Water Softener Companies in Ames: Our 2026 Picks and Prices

A note before you read on: we sell water softeners in Ames, and we put ourselves first here. To keep it fair, we use only what each company says about itself on its own website, and we point out where another company may suit you better.

Key facts: Ames water softener companies

• Our prices: $2,500 softener with whole-home carbon · $1,900 softener alone · $2,850 with a tank or tankless kitchen RO · $3,000 with catalytic carbon and RO · installed, tax included (Kind Water Co, November 2026)
• Hardness and sizing: 161 mg/L (9.41 gpg), the September 2026 treated-water monthly average, and 139 to 161 mg/L across the 2026 reports we opened (City of Ames). We set the softener from your own tap reading.
• Disinfectant: chloramine (EPA SDWIS), which is why catalytic carbon is the Ames upgrade: +$150 on our standard system
• Companies compared: 5, including us. The other 4 name Ames as a town they serve on their own websites (read November 1, 2026)
• Who posts prices: Kind Water Co and Aqua Systems of Des Moines
• Distance: Kind's office at 600 SE 15th St, Des Moines, is about 31 miles from Ames
• Free test: Free home screening measures hardness, iron, TDS and a nitrate screening reading. It also checks chlorine. Call or text 515-709-4674.

Our picks at a glance

Kind Water Co wrote this page and is one of the companies compared. Kind comes first as our pick, the water treatment specialists follow in alphabetical order, and the plumbing company comes last. Other companies' details come from their own websites, read on November 1, 2026.

Company	Our label	What they sell	Price on their website	Warranty or guarantee on their website	Serves Ames? (their own words)
Kind Water Co (that's us; we wrote this page)	#1 overall (our opinion) · Posted price for catalytic carbon on chloramine water	Softeners, whole-home carbon filtration, reverse osmosis and well systems	Yes, tax included: $2,500 with whole-home carbon · $1,900 softener alone · $2,850 with a tank or tankless kitchen RO · $3,000 with catalytic carbon and RO	A lifetime parts warranty on the softener and a 1-year warranty on the RO · 5 years on softener and carbon media · 1 year on labor · a written water guarantee	Yes, from our Des Moines office, about 31 miles away
Culligan of Boone	Best for softener rentals and bottled water from one dealer	Culligan softeners and rentals, whole-home filters, RO, bottled water and coolers, salt delivery	Not posted; offers of $300 off a bundle of two pieces of Culligan equipment and $200 off a new RO system	A 100% satisfaction guarantee	Lists Ames among the areas it serves from Boone
EcoWater Systems MidAmerica	Best for buying the EcoWater brand locally	EcoWater softeners, drinking water systems, whole-home filtration and water testing	Not posted	Described as comprehensive; terms not stated on the pages we read	Lists Ames first in its service area
Iowa Soft Water / Aqua Systems of Des Moines	Best for a long labor warranty	Aqua Systems softeners, reverse osmosis, whole-house filtration, bottled water, salt pick-up and delivery	Yes: softeners from $2,199 plus $250 installation · reverse osmosis from $549 plus $200 installation	10 years on labor and parts for SmartChoice Elite softeners; 90-day money-back guarantee	Lists Ames among the towns it serves
C&K Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Gutters	Best for an Ames-based plumbing company	Softener installation and maintenance alongside plumbing, heating and cooling	Not posted; financing and maintenance memberships offered	Not stated on its softener page	Based in Ames; says it installs softeners "throughout Ames"

How we compared

On November 1, 2026, we read each company's own website and wrote down what it sells, any posted price, the warranty or guarantee it states, and whether it names Ames as a town it serves. If a site didn't say, we wrote "not stated" rather than guess.

We didn't score anyone, count reviews, ask for quotes or visit showrooms. This isn't every company that works in Ames. We left out lead-generation sites and online sellers that publish a page for every town, plus one plumbing site we couldn't tie to a local business. Only Kind Water Co is ranked; the others each get a "best for" label we think is fair. If we got something wrong about your company, email hello@kindwaterco.com and we'll fix it.

What a water softener costs in Ames

Two Ames facts shape the price: the water is hard after plant softening, and it carries chloramine. Here is what we install and what it costs, installed with tax included:

Build	Who it fits in Ames	Kind Water Co price
Softener only, no carbon	Hardness only; it leaves the chloramine in	$1,900
Softener with whole-home carbon	Soft water plus regular carbon for taste and smell	$2,500
Softener, carbon and kitchen RO (tank or tankless)	Adds a drinking-water faucet at the kitchen sink	$2,850
Softener, catalytic carbon and kitchen RO	What we recommend for Ames' chloramine water	$3,000
Dual-tank system with kitchen RO	A home with 7 people	$3,550, or $3,850 with catalytic carbon
XL with kitchen RO	8 or more people or 4 or more bathrooms	$3,150, or $3,375 with catalytic carbon
Dual-tank well system	Story County acreages on a private well	$3,650, or $3,950 with a tank RO

The XL without RO is $2,800. Military members and first responders save $100. A well price is a starting point; distance, trenching or rock can add to it. We confirm any travel charge before you book.

What others post for Ames homes (as read November 1, 2026): Aqua Systems of Des Moines lists its Series 4000 softener from $2,199 plus a $250 installation charge, its SmartChoice Elite softeners from $3,000 and its SmartChoice Elite City Stack from $3,700. Its site describes the City Stack as solving problems that come with chlorinated city water. It lists a standard reverse osmosis system at $549 plus $200 installation, says its pricing is subject to change and doesn't say whether tax is included. Culligan of Boone, EcoWater MidAmerica and C&K post no installed softener prices.

Why catalytic carbon? Regular carbon reduces chloramine, but not as much as we want, so we use catalytic carbon on Ames water. The details are in our whole-house filtration guide for Ames, and the full price list is in our water softener cost guide.

Ames water in one minute

The City of Ames pumps its own wells and lime-softens the water at one plant. Softening takes the hardness from about 437 mg/L in the raw well water down to 161 mg/L (September 2026), which the USGS still calls hard. The monthly average moved from 139 to 161 mg/L in the 2026 reports we opened, so ask any installer what they'll set your softener to, and why. The plant then disinfects with chloramine, which is the reason catalytic carbon comes up on this page.

Why we rank Kind Water Co first

#1 overall (our opinion)

• Prices you can see. Our installed prices are posted with tax included, including the catalytic carbon build for chloramine water like Ames'. You can compare before anyone visits.
• A written guarantee. We back our installs with a written water guarantee. Read the full guarantee.
• Price match. Bring a dated, written quote from a licensed company in our area for comparable equipment and installation, and we match it, total against total. One matched system per household.
• One package for the whole home. A softener, whole-home carbon and a tank or tankless kitchen RO come as one $2,850 package, with a lifetime parts warranty on the softener and a 1-year warranty on the RO.
• Local and accountable. We're family-owned, founded in 2021 and headquartered at 600 SE 15th St in Des Moines. Every install is done by licensed local plumbing professionals we vet, schedule, and stand behind.

Service after the sale

• Fast replies. We reply within one business day, and we book around your schedule, evenings and weekends included.
• Yearly care. RO filter care is $199 a year if we mail you the filters and you swap them, or $249 a year if we come out, swap them and test your water.
• Repairs. A non-warranty service call is $149 for time and labor, plus any parts; calls covered by our warranty are free. If you go ahead with the repair or a new system, the $149 counts toward it. We service all brands as long as parts are available.

On our Des Moines Google profile, 1 review carries a reply from us that names Ames (counted October 30, 2026). See more on our reviews page.

When another company may fit better

• A company with an office in Ames. C&K Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Gutters has been locally owned in Ames since 1968, and it handles heating, cooling and plumbing too.
• A longer labor warranty. Ours covers labor for one year. Aqua Systems of Des Moines states 10 years of labor on its SmartChoice Elite softeners.
• A lower posted RO price. Aqua Systems lists a standard RO at $549 plus $200 installation, below our $897 tank RO.
• Renting a softener, or bottled water too. Culligan of Boone offers softener rentals, bottled water and salt delivery.
• The EcoWater brand. EcoWater Systems MidAmerica sells and services EcoWater equipment.

The companies, one by one

Kind Water Co comes first as our pick. The water treatment specialists follow in alphabetical order, and the plumbing company comes last.

1. Kind Water Co: our pick

We sell and install water softeners, whole-home carbon filtration, reverse osmosis and well systems in Ames and across Central Iowa from our Des Moines office. Call or text 515-709-4674.

Price: $2,500 with whole-home carbon · $1,900 softener alone · $2,850 with a tank or tankless kitchen RO · $3,000 with catalytic carbon and RO, all with equipment, installation and tax included. Warranty: a lifetime parts warranty on the softener and a 1-year warranty on the RO, five years on the softener and carbon media and one year on labor. See our systems.

Culligan of Boone: best for softener rentals and bottled water from one dealer

A Culligan dealer on Kate Shelley Drive in Boone. Its location page lists Ames among the towns it serves, and it sells Culligan softeners, whole-home filters and RO systems, plus bottled water, coolers and salt delivery. Its softener page offers rentals as well as purchases.

Price: not posted; it offers $300 off a bundle of any two pieces of Culligan equipment, $200 off a new RO system and a free basic water test. Guarantee: a 100% satisfaction guarantee.

EcoWater Systems MidAmerica: best for buying the EcoWater brand locally

Serves the greater Des Moines area and Central Iowa, and lists Ames first among its towns. It offers water softeners, drinking water systems, whole-home filtration and water testing.

Price: not posted. Warranty: its site calls its warranty the most comprehensive in the business; the terms aren't on the pages we read.

Iowa Soft Water / Aqua Systems of Des Moines: best for a long labor warranty

Locally owned for 40 years, according to its site, with Ames on its list of towns served. It sells Aqua Systems softeners, reverse osmosis and whole-house filtration, plus bottled water and salt pick-up and delivery.

Price: posted: Series 4000 softeners from $2,199 plus $250 installation, SmartChoice Elite from $3,000, the City Stack from $3,700, and a standard RO at $549 plus $200 installation; pricing subject to change. Warranty: 10 years on labor and parts for SmartChoice Elite softeners, plus a 90-day money-back guarantee.

C&K Heating, Cooling, Plumbing & Gutters: best for an Ames-based plumbing company

Locally owned and operated in Ames since 1968, on Edison Street. Its softener page says it installs and maintains water softener systems throughout Ames, and it recommends a softener over a salt-free conditioner when you want calcium and magnesium removed.

Price: not posted; it offers financing and maintenance memberships. Warranty: not stated on its softener page.

Before you sign

• Ask whether the carbon is regular or catalytic, since Ames uses chloramine.
• Get the installed total in writing, with tax, and ask what the labor warranty covers.
• Ask what hardness they'll set the softener to, and what they measured at your tap.

Our comparison page has seven questions to ask any water company, with our own answers.

Nitrate is a separate question

Nitrate needs its own treatment. Kind Water Co installs Whole-Home Nitrate Removal, its own tank installed after the softener; it works on city water and private wells and starts with a free in-home water test that includes a nitrate screening. The quote is free, so mention whole-home nitrate removal when you book.

Talk to us about your Ames home

Call or text 515-709-4674, email hello@kindwaterco.com, or get an instant quote. Kind Water Co · 600 SE 15th St, Des Moines, IA 50317 · 515-709-4674. Kitchen drinking water options are in our guide to reverse osmosis in Ames. For towns across Story County, see our Story County page; for the whole Des Moines field, see our Des Moines company picks. And for the water itself, go back to our Ames town page.