proper softener sizing requires actual calculation, not guesswork based on household size alone. The formula is straightforward:

[Number of People] × 75 gallons/day × 14.2 GPG = daily grain demand

For a typical Lakewood family of four: 4 × 75 × 14.2 = 4,260 grains per day

Multiply by 7 days to get weekly demand (29,820 grains), then add a 20% buffer for high-usage periods. This calculation reveals that Lakewood households need 35,000+ grain capacity for reliable performance — far above the 24,000-32,000 grain units commonly sold at big-box stores.

Mistake 4: Overlooking Salt Efficiency

At 14.2 GPG, a water softener regenerates every 5-7 days instead of the 10-14 day cycles common in moderate hardness areas. An inefficient system uses 15-20 pounds of salt per regeneration cycle, while a high-efficiency model uses 8-12 pounds for the same grain capacity. Over a decade of operation, this difference compounds into 8,000-12,000 pounds of additional salt — representing $800-1,200 in unnecessary costs for Lakewood homeowners.

5. The SoftPro Elite HE: Built for Lakewood's Water

After evaluating Lakewood's water hardness of 14.2 GPG and the presence of iron, chlorine, and sediment in the local supply, one system consistently rises to the top for Lakewood homeowners: the SoftPro Elite HE Water Softener. This isn't marketing hyperbole — it's the logical engineering solution to the specific challenges that Colorado's extremely hard water presents.

Feature: Salt-Based Ion Exchange Technology

Salt-free "conditioners" do not actually remove hardness minerals from water — they only attempt to change the crystal structure of calcium and magnesium to reduce scaling. At 14.2 GPG, this approach is fundamentally inadequate. The mineral load is too high for crystal modification to prevent scale formation reliably. The SoftPro Elite HE uses true cation exchange resin to physically replace every calcium and magnesium ion with sodium — delivering genuinely soft water at 0-1 GPG hardness regardless of inlet conditions.

For Lakewood's extremely hard water, ion exchange is not just preferred — it's the only proven technology that can reduce 14.2 GPG to soft water consistently and reliably.

Feature: Demand-Initiated Regeneration (DIR)

At 14.2 GPG, softening resin exhausts much faster than in moderate hardness cities, making regeneration timing critical for continuous soft water delivery. The SoftPro's demand-initiated regeneration monitors actual water usage and resin capacity in real-time, triggering regeneration only when the resin bed approaches exhaustion. This prevents hard water breakthrough during peak usage periods while avoiding the salt and water waste of premature regeneration cycles.

For Lakewood households generating 4,000+ grains of daily demand, DIR technology is operationally essential — not merely convenient.

Feature: NSF/ANSI Standard 44 Certified Resin

Third-party certification verifies that the ion exchange resin meets strict performance standards and materials safety requirements under high-demand conditions. For Lakewood residents already managing iron, chlorine, and sediment alongside extreme hardness, knowing that the softening process itself doesn't introduce additional contaminants provides critical peace of mind.

NSF Standard 44 testing includes efficiency verification at various hardness levels, ensuring the resin performs as specified when processing 14.2 GPG water continuously.

Feature: Multiple Grain Capacity Options

The SoftPro Elite HE offers 32,000, 48,000, 64,000, and 80,000 grain capacity models to match Lakewood's high daily demand accurately. Using the sizing calculation for a four-person household at 14.2 GPG:

Daily demand: 4,260 grains

Weekly demand: 29,820 grains

With 20% buffer: 35,784 grains

The 48,000-grain model provides optimal capacity for this household, allowing 6-7 days between regenerations while maintaining a safety margin for high-usage periods. Larger households or those with additional water-intensive appliances should consider the 64,000-grain option.

Feature: 10-Year System Warranty

At 14.2 GPG, softening resin processes more mineral ions daily than systems in moderate hardness areas process weekly. This intensive duty cycle requires robust components and reliable warranty protection. The SoftPro's 10-year coverage protects Lakewood homeowners during the period of highest operational stress, when extremely hard water usage could reveal any design or manufacturing weaknesses.

Feature: Iron-Compatible Design

The SoftPro Elite HE is specifically engineered to work downstream of iron oxidation and filtration systems, preventing the resin fouling that destroys standard softeners in iron-bearing water. For Lakewood homes testing above 0.3 mg/L iron, this compatibility allows a comprehensive two-stage approach: iron removal followed by hardness reduction.

The system includes iron-specific resin cleaning protocols and regeneration sequences that help manage low-level iron exposure without premature resin replacement.

Feature: Self-Cleaning Sediment Pre-Filter

Before hardness minerals reach the ion exchange resin, the integrated pre-filter captures rust particles, pipe scale, and other sediment that would otherwise clog the resin bed and reduce system efficiency. This feature is particularly valuable in Lakewood, where both sediment from aging infrastructure and 14.2 GPG mineral loading create compounded fouling risks.

The self-cleaning design maintains filtration effectiveness automatically, extending resin life and reducing maintenance requirements.

For Lakewood households dealing with 14.2 GPG of water hardness and the compounding presence of iron, chlorine, and sediment, the SoftPro Elite HE is not a comfort upgrade — it is infrastructure protection for your home.

6. How to Size Your Softener for Lakewood

Proper softener sizing for Lakewood's 14.2 GPG water requires precise calculation — guesswork leads to undersized systems and hard water breakthrough during peak usage periods. Follow this step-by-step process to determine the correct grain capacity for your household:

Step 1: Count household members (include regular guests who stay multiple days per week)

Step 2: Multiply by 75 gallons per person per day (EPA average for indoor water use)

Step 3: Multiply household gallons × 14.2 GPG = daily grain demand

Step 4: Multiply daily demand × 7 = weekly grain demand

Step 5: Add 20% buffer for high-usage days (laundry, guests, irrigation)

Step 6: Match result to SoftPro Elite HE capacity (32K / 48K / 64K / 80K)

Example calculation for a 4-person Lakewood household:

Step 1: 4 people

Step 2: 4 × 75 = 300 gallons per day

Step 3: 300 × 14.2 = 4,260 grains per day

Step 4: 4,260 × 7 = 29,820 grains per week

Step 5: 29,820 × 1.20 = 35,784 grains with buffer

Step 6: Select 48,000-grain SoftPro Elite HE model

This sizing allows regeneration every 6-7 days, which optimizes salt efficiency while preventing resin exhaustion during normal usage patterns. Regenerating more frequently than every 5 days wastes salt and water; regenerating less frequently than every 8 days risks hard water breakthrough when resin capacity is exceeded.

7. Installation in Lakewood: What to Know

Lakewood does not require a licensed plumber for residential water softener installation, but the city does require compliance with the Uniform Plumbing Code for all modifications to household water systems. Most homeowners with basic plumbing experience can install the SoftPro Elite HE successfully, though professional installation ensures optimal placement and performance.

The softener must be installed after the main water shutoff valve but before the water heater — this ensures all household water is treated while protecting the expensive heating elements from 14.2 GPG scale buildup. Position the unit where it has access to a 120V electrical outlet, a floor drain for regeneration discharge, and sufficient clearance for salt loading and maintenance access.

Lakewood's municipal water pressure typically ranges from 45-65 PSI throughout most residential areas — well within the SoftPro Elite HE's operating range of 25-80 PSI. Homes in higher elevation neighborhoods near Green Mountain or Crown Hill may experience lower pressure and should verify adequate flow rates before installation.

At 14.2 GPG consumption levels, use only evaporated salt pellets in the brine tank — never rock salt or solar crystals. Evaporated pellets contain 99.8% pure sodium chloride with minimal insoluble residue, preventing brine tank fouling that reduces regeneration efficiency. Lower-grade salts leave behind clay, sand, and other impurities that accumulate over time and interfere with proper brine production.

Check salt levels monthly during the first year of operation to establish your household's consumption pattern. At 14.2 GPG, expect to add 40-50 pounds of salt monthly for a typical four-person household, depending on actual water usage and regeneration frequency.

8. Maintenance Schedule for Lakewood Homeowners

Lakewood's extremely hard water at 14.2 GPG requires more frequent maintenance attention than systems operating in moderate hardness areas. The higher mineral load and more frequent regeneration cycles accelerate wear on system components and increase the importance of proactive care.

Monthly Maintenance Tasks

Check salt levels in the brine tank monthly — salt consumption is high at 14.2 GPG, and running empty allows hard water breakthrough immediately. Look for salt bridges, which appear as a hard crust above the water line that prevents salt from dissolving properly. Break up any bridges with a broom handle and ensure salt extends 2-3 inches above the water level.

Verify the bypass valve remains in the "service" position unless you're performing maintenance. A accidentally switched bypass valve is the most common cause of "softener failure" calls in Lakewood.

Quarterly Maintenance Tasks

Clean the brine tank every three months to remove accumulated salt residue and any sediment that has settled to the bottom. Empty the tank completely, scrub with warm water, and refill with fresh evaporated salt pellets. This prevents brine quality degradation that reduces regeneration effectiveness.

Test post-softener water hardness with test strips to confirm output remains below 1 GPG. If hardness creeps above 1 GPG, the resin may need cleaning or the regeneration cycle may need adjustment.

Inspect and clean the sediment pre-filter if your SoftPro Elite HE includes this feature for Lakewood's sediment conditions.

Annual Maintenance Tasks

Perform a complete brine tank cleaning and sanitization annually, including removal of any salt mushing or residue buildup that quarterly cleanings missed. Check all plumbing connections for mineral deposits or corrosion, particularly at threaded fittings where Lakewood's hard water can cause galvanic reactions.

Conduct a resin bed performance evaluation by testing input and output hardness simultaneously. If the softener cannot reduce 14.2 GPG input to below 1 GPG output during normal operation, resin cleaning or replacement may be necessary.

Audit the regeneration cycle timing and salt dosage to ensure optimal efficiency. After a year of operation, usage patterns become clear and regeneration schedules can be fine-tuned for maximum salt efficiency.

Every 5 Years

Evaluate resin replacement based on system performance and efficiency trends. At 14.2 GPG, ion exchange resin experiences heavy daily use that gradually reduces its capacity and efficiency. While quality resin can last 10-15 years in moderate hardness areas, extremely hard water may require replacement every 7-10 years.

Lakewood residents should establish baseline performance metrics after installation and monitor trends annually to predict resin service life accurately.

9. Frequently Asked Questions for Lakewood Residents

9. Is Lakewood's water at 14.2 GPG dangerous to drink?

No, hard water at 14.2 GPG poses no health risks for drinking — calcium and magnesium are essential minerals that many people take as supplements. The EPA does not regulate hardness as a health contaminant. However, the mineral load creates serious problems for plumbing, appliances, and cleaning effectiveness that make softening a practical necessity for Lakewood homeowners rather than a health requirement.

10. Will a water softener remove iron from Lakewood's water?

Water softeners can handle small amounts of dissolved iron (up to 0.3 mg/L), but they do not reliably remove iron as their primary function. If your Lakewood home tests above 0.3 mg/L iron, install an iron-specific oxidizing filter upstream of the SoftPro Elite HE. The softener will then handle the hardness reduction while the pre-filter protects the resin from iron fouling.

11. How much salt will I use per month in Lakewood at 14.2 GPG?

A typical four-person Lakewood household will use 40-50 pounds of salt monthly with a properly sized SoftPro Elite HE system. This assumes 300 gallons daily usage and regeneration every 6-7 days. Larger households or those with high water usage (irrigation, pools, large laundry loads) may use 60-80 pounds monthly. Always use evaporated salt pellets for maximum efficiency at this hardness level.

12. Does Lakewood require a permit to install a water softener?

Lakewood does not require a specific permit for residential water softener installation, but the work must comply with local plumbing codes. If you're adding new plumbing connections or electrical circuits, those modifications may require permits. Most straightforward softener installations on existing plumbing lines do not trigger permit requirements, but check with Lakewood's building department if your installation involves structural or electrical changes.

13. Why does soft water feel slippery in the shower?

Soft water feels slippery because soap and shampoo work normally for the first time — without calcium ions to react with, soap creates actual lather instead of scum. Lakewood residents accustomed to 14.2 GPG water often mistake this normal soap performance for "residue," but it's actually more effective cleaning with less product. The slippery sensation diminishes as you adjust soap quantities downward and skin recovers from mineral damage.

14. How quickly will I see results after installing a softener in Lakewood?

Soft water delivery begins immediately after installation, but visible improvements appear gradually as existing scale dissolves and new scale formation stops. Soap lathers better within hours. Scale removal from fixtures takes 2-4 weeks of regular cleaning. Water heater efficiency improvements become apparent on your next utility bill, typically 30-45 days post-installation. Complete system recovery from 14.2 GPG damage may take 6-12 months depending on the extent of existing buildup.

15. Can the SoftPro Elite HE handle Lakewood's water without a separate filter?

The SoftPro Elite HE will effectively reduce Lakewood's 14.2 GPG hardness to soft water and can manage low levels of iron and sediment through its built-in pre-filter. However, it does not remove chlorine, which can degrade the resin over time. For comprehensive treatment addressing all of Lakewood's water quality issues, consider pairing the SoftPro with a whole-house carbon filter upstream to remove chlorine and protect the softening resin from chemical damage.

16. Cost Analysis for Lakewood Homeowners

The financial case for water softening in Lakewood is straightforward: 14.2 GPG water costs homeowners $2,800-3,500 annually in extra energy, soap, and appliance replacement costs. A quality SoftPro Elite HE system pays for itself within 18-24 months through energy savings, reduced soap usage, and extended appliance life.

Energy savings alone justify the investment. A water heater operating with 14.2 GPG scale buildup uses 35-45% more electricity or gas to heat the same amount of water. For a typical Lakewood household spending $800-1,200 annually on water heating, softened water reduces this cost by $280-540 per year indefinitely.

Appliance protection provides additional value. Tankless water heaters, dishwashers, and washing machines last 40-60% longer with soft water, representing thousands in avoided replacement costs over a decade. The compounding savings make water softening one of the highest-return home improvements available to Lakewood residents.

17. Final Verdict for Lakewood

Lakewood's water hardness of 14.2 GPG demands commercial-grade treatment capability in a residential package. This isn't moderately hard water that homeowners can ignore or manage with temporary fixes — it's an extremely hard mineral assault that destroys appliances, wastes energy, and compounds maintenance costs year after year.

Iron, chlorine, and sediment compound the hardness problem by fouling softening resin, accelerating corrosion, and creating synergistic scaling that standard treatment approaches cannot handle reliably. Lakewood homeowners need a system engineered specifically for high-demand, multi-contaminant conditions.

The SoftPro Elite HE rises above alternatives because of three critical advantages: demand-initiated regeneration that prevents hard water breakthrough during peak usage, multiple grain capacities that match Lakewood's high daily demand accurately, and iron-compatible design that prevents resin fouling in Colorado's mineral-rich water. These aren't convenience features — they're operational requirements for reliable performance at 14.2 GPG.

Check current SoftPro Elite HE pricing and available grain capacities for a Lakewood household. Calculate your daily grain demand, verify your installation requirements, and protect your home's infrastructure before another month of extremely hard water takes its toll.

Like the view of the Front Range from Green Mountain Park, some things about Lakewood are worth protecting — and your home's plumbing system is definitely one of them.