Water Softener and Filtration Proposal Checklist

A homeowner puts a cloudy glass on the counter and asks for “a whole-house filter that removes everything.”

The first proposal says:

Premium purification system — eliminates hardness, chemicals, odors, and harmful contaminants. Healthier water for the whole family. Lifetime media. $6,800 installed.

Nothing in that sentence identifies the water source, a sample, a lab result, the exact equipment, a certified contaminant-reduction claim, the number of fixtures, peak flow, pressure loss, drain route, filter interval, salt use, membrane waste, or the meaning of “lifetime.”

That is not a defined treatment scope. It is a future callback with a price attached.

A defensible water-treatment proposal connects five records:

1. a work request intake that captures the water source, customer concern, building use, and requested outcome;
2. a plumbing inspection report that identifies the sampling point, test basis, plumbing conditions, pressure, flow, drain, and electrical constraints;
3. the exact product listing, performance data sheet, and manufacturer instructions for the proposed system;
4. a plumbing proposal or quote estimate that prices the equipment, installation, consumables, maintenance, exclusions, and verification; and
5. a plumbing work order and service report that record installation settings, commissioning results, customer training, and later maintenance.

The proposal should promise only the result supported by the water evidence, the selected product's exact certification, and the conditions written into the scope.

Start with the customer's problem, not a treatment train

“Bad water” is not a design value.

Ask what the customer actually sees, smells, tastes, measures, or needs to protect. Then separate an aesthetic concern, an equipment concern, and a health-related contaminant concern.

The CDC's filter-selection guidance makes the first distinction clearly: taste, smell, and appearance do not reliably show whether water is safe, and different filters remove different substances. A sales demonstration that changes color, makes foam, or shows total dissolved solids is not a substitute for identifying the actual concern.

Write the customer's words as reported information. Write measurements as measured information. Do not merge the two into a diagnosis.

Separate the water source from the sales call

The same equipment pitch does not fit municipal water, a private well, a seasonal property, a small office, and a building with its own regulated water system.

Public water

For a home or business served by a community water system, collect the current Consumer Confidence Report (CCR) or other current utility water-quality information. The EPA drinking-water overview explains that a CCR lists detected contaminant levels and whether the system meets state and federal drinking-water standards. The CDC's CCR guide explains that community systems provide the report annually.

Record:

• utility and water-system name;
• service address and account or pressure zone if relevant;
• report year and source-water description;
• reported hardness or treatment information, if supplied;
• contaminants or treatment goals relevant to the customer's request;
• current utility notices, advisories, or treatment changes; and
• whether the concern appears at every outlet or only after the building plumbing.

A utility report is a valuable source baseline. It is not automatically a sample from this customer's kitchen faucet on today's date. If the proposed claim depends on a property-level concentration—especially lead or another health-related contaminant—write the sampling and lab requirement into the proposal.

Private well

Private wells are different. EPA's public-water rules under the Safe Drinking Water Act do not regulate privately owned wells. The CDC's well-testing guidance recommends at least annual testing for total coliforms, nitrate, total dissolved solids, and pH, additional testing for locally relevant concerns, and use of a state-certified laboratory.

The intake should identify:

• well location, age, depth, construction records, and recent repair when available;
• pressure tank, pump, yield or flow concerns, and recent loss of pressure;
• septic system, fuel storage, farming, flooding, land disturbance, or other local risk information;
• current treatment equipment and bypass positions;
• the most recent complete lab report;
• changes in taste, odor, color, sediment, or health-department notices; and
• who will interpret a result that indicates an immediate health concern.

Do not sell a softener as the answer to a microbiological result, nitrate result, arsenic result, or any other contaminant without evidence that the exact proposed system is appropriate and certified for that specific claim.

Buildings with another responsible water operator

Schools, clinics, food-service locations, camps, apartments, offices, and small industrial properties may have facility rules, a property manager, a water operator, tenant-notice needs, process-water requirements, or a noncommunity public water system. Identify who owns the water-quality decision and who may authorize sampling, shutdown, treatment, and ongoing maintenance.

The signature at the bottom of a proposal cannot fix the wrong decision-maker at the top.

Make the test basis reproducible

A proposal that says “hardness: 15” is missing the unit, location, method, date, and treatment state.

For every result used to select or size equipment, record:

• job and sample ID;
• water source;
• exact sampling point;
• whether the sample was first-draw, flushed, pre-treatment, post-treatment, hot, cold, raw well water, or another defined condition;
• date and time;
• sampler;
• sample container, preservation, transport, and chain-of-custody information when the laboratory requires it;
• laboratory name and certification when a certified analysis is needed;
• field kit or instrument manufacturer, model, range, lot or reagent expiration, calibration/check, and method;
• analyte or parameter;
• result, unit, reporting limit, and any qualifier;
• current equipment state and bypass position; and
• report, photo, and source-document references.

Use the EPA's home drinking-water testing resource and its current directory of state certification programs and certified drinking-water laboratories when a certified result is needed. The scope should say who orders the test, who pays, who receives it, and whether the equipment proposal is conditional on the result.

Different evidence supports different decisions:

A clear evidence ladder protects the customer from unnecessary equipment and protects the contractor from guaranteeing a result no one measured.

Match every claim to the exact equipment and certification

“NSF certified” is not one universal water-quality claim.

NSF's residential treatment standards overview explains that the numbers are not rankings and that certification to a standard does not mean a unit reduces every possible contaminant. The exact model and exact reduction claim matter.

PFAS claims require a dated check. EPA dates its caution to the certification criteria in place as of April 2024 and says those criteria do not show that a filter reduces PFAS to EPA's drinking-water standards. NSF's current PFAS guidance says its certification claim requires reduction below 20 parts per trillion and that work to align NSF/ANSI 53 and 58 with EPA's rule is still in progress. Attach the exact current listing and performance sheet rather than treating either benchmark as permanent.

Save these items in the job file:

• manufacturer;
• exact model and configuration;
• third-party certification organization;
• applicable standard;
• exact certified claims;
• current official listing or certificate;
• performance data sheet;
• rated capacity, flow, pressure, temperature, and feed-water limits;
• replacement component numbers;
• installation and maintenance instructions; and
• any conditions or disclaimers attached to the claim.

Do not substitute a product-family brochure for the listing of the exact model being installed. A different cartridge, membrane, flow configuration, tank, valve, or private-label model may have different claims.

Before quoting, verify the exact model and claim in the certification body's official database, such as NSF's current drinking-water treatment listings. Save the dated result or certificate with the proposal instead of relying on a distributor page that may be incomplete or out of date.

If the product bears another certifier's mark, use that certifier's official directory. “Tested to NSF/ANSI ___” is not the same statement as current third-party certification of the exact model and claim.

The proposal language should be narrow enough to verify:

Proposed point-of-use system: [manufacturer and exact model], listed by [certification organization] under NSF/ANSI 53 for the specifically identified [contaminant] reduction claim shown in the attached current listing and performance data sheet. Scope is based on sample [ID/date/location], result [value and unit], and the feed-water and maintenance conditions stated in the attached documents.

That is more useful than “removes toxins.”

Keep health claims out of the sales fog

Claims do not live only in the proposal. A website, email, brochure, demonstration, or salesperson can also communicate an express or implied product claim.

The FTC's Health Products Compliance Guidance says objective health-related claims must be truthful, not misleading, and supported by evidence relevant to the specific product and advertised benefit. The FTC's small-business advertising FAQ specifically uses water-filter claims as an example of a health or safety representation that needs appropriate substantiation.

Avoid unsupported language such as:

• removes all toxins;
• makes any water safe;
• chemical-free water;
• prevents disease;
• cures skin conditions;
• best water for every child;
• medical-grade purification;
• permanent contaminant protection;
• maintenance-free for life; or
• certified to remove contaminants that do not appear in the exact listing.

A disclaimer at the bottom does not repair a bold promise at the top. Write the supported reduction claim, the model, the standard, the test basis, the rated capacity, and the maintenance condition together.

A certified contaminant-reduction claim is not proof that a customer will become “healthier.” Certification can support the listed model's specified treatment performance; a medical or health-outcome claim needs its own adequate substantiation.

If the customer's question is medical—sodium intake, infant formula, immunocompromised household members, dialysis, or another clinical concern—refer the customer to the appropriate health professional and public-health guidance. The contractor can document treatment performance; the contractor should not invent medical advice.

Size a softener from the water and demand—not the number on the cabinet

Water hardness is commonly expressed as milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate or grains per gallon. The USGS hardness overview explains that hardness is caused mainly by calcium and magnesium and varies widely across the country.

At minimum, a softener sizing worksheet should include:

• hardness result, unit, sample point, and date;
• conversion basis if the shop converts between milligrams per liter and grains per gallon;
• iron, manganese, turbidity, pH, and other feed-water conditions relevant to the selected equipment;
• number and type of occupants or building users;
• measured or documented average treated-water use;
• peak simultaneous fixture demand;
• incoming static and flowing pressure;
• pipe size and acceptable pressure loss;
• outlets included and bypassed;
• target regeneration interval;
• usable capacity at the proposed salt dose—not only the largest number printed on the cabinet;
• reserve setting;
• salt and water efficiency;
• drain and regeneration restrictions; and
• manufacturer limits and pretreatment requirements.

Suppose the documented treated-water use is 240 gallons per day, measured hardness is 15 grains per gallon, and the design target is seven days between regenerations:

240 gallons/day × 15 grains/gallon × 7 days = 25,200 grains

That arithmetic estimates hardness load between regenerations. It does not automatically select a product marketed as a “32,000-grain softener.” Usable capacity depends on the actual salt setting, reserve, service flow, feed-water conditions, manufacturer data, and efficiency. If iron, manganese, sediment, or another condition affects the resin or treatment train, address that condition with evidence instead of hiding an adjustment inside a bigger cabinet.

The EPA's May 2026 WaterSense softener guidance recommends sizing from measured hardness and actual water use, avoiding oversized systems, choosing demand-initiated regeneration, and comparing water and salt efficiency. EPA's detailed guide explains that the voluntary NSF/ANSI 44 efficiency rating uses no more than 5 gallons of water per 1,000 grains of hardness removed and more than 3,350 grains of hardness exchange per pound of salt. Its companion fact sheet gives shoppers a more selective water-use benchmark of 4 gallons or less per 1,000 grains, with the same salt-efficiency threshold. WaterSense does not label water softeners, so do not describe a softener as “WaterSense certified.” Put the model's efficiency values beside the purchase price so the customer can compare operating cost as well as cabinet size.

Size filters and RO systems for flow, capacity, and real use

Whole-house filtration affects showers, appliances, fixtures, and every simultaneous demand downstream. An undersized filter may create an unacceptable pressure drop long before the advertised gallon capacity is reached.

Record:

• point-of-use or point-of-entry location;
• required treated-water flow;
• expected simultaneous demand;
• rated service flow and pressure drop under stated conditions;
• cartridge, media, membrane, or tank capacity;
• source turbidity, sediment load, temperature, pressure, and chemistry limits;
• pretreatment required to protect the selected equipment;
• expected replacement or regeneration trigger;
• bypass and isolation arrangement;
• leak protection and drain requirements; and
• how the customer will know service is due.

For a point-of-use RO system, also record:

• faucet locations and daily treated-water demand;
• membrane production rating and the temperature/pressure basis;
• storage tank size and usable delivery;
• feed pressure and whether a booster pump is included;
• prefilter, postfilter, and membrane part numbers;
• automatic shutoff and leak-control features;
• certified contaminant claims;
• efficiency rating or reject-to-treated-water ratio;
• concentrate drain connection; and
• sanitization and post-install verification.

EPA says a typical point-of-use RO system may send five gallons or more to drain for every gallon of treated water. Under the current WaterSense point-of-use RO specification, a labeled model sends no more than 2.3 gallons to drain for each gallon of treated water and must meet separate performance criteria. That label is useful efficiency evidence; it does not turn an RO system into the right treatment for every concern.

Quote the ratio or efficiency of the exact model. “High efficiency” without a number is not a design value.

Draw the treated-water boundary on the proposal

A customer who says “whole house” may really want scale control at the water heater and better-tasting water at the kitchen sink.

The CDC's filter guidance distinguishes point-of-use treatment at one tap from point-of-entry treatment for the whole building. It also warns that removing chlorine or another disinfectant from all incoming water can allow more microbial growth in building plumbing.

Show the boundary:

Use a simple piping sketch or marked photo. Name the inlet, outlet, bypass, drain, electrical supply, shutoffs, sample taps, and every branch whose treatment status matters.

If the customer wants softened water everywhere except one drinking tap, write that. If the customer wants whole-house carbon plus point-of-use RO, write the order and each system's job. Do not make the crew infer the treatment train from boxes in the garage.

When treatment is sold with a heater replacement, keep the two scopes separate. The water-heater replacement quote checklist covers heater capacity, permits, venting or electrical work, T&P discharge, expansion control, startup, and warranty; the treatment proposal owns the water test, treatment claim, treated branches, drain, and maintenance.

Quote the installation, not just the equipment

“Install softener” leaves most of the field risk unpriced.

Use the site assessment checklist and statement of work attachment to record:

• incoming service material, size, condition, and accessible route;
• shutoff condition and whether the building can be isolated;
• pressure and flow observations;
• proposed equipment location and service clearance;
• floor support, wall support, freeze, heat, sunlight, flooding, and impact exposure;
• bypass, sample valves, check valves, backflow protection, pressure control, and expansion considerations that apply to the actual installation;
• drain receptor, air-gap method, discharge route, flow, and local approval;
• onsite wastewater or septic constraints;
• electrical receptacle, circuit, grounding, pump, alarm, and battery needs;
• floor drain, pan, leak sensor, automatic shutoff, and water-damage limits;
• cabinetry, countertop, drywall, paint, trenching, core drilling, exterior penetration, and restoration;
• permit, inspection, utility, health-department, landlord, or property-manager coordination;
• old equipment, salt, media, cartridge, and packaging disposal; and
• access hours, shutdown window, tenant notice, parking, and cleanup.

Drain and discharge rules are not uniform. EPA's WaterSense guide notes that cation-exchange softeners discharge salts and that some jurisdictions restrict their installation or use. Texas, for example, has specific conditions in Health and Safety Code § 366.013 for certain softeners discharging to onsite sewage facilities. The proposal should identify the actual jurisdiction, wastewater system, approved receptor, and person responsible for approval instead of copying a national drain note.

Keep potable-water protection separate from treatment performance. If an installation needs a local cross-connection review, device, test, or utility submittal, follow the actual program. The backflow test and utility-submittal workflow shows why “backflow included” is too vague.

Put consumables and service life beside the purchase price

Every treatment system brings recurring costs and maintenance. The proposal should explain them before the first replacement is due.

The Minnesota Department of Health's softening guidance gives a useful practical warning: set the unit to the actual water hardness, maintain it to the manufacturer's instructions, and soften only the water that needs treatment. It also explains that ion-exchange softening creates a chloride waste stream and can add sodium when sodium chloride is used.

Do not call media “lifetime” unless the exact warranty and performance documents define whose lifetime, which water conditions, which capacity, which maintenance, and what remedy applies. If the tank is covered but resin, carbon, cartridge, valve, labor, shipping, water damage, and testing are not, say so.

Separate the equipment sale from ongoing maintenance

The installation proposal and maintenance agreement should answer different questions.

The installation proposal should cover:

• design basis;
• selected equipment;
• included plumbing and electrical work;
• installation price;
• commissioning;
• initial documentation;
• manufacturer registration when included; and
• workmanship warranty.

The maintenance agreement should cover:

• visit frequency;
• consumables included or billed separately;
• testing performed;
• sanitization;
• setting review;
• alarm and leak-control checks;
• emergency response;
• access requirements;
• customer-supplied salt or filters;
• price adjustments;
• renewal and cancellation; and
• service records.

Use a separate agreement or a clearly labeled optional section. Do not let “free annual service” quietly become a recurring obligation with no defined filter, trip, labor, or termination boundary.

For each visit, issue a service report with incoming and treated results, pressure, flow or pressure-drop observation, settings, consumables, sanitation, leaks, alarms, photos, recommendations, and next due date. The general service work-order workflow is useful when the same shop handles installation, routine visits, callbacks, and separately approved repairs.

Write change-order triggers before opening the pipe

Water-treatment installations regularly expose conditions the quote could not verify:

• the main shutoff does not isolate;
• the service line material or size differs from the visible piping;
• pressure is outside the selected equipment's range;
• the drain route is prohibited, inaccessible, too small, or farther away;
• the septic or onsite wastewater approval changes the plan;
• no compliant electrical supply exists;
• cabinetry or finished surfaces block service clearance;
• the well flow or pressure cannot support the proposed backwash rate;
• lab results differ from the field screen;
• iron, manganese, sediment, pH, bacteria, or another condition requires pretreatment;
• the customer adds outlets or changes point-of-use to point-of-entry treatment; or
• the authority or manufacturer requires added protection.

Attach those assumptions to the price. Then use the change order when the field condition changes the equipment, treatment train, piping, drain, electrical work, restoration, price, or schedule.

The same rule applies to other hidden conditions and scope gaps: stop, document, price, and obtain written approval before adding scope. A written quote record is especially important when the change alters a health-related reduction claim or the outlets that receive treated water.

Commission the result, not just the valve

The installation is not complete because water passes through the new equipment.

Commissioning should record, as applicable:

• installed manufacturer, exact model, serial number, and component part numbers;
• source, sample, lab, and design records used;
• final piping route, treated branches, bypassed branches, sample points, drain, and electrical supply;
• static and flowing pressure;
• measured service or backwash flow when required;
• hardness setting, capacity, reserve, regeneration mode, time, and salt dose;
• filter, membrane, UV, pump, valve, alarm, leak-control, and communication settings;
• initial flush, backwash, regeneration, sanitization, or startup procedure;
• incoming and treated field results with units, points, methods, and time;
• post-install laboratory sample plan when the treatment addresses a health-related well-water concern;
• leak test, drain observation, bypass operation, and power-loss behavior;
• customer instruction on normal operation, alarms, shutdown, bypass, salt or cartridge replacement, and emergency contacts;
• photos of labels, plumbing, drain, power, settings, and finished condition;
• manuals, performance sheets, certificates, warranties, and maintenance schedule delivered; and
• open items, declined work, and next service date.

CDC's well-water treatment guidance says to test the water after treatment to make sure the treatment worked before drinking or using it when harmful germs or chemicals are involved. Write that verification owner, sample point, timing, lab, and customer instruction into the proposal rather than deciding at closeout.

Use the work-order photo workflow so the serial label, piping, drain, outlet, settings, sample points, and pre-existing damage can be found later. Close with a completion certificate, not a blank “installed OK” line.

Keep manufacturer coverage and contractor coverage separate. The manufacturer warranty handoff guide explains why a long tank or valve warranty does not automatically include labor, testing, salt, cartridges, membrane, media, travel, water damage, or a promised water-quality result.

A field-ready water-treatment proposal checklist

Use this checklist before sending the price.

The proposal does not need to read like a laboratory manual.

It does need to let the customer and the installer answer the same questions: What problem are we treating? What evidence supports it? What exact equipment and claim are being sold? Where will treated water go? What will the system consume? Who maintains it? How will anyone know it worked?

Sources

Sources were reviewed July 26, 2026. Product listings, utility conditions, public-health advice, and state or local installation rules should be checked again for the actual project.

• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense Guide to Selecting Water Treatment Systems, EPA 832-F-24-024 (November 2024)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Cation Exchange Water Softeners and Water Softeners User Guide (May 2026)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Basic Information about Your Drinking Water
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Home Drinking Water Testing
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Contact Information for Certification Programs and Certified Laboratories for Drinking Water
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Identifying Drinking Water Filters Certified to Reduce PFAS (November 18, 2025)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, WaterSense Point-of-Use Reverse Osmosis Systems and Specification Version 1.0
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, About Choosing Home Water Filters (April 10, 2024)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Guidelines for Testing Well Water (July 1, 2024)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Guidelines for Treating Well Water (July 2, 2024)
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, How to Read Drinking Water Quality Reports (May 1, 2024)
• NSF, Standards for Water Treatment Systems
• NSF, PFAS in Drinking Water
• NSF, Certified Drinking Water Treatment Units, Water Filters
• IAPMO, Current American National Standards, including IAPMO/ANSI Z601-2025 for scale-reduction devices
• Federal Trade Commission, Health Products Compliance Guidance
• Federal Trade Commission, Advertising FAQs: A Guide for Small Business
• U.S. Geological Survey, Hardness of Water
• Minnesota Department of Health, Home Water Softening: Frequently Asked Questions (October 3, 2022)
• Texas Health and Safety Code § 366.013, Installation and Use of Water Softeners and Reverse Osmosis Systems

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Verify water-quality conclusions, product listings, treatment sizing, plumbing and drain requirements, onsite wastewater rules, permits, health guidance, and medical questions with the applicable laboratory, water supplier, public-health authority, authority having jurisdiction, manufacturer, licensed professional, or healthcare professional before acting.