Frequently Asked Questions

Water softener (like the Protector Plus) uses salt to physically pull hard calcium and magnesium minerals completely out of your water. Water conditioner (like the salt-free Protector XC) uses advanced crystallization to change the structure of the minerals so they can't stick to pipes or appliances, but leaves them safely floating in the water without using salt.

While traditional salt softeners are perfectly legal in most areas with high water hardness, certain municipalities — especially in desert or coastal regions — restrict them due to local groundwater recycling laws. If you live in a restricted zone, or simply want a greener alternative, our Salt-Free Protector XC is a 100% legal, eco-friendly solution anywhere.

Salt-based softeners add a small amount of sodium through ion exchange — about 7.5 mg of sodium per liter for every grain of hardness removed. For typical Inland Empire water, that usually works out to:

• Roughly 15–30 mg of sodium in an 8-ounce glass
• Comparable to or less than a slice of bread or a cup of milk
• Not a meaningful health concern for most people

If you're on a doctor-supervised low-sodium diet, or managing diabetes with related kidney or blood pressure considerations, it's worth checking with your doctor before making softened water your everyday drinking water — sodium sensitivity varies from person to person. If you'd rather not think about it at all, our salt-free Protector XC™ conditions your whole home without adding any sodium, or you can pair a salt-based Protector Plus™ with our Alka75™ under-sink system, which filters your drinking water separately at the tap.

No — they complement each other perfectly. Our whole-house systems protect your entire plumbing, appliances, skin, and clothing from harsh water and chemicals. For pure, crisp, alkaline drinking water, we bundle these systems with our premium Alka75™ under-sink filtration unit to give you pure drinking water straight from the tap.

Both of our whole-home systems are engineered specifically for the mineral-heavy water conditions common across Southern California:

• Protector XC™ (salt-free, Turbo TAC™) — rated up to 30 grains per gallon of hardness and 4 ppm of chlorine, well above what most Inland Empire homes see
• Protector Plus™ (salt-based) — handles similarly demanding conditions through traditional ion-exchange softening

Either way, your Cove rep confirms your home's exact hardness level during your free assessment before recommending a system.

Beyond hardness, common contaminants found in SoCal tap water include:

• Chlorine, lead, and arsenic
• Chromium-6, nitrates, and fluoride
• Haloacetic acids and trihalomethanes

The Alka75™ under-sink system specifically targets lead, PFAS, chlorine, and other toxins through its 22-stage filtration process, while restoring beneficial minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. You can look up what's actually been detected in your specific area using the free EWG tap water tool on our homepage.

It's a simple, straightforward swap — no tools or plumbing knowledge required. Exact filter life depends on your household's water usage and how much sediment or chlorine your specific water carries, so your Cove rep will confirm the right schedule for your home during setup. As a general rule, pre-filters tend to need changing more often than the deeper-stage filters. We're happy to handle filter changes for you as part of your service, or walk you through doing it yourself — whichever you prefer.

Your system is installed near your home's main water shut-off valve — the point where fresh water first enters your house. If that line runs along the garage, installing it there is ideal since it keeps your exterior clean and protects the equipment from the elements. If there's no garage nearby, installing it outside next to the main line works just as well with weather-resistant protection. Either way, your Cove rep confirms the exact spot based on your home's layout during your free in-home assessment.

• Protector XC (salt-free) — requires virtually zero maintenance, no salt bags to buy or load
• Protector Plus (salt-based) — simply requires adding standard water softener salt to the brine tank periodically, depending on your home's water usage