Who wrote this: Kind Water Co wrote this page and is one of the companies compared. Our picks are our own opinion, not an independent review.
Our pick for West Des Moines is Kind Water Co, and yes, we're the ones picking. A softener with whole-home carbon is $2,500 installed, or $2,850 with a tank or tankless kitchen RO, tax included. The river water that reaches about 1 in 4 West Des Moines homes averaged 8.7 to 8.9 grains of hardness in 2025 (DMWW data).
A word before the list: we're on it, and we put ourselves at the top. To keep that fair, every fact about another company comes from that company's own website, read on the date shown, and we point out where someone else may be the better choice for your home. The city's full water story is on our West Des Moines water treatment page.
Kind Water Co wrote this page and is listed first as our pick. The water treatment companies follow from A to Z, with plumbing companies last. Every other company's details come from its own website, read on November 2, 2026.
| Company | Our label | What they sell | Price on their website | Warranty or guarantee on their website | Serves West Des Moines? (their words) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kind Water Co (that's us; we wrote this page) | #1 overall (our opinion) | Softeners, whole-home carbon, kitchen RO and private well systems | Yes, tax included: $1,900 softener alone · $2,500 with whole-home carbon · $2,850 with a tank or tankless kitchen RO | A lifetime parts warranty on the softener and a 1-year warranty on the RO; 1 year on labor | Yes; office at 600 SE 15th St, Des Moines, about 7 miles away |
| Aqua Systems of Des Moines (Iowa Soft Water) | Best for a long labor warranty | Aqua Systems softeners, RO, bottled water, salt pick-up and delivery, rentals | Series 4000 softener from $2,199 plus $250 installation · SmartChoice Elite from $3,000 · RO $549 plus $200 installation | 90-day money-back guarantee; 10 years on labor and parts for SmartChoice Elite | Names West Des Moines in its list of towns |
| Culligan of Adel | Best for the Dallas County side | Culligan softeners, whole-home filters, RO, bottled water and salt delivery | Not posted; $300 off any two pieces of Culligan equipment and $200 off a new RO | 100% satisfaction guarantee | Names West Des Moines in its list of cities |
| Culligan of West Des Moines | Best for a dealer based in town | Culligan softeners, filtration and drinking water systems, bottled water and coolers | No installed price; Better Water for Life plan from $35 a month; Inspect & Check visit $79.95 | Refund if not completely satisfied within 30 days (culligan.com) | Office at 111 7th St, West Des Moines |
| EcoWater Systems MidAmerica | Best for buying EcoWater locally | EcoWater softeners, filtration and drinking water systems | Not posted | Describes an "Exceptional Warranty"; terms not stated on the pages we read | 4940 Pleasant Street, West Des Moines (EcoWater dealer locator) |
| Iowa Aqua Care | Best for the lowest posted softener price | Softeners, whole-house filters and RO | Softeners from $1,195 installed (softener page) up to $2,895 (pricing page) · RO $715 to $2,275 installed | A 30-day promise to "make it right" | Names West Des Moines in its list of towns |
| Prime Flow Filtration | Best for drinking water at one sink | Under-sink RO only | $699, $899 or $1,099 installed | 1-year coverage with its $899 option, 2-year with its $1,099 option | Has its own West Des Moines RO page |
| Water Treatments Des Moines | Best for a brand-by-brand price list | North Star, Heartland and Aquasure softeners, RO and a salt-free system | Softener package $2,095 · softener with tank RO $2,950 · RO $895 tank, $995 tankless (its package notes exclude taxes) | 60-day workmanship guarantee | Lists West Des Moines, IA with its contact details |
| Plumbing companies: Golden Rule and Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Des Moines | Best for softener work done with other plumbing | Softener installs and repairs alongside plumbing work | Golden Rule: $4,100 low, $5,500 average, $7,000 high to install a softener · Mr. Rooter: a flat-rate price after it tests and diagnoses, none posted | Not compared | Both have West Des Moines pages |
On November 2, 2026, we read each company's own website and noted five things: what it sells, any posted price, the warranty or guarantee it states, whether it names West Des Moines, and how you get a quote. When a site didn't say, we wrote "not stated" or "not posted" instead of guessing. We didn't score anyone, count reviews, ask for quotes or visit showrooms.
This isn't every company that works in West Des Moines. We kept companies whose own pages name West Des Moines or list an address there, and we left out others whose pages we read but didn't name the city. Only Kind Water Co is ranked; everyone else gets 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.
Here's what we charge. Every price covers the equipment, installation by licensed local plumbing professionals we vet, schedule, and stand behind, the warranty and tax.
| What you get | Installed price | Who it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Softener alone | $1,900 | Hardness only; no carbon, so chlorine stays |
| Softener with whole-home carbon | $2,500 | Soft water plus less chlorine taste and smell |
| Softener, carbon and a tank or tankless kitchen RO | $2,850 | Adds drinking water at the sink |
| Dual-tank system with RO | $3,550 | A 7-person home |
| XL system, or XL with RO | $2,800, or $3,150 | 8 or more people, or 4 or more bathrooms |
| Dual-tank well system | $3,650, or $3,950 with a tank RO | A private well; a long trench, extra distance or rock can raise it |
Three West Des Moines facts pick the build. First, the city has two waters, so we read the hardness at your sink and size the softener to that number and your household, not a citywide guess. Second, the water is chlorinated, at an average of 1.1 ppm in A.C. Ward water in 2025, so the regular carbon tank in our $2,500 system fits. Third, A.C. Ward water tested 210 ppm sodium in 2024, which is one reason some homes add kitchen RO, $350 more in the $2,850 package. Military and first responders get $100 off.
| What you're buying | Kind Water Co (tax included) | Iowa Aqua Care | Aqua Systems of Des Moines | Water Treatments Des Moines | Prime Flow Filtration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Softener alone | $1,900 | From $1,195 installed, up to $2,895 | From $2,199 plus $250 installation | From $2,095 (package) | Doesn't sell softeners |
| Softener with whole-home filtration | $2,500 | $2,395 or $2,495 installed (2-in-1 units) | No package price we could confirm | Not posted | Doesn't sell softeners |
| Softener with RO | $2,850, with whole-home carbon too | Not posted as a package | Sold separately | $2,950 (package) | Doesn't sell softeners |
| Under-sink RO | $897 tank · $997 tankless | $715 to $2,275 installed | $549 plus $200 installation | $895 tank · $995 tankless (packages) | $699, $899 or $1,099 installed |
As posted on each company's website on November 2, 2026. Iowa Aqua Care and Prime Flow say "installed" but don't mention tax. Aqua Systems lists installation as a separate add-on and says pricing is subject to change. Water Treatments Des Moines' package notes exclude taxes, while its About page says its pricing covers taxes, so get the total in writing. Golden Rule posts a range of $4,100 to $7,000 to install a softener. For more on each build, see our Des Moines-area water softener cost guide.
West Des Moines Water Works pumps 17 shallow wells along the Raccoon River and four Jordan aquifer wells 2,500 feet deep, then removes iron and lime-softens that water at its A.C. Ward plant (WDMWW 2025 report; EPA SDWIS). About 25% of customers, in the northwest and southeast, get only river water from Central Iowa Water Works instead. Softened at a plant isn't the same as soft at your tap, which is why the hardness we measure at your sink drives the softener choice.
A West Des Moines customer put the price point in her own words:
“We had multiple companies come out to give us a quote and got a range of prices from 7,000 to 10,000. Which we thought was absurd and just gave up on it for the time being. I found Kind on Google and they were the only company that advertised their pricing transparently online.”
Nicole Brady, West Des Moines, IA · 5 stars · Oct 2026 · Read on Google. On our Des Moines Google profile, 8 reviews carry a reply from us that names West Des Moines (counted October 30, 2026).
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. 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. We service all brands as long as parts are available, and a tank swap is $1,000 for any brand. See our reviews.
Kind Water Co is first as our pick. The water treatment specialists follow from A to Z, and plumbing companies come last. Everything below is from each company's own website, read on November 2, 2026.
We sell and install water softeners, whole-home carbon filters, kitchen RO and private well systems from our office at 600 SE 15th St in Des Moines. In West Des Moines homes, we've installed dual-tank systems, whole-home softeners and both tank and tankless RO. Our prices are $1,900 for a softener alone, $2,500 with whole-home carbon and $2,850 with a tank or tankless kitchen RO, tax included. That last package carries a lifetime parts warranty on the softener and a 1-year warranty on the RO. Call or text 515-709-4674.
Aqua Systems names West Des Moines among the towns it serves and sells Aqua Systems softeners, drinking water systems, bottled water, salt pick-up and delivery, and rentals. Its Series 4000 softener starts at $2,199, with installation listed as a $250 add-on, and its SmartChoice Elite line starts at $3,000. Its standard RO is $549, plus $200 for installation. The site offers a 90-day money-back guarantee and lists 10 years on labor and parts for SmartChoice Elite softeners.
This Culligan dealer works from 518 Greene St in Adel and lists West Des Moines among the cities it serves, along with much of Dallas County. It sells Culligan softeners, whole-home filters and RO, plus bottled water and salt delivery. It posts no system prices, but its page offers $300 off any two pieces of Culligan equipment and $200 off a new RO, and it states a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
Culligan's West Des Moines dealer lists its office at 111 7th St and calls itself local Des Moines water experts since 1966. It offers softening, filtration and drinking water systems, bottled water and coolers, and a free water test. It posts no installed prices; its Better Water for Life plan starts at $35 a month, and an Inspect & Check visit is $79.95. Culligan's location page offers a refund if you're not completely satisfied within 30 days.
EcoWater's dealer locator lists this dealer, Water Advantage (doing business as EcoWater Systems MidAmerica), at 4940 Pleasant Street in West Des Moines, and its own contact page lists West Des Moines among the towns it serves. It sells EcoWater softeners, filtration and drinking water systems. It doesn't post prices, and its site describes an "Exceptional Warranty" without listing the terms on the pages we read.
Iowa Aqua Care lists West Des Moines among its towns and sells softeners, whole-house filters and RO. Its softener page starts at $1,195 installed, its pricing page runs up to $2,895, and its RO systems run from $715 to $2,275 installed. It doesn't say whether tax is included. Its About page promises to "make it right" if you aren't happy with your water within 30 days.
Prime Flow installs under-sink RO only, and it has its own West Des Moines page. It posts three installed prices: $699, $899 with 1-year coverage, or $1,099 with 2-year coverage. It doesn't sell softeners.
Its contact details list West Des Moines, IA. It sells North Star, Heartland and Aquasure softeners, RO and a salt-free system, and it posts packages: a softener at $2,095, a softener with a tank RO at $2,950, and RO at $895 with a tank or $995 tankless. The package notes say taxes are excluded, and each package carries a 60-day workmanship guarantee.
Both have West Des Moines pages and handle softeners alongside other plumbing work. Golden Rule posts a softener installation range of $4,100 to $7,000, with $5,500 as its average. Mr. Rooter says homeowners in West Des Moines and Grimes call it for softener installs more than anywhere else it works, and it quotes a flat-rate price after it tests your water and diagnoses the softener. We didn't compare their warranties.
Get the installed total in writing, with tax, and ask what the labor warranty covers and for how long. Ask what hardness the company measured at your tap and what it will set the softener to. For more questions to ask, see our comparison page.
Shopping across the metro? Read our picks for Des Moines-area softener companies. Only want drinking water? See reverse osmosis in West Des Moines. On a well near the city? Start with Dallas County or Polk County service, or visit our Des Moines office page.
Kind Water Co wrote this page, and our pick is Kind Water Co. We post installed prices with tax included: $2,500 for a softener with whole-home carbon, or $2,850 with a tank or tankless kitchen RO. If you want the lowest posted softener price, Iowa Aqua Care lists one from $1,195 installed, and Aqua Systems lists the longest labor warranty we found.
From Kind Water Co, a softener alone is $1,900 installed, a softener with whole-home carbon is $2,500, and adding a tank or tankless kitchen RO makes it $2,850, tax included. Homes with 8 or more people or 4 or more bathrooms need our XL system, $2,800 or $3,150 with RO. Posted prices from other local companies ran from $1,195 to $7,000 on November 2, 2026.
Of the 10 companies we compared, 6 post a price or a range: Kind Water Co, Iowa Aqua Care, Aqua Systems of Des Moines, Water Treatments Des Moines, Golden Rule, and Prime Flow Filtration for RO only. Culligan of West Des Moines posts a $35-a-month plan and a $79.95 inspection visit, not a system price.
It depends on your tap and your household. River-water homes got water averaging 8.7 to 8.9 grains per gallon in 2025, and West Des Moines Water Works prints no hardness for its own A.C. Ward water, so we size from your tap reading. Up to 6 people fit our standard system, a 7-person home gets our dual-tank system, and 8 or more people or 4 or more bathrooms need the XL.
Yes. Culligan of West Des Moines lists an office at 111 7th St on its website, the EcoWater dealer locator puts EcoWater Systems MidAmerica at 4940 Pleasant Street, and Water Treatments Des Moines lists West Des Moines, IA in its contact details. Kind Water Co's office is at 600 SE 15th St in Des Moines, about 7 miles away in a straight line.
Ours do. Kind Water Co's $1,900, $2,500 and $2,850 prices include the equipment, installation and tax. Other companies vary: Water Treatments Des Moines' package notes exclude taxes, Aqua Systems lists installation as an add-on, and Iowa Aqua Care and Prime Flow say installed without mentioning tax. Ask any company for the total in writing before you book.
Yes, if it sells well systems. West Des Moines reaches into Polk, Dallas, Warren and Madison counties, and homes outside the city may be on wells. Our dual-tank well system is $3,650, or $3,950 with a tank RO, and a long trench, extra distance or rock can raise that. Wells get the tank RO only, because a tankless unit loses pressure on well water.
(checked November 2, 2026)
West Des Moines water
Company websites
Updated November 2, 2026 · company sites read November 2, 2026
Whole-home water softening, filtration, and reverse-osmosis drinking water — professionally installed and built to last a lifetime.
Serving Des Moines, Polk County & homes across Iowa
Kind Water Co is a d/b/a of Zero Cap Investments LLC · 600 SE 15th St, Des Moines, IA 50317
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