If you live in Avon Park, you have probably seen the white crust on your faucets, the spots on your dishes and the ring around the shower drain. That is hard water, and it comes from the limestone aquifer that supplies almost every home in the area. Florida Water Management, based just down US-27 in Sebring, handles water softener installation for Avon Park homes on city water and on private wells. We start with a free in-home water test, size the system to your numbers and your household, and install it so it fits your plumbing and your routine.
Book your free in-home water test or call (863) 658-1056, Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM.
The City of Avon Park utility pumps its water from seven wells drilled into the Floridan aquifer, according to the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s source water assessment for the city system. The wells with a listed depth range from 860 to 1,352 feet. The city’s annual water quality reports describe adding chlorine for disinfection, and phosphate at some of its treatment plants to help control corrosion in pipes.
Neither of those steps removes hardness. Water that has been sitting in limestone hundreds of feet underground picks up calcium and magnesium, and it carries those minerals straight to your tap. The U.S. Geological Survey’s study of groundwater quality in Highlands County found that water from the Upper Floridan aquifer is hard across most of the county, ranging from 64 to 410 mg/L. Outside city utility lines, in places like Avon Park Lakes and on the rural properties toward Lake Wales and Frostproof, many homes run on private wells, and those wells can add iron or sulfur to the hardness.
The result is that two homes a few miles apart can need very different equipment. That is why we test first and recommend second.
Not sure whether you need one at all? Our guide Do I Need a Water Softener? walks through the questions to ask before you buy anything.
A softener that is too small regenerates constantly, uses more salt and water, and wears out early. One that is too large can sit idle long enough for the resin to channel. Getting the size right comes down to a few numbers we measure or ask about during the visit:
We cover the math in more detail in How to Size a Water Softener. During your test we do the calculation with you and explain why we are recommending a particular size.
Our goal is a clean, tidy install that you understand before we leave. A typical installation in Avon Park follows these steps:
Many customers tell us the process was quicker than they expected, and they appreciate that the installer explained what he was doing along the way.
For homes on the city system, a softener handles the hardness, and many homeowners pair it with a carbon filter for chlorine taste and smell. If you want water with fewer dissolved solids for drinking and cooking, a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink is a common add-on.
Wells around Avon Park Lakes and the rural roads outside town often have iron, sulfur or both. A softener can take out small amounts of iron, but higher levels or a rotten egg smell call for a filtration stage ahead of the softener. Our guide to removing iron from water explains the options. If your test shows more than hardness, we will show you the numbers and recommend the combination that fits. You can also read about our water filtration systems in Avon Park.
A softener needs very little attention once it is set up correctly. Check the brine tank about once a month and keep it at least a quarter full of salt. Choosing the right salt matters too: our article on water softener salt pellets vs. crystals covers which type works for your tank. If your water starts to feel hard again or you see new spots, give us a call so we can check the settings and retest.
Homeowners across Highlands County have shared their experience with our softener installs on Google:
“Recently got one of the water softener systems installed in our home. The entire process was quick and I can say I’ve noticed a difference immediately. Water quality is better. My dishes are cleaner, no water spots that my old softener system used to leave behind.”
— Kaitlyn Jaeger, Google review
“Sales representative had an excellent presentation and the installer "Will" did an excellent installation job.”
— Wesley Simpson, Google review
We are a local team at 32415 Broadway St in Sebring, a short drive from Avon Park, and we work in Highlands and Polk counties every week. Reviews regularly mention our no-pressure approach, clear explanations from Scotty and Dusty during the water test, and careful installs from our crew. We would rather install the right system once than sell you equipment you do not need.
The city draws its water from deep Floridan aquifer wells, and the USGS reports that Upper Floridan water is hard across most of Highlands County. Whether a softener is worth it for you depends on the hardness at your tap, which we measure during the free in-home water test.
No. The city adds phosphate at some treatment plants to help control corrosion in pipes, and chlorine for disinfection. Neither removes the calcium and magnesium that cause scale, so the water still arrives hard.
Many installs are finished in a single visit. The time depends on where your main line enters the house, how far the drain is and whether any extra filtration is going in with the softener. We give you a time estimate after the water test.
In most Avon Park homes it goes in the garage or along an outside wall where the main water line comes in. It needs a connection to the main line, a drain for regeneration water and enough room for you to add salt.
Yes. Many of our customers switched to us from another company’s system. We test your water, check whether your current setup is sized and set correctly, and recommend a replacement only if it makes sense.
A softener can handle small amounts of iron, but it is not built for high iron or hydrogen sulfide. Wells with those problems usually need a filtration stage before the softener. Your test results tell us which setup you need.
Softening adds a small amount of sodium in exchange for the hardness minerals. If you want to limit sodium or prefer water with fewer dissolved solids for drinking and cooking, a reverse osmosis system at the kitchen sink is a common add-on.
The first step is finding out exactly what is in your water. A free in-home water test shows your hardness, iron and other key numbers, so you can make a decision based on facts. Contact Florida Water Management or call (863) 658-1056, Monday to Friday from 8 AM to 5 PM, to set up a visit.
