Build your water treatment — with the price in the open
Pick a lane — Salt-Free Conditioner, Softener + Filtration, or the full Treatment + Kitchen Reverse Osmosis — and see the installed ballpark, what's included, and what isn't. Halo systems, master-plumber installed.
Three lanes. One straightforward conversation.
Greater Austin sits on limestone — the Edwards Aquifer — and our water is genuinely hard. Left untreated, that hardness scales pipes and water heaters, wears out fixtures, and can contribute to pinhole leaks. Depending on the home, you may also be dealing with chlorine taste, sediment, or a desire for cleaner drinking water at the kitchen tap.
The three tiers below cover the vast majority of Central Texas water-treatment installs. Pick the one that matches what you're trying to solve, request a written price, and we'll confirm the firm number on-site before any work begins — guidance over guesswork, from a master-plumber-owned team.
We proudly install
- Halo salt-free conditioners — scale protection without a drain line or salt bags.
- Halo whole-home softeners — traditional salt cycle, sized to your measured hardness.
- Halo carbon filtration & RO — taste, odor, and drinking-water polishing at the kitchen tap.
Not sure whether you actually need one? Take the two-minute Do I need a water softener? quiz first.
Pick your lane
Not sure which fits? The middle lane — softener plus whole-home filtration — is the most common pick for Central Texas homes.
Build your water treatment install
Salt-Free Conditioner stops the scale. Softener + Filtration adds taste and odor. Treatment + Reverse Osmosis polishes drinking water at the kitchen tap too.
Halo softener + carbon filtration
What's included
- Everything in the Salt-Free Conditioner tier
- Halo whole-home softener (traditional salt cycle) — sized to your measured hardness
- Whole-home carbon filtration for chlorine / taste / odor
- Brine tank + drain line installed to code
- Startup salt supply and a walkthrough on maintenance
- 6-month check-in call to verify performance
Not included at this tier
- Point-of-use reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink (see Best)
- Nitrate-specific or heavy-metal-specific polishing (custom quote)
Best for
- — Households noticing taste, smell, or hair/skin issues on top of scale
- — Homes on older municipal supply lines where sediment shows in strainers
- — Anyone who wants a single system to handle the common Central Texas complaints
3-year workmanship warranty on the install
Straight talk on scope: the price range above is a ballpark for a typical Central Texas single-family install. Every home is different — final scope and firm price are confirmed on-site by a licensed technician before any work begins. If we find the actual scope is bigger than what you can see from the driveway, we stop and walk you through the options in writing — you decide before any work continues.
Financing
Wells Fargo Retail Services Plan 1066 — 18 months no interest on approved credit, available on qualifying installs. See the Financing page for the full plan.
Replacing a water heater too?
Soft water makes a new water heater last dramatically longer. See the Water Heater Builder for ballpark tank + tankless pricing.
What if my install ends up being more than one of these tiers?
No two homes plumb exactly alike. Sometimes an install we quoted as a softener turns out to need a non-standard main-line diameter, a supply-line reroute, or an unexpected code item. When that happens, we stop and walk you through the options in writing — every added item, itemized.
You decide before any additional work continues. No surprises, no bait and switch, no "well, while we were in there..." A firm on-site price is always confirmed before the first wrench turns.
Water treatment, answered plainly
How much does a salt-free conditioner cost? +
Whole-home salt-free water filtration / conditioning starts at $5,500 installed. Final scope depends on main-line access and whether you also need softening, carbon filtration, or point-of-use reverse osmosis. We confirm the written price on-site before any work begins.
Do I really need water treatment in Central Texas? +
For most homes on Greater Austin's limestone-fed water, yes. Homes across Austin, Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, and Leander consistently test in the hard-to-very-hard range. Untreated hard water shortens the life of your water heater, scales your fixtures, and can contribute to pinhole leaks in older copper. A free hardness test is the first step — it tells us whether you need softening, filtration, or both.
What's the difference between a softener and a filter? +
A softener removes the calcium and magnesium that cause hardness and scale. Filtration reduces chlorine, sediment, and other contaminants that affect taste, smell, and clarity. Many Central Texas homes benefit from both, which is why our middle and top tiers combine softening and filtration into a single whole-home package.
Will treatment extend the life of my water heater? +
Yes. Soft water dramatically reduces the scale that makes water heaters work harder and fail sooner — one of the best ways to protect that investment in hard-water Central Texas. Pairing softening with a new water heater is one of the most common upgrade paths we install.
How often does the system need maintenance? +
Filters generally need replacement every 6 to 12 months, and softeners need regular salt checks plus annual servicing. Reverse osmosis systems typically need their filter set replaced once a year and the membrane every 3 to 5 years. We put you on a maintenance reminder cadence at install — no scrambling later.
Do you install a specific brand? +
We proudly install Halo water-treatment systems. Halo covers salt-free conditioning, traditional salt softening, whole-home carbon filtration, and reverse osmosis — the four capabilities that map cleanly to our Good / Better / Best tiers. Every install is done by a licensed technician on a master-plumber-owned crew.
How long does an install take? +
A whole-home conditioner or softener is typically a same-day install. Adding a whole-home carbon filter usually stays same-day too. Adding under-sink reverse osmosis with a refrigerator tee-off can run into a longer install depending on cabinet layout — we walk through the timeline before the appointment.
What if my install ends up needing more than what's listed? +
If we get on site and the actual scope is bigger than the tier you picked (say a non-standard main-line diameter, a supply line rerouting, or an unexpected code item), we stop and walk you through the options in writing. You decide before any work continues — no surprises, no bait and switch.
Do you offer financing on water treatment? +
Yes — we offer Wells Fargo Retail Services financing (Plan 1066, 18 months no interest on approved credit) on qualifying water-treatment installs. See our Financing page for the full plan details, the official disclosure, and the online application.
Not sure whether you need treatment at all? Take the two-minute quiz first — it'll tell you whether a hardness test even makes sense.
Ready for cleaner, softer water?
Request a written price for the tier that fits, or call the Outfitters and we'll walk you through it live. Halo installed by a master-plumber-owned team.