A water softener with ion exchange resin removes calcium and magnesium from the water, and we install softeners in private houses in Riga and the Riga region based on a hardness and iron test. The unit with installation costs from €600. In your request, give the hardness if you know it and the number of people in the house.
Hard water in a private house: how to recognise it
Hardness comes from calcium and magnesium dissolved in the water. When heated, they settle out as limescale, so hard water causes the most trouble on the hot water side.
- A white layer in the kettle and on the water heater element; the water heater starts hissing and heats more slowly.
- White marks on shower glass, tiles and taps that come back soon after cleaning.
- Soap and shampoo lather poorly, and laundry needs more detergent.
- Shower heads and dishwasher spray nozzles clog up.
A laboratory report gives hardness in mmol/l or in German degrees (°dH): 1 mmol/l equals 5.6 °dH. Hardness can vary a lot between boreholes and spike wells, so only a test shows the actual figure.
Is there a limit for water hardness?
No. Cabinet Regulation No. 547 on drinking water sets no limit value for hardness; it only requires water suppliers to measure it. So the decision on a water softener is a practical one: how much the limescale bothers you and which appliances suffer from it (water heater, heating boiler, coffee machine, dishwasher).
The regulation also provides that calcium and magnesium salts may be added to heavily softened water so that it is not corrosive. In practice a water softener with a blending valve is set to leave a little residual hardness rather than softening down to zero.
Cabinet Regulation No. 547 of 26.09.2023 “Mandatory Safety and Quality Requirements for Drinking Water, and the Procedures for Monitoring and Control Thereof”: no limit value is set for hardness, suppliers measure it (Annex 2, sub-point 1.1.2). Calcium and magnesium salts may be added to softened or demineralised water (Annex 1, Table 3, note 2); sodium 200 mg/l (Annex 1). Source: likumi.lv, checked 03.11.2026.
How a water softening filter works
A water softener is a column with ion exchange resin and a control valve, with a brine tank next to it. As water flows through the resin, calcium and magnesium stay in it, and sodium passes into the water. When the resin is saturated, the valve regenerates it with brine and rinses the brine out to the drain.
- A metered valve regenerates once the calculated number of litres has been used. It uses less salt and water than a valve that regenerates by the calendar.
- Salt: pure tablet salt for water softeners. The consumption depends on the hardness and the amount of water, and we calculate it before installation.
- Sodium: the harder the water, the more sodium it picks up after softening. Cabinet Regulation No. 547 has a value of 200 mg/l for sodium, so for drinking water one tap is often left before the water softener, or a reverse osmosis filter is fitted.
- Iron: iron clogs the resin, so if the test shows iron, iron removal goes before the water softener, or a multi-media filter is chosen.
What we check before installation
- Hardness and iron in a test. A home test strip is fine for a rough hardness estimate, but it does not show iron.
- The water consumption and the peak flow, for example two showers at once, to choose the column size.
- A drain for the regeneration water and a socket for the control valve.
- What to soften: usually the whole house, but the garden tap and, if you wish, one drinking water tap are left before the water softener.
- Space: the column and the brine tank need about 0.5 m² of floor in a room that does not freeze in winter.
How the installation is done
- Assessment Based on the test and the consumption, we choose the column size and the valve type and name the price.
- Connection We fit the water softener after the sediment filter and the iron removal, before the water heater, with a bypass for servicing.
- Setting up We enter the water hardness and a regeneration time at night, and set the residual hardness with the blending valve.
- Checking We check the water after the water softener with a hardness test and show you how to top up the salt.
How much does a water softener cost
A water softener with installation costs from €600. The price depends on the column size (hardness and consumption), the valve type, whether iron calls for a multi-media filter and how much pipework is needed on site. Connecting a unit you have bought: from €40/h. All prices: prices.
If your water comes from the mains (public water supply), iron is usually not a problem in it, and a water softener can be fitted without iron removal. Read about the other units and their order on the page water treatment.