Shopping for a water softener in Des Moines? Here is what it really costs, with tax already inside every number. These are our published prices, so for a standard install the number here is the number on your quote.
| System | What you get | Installed price |
|---|---|---|
| Softener only | Softer water. There is no carbon stage, so it does not take out chlorine taste. | $1,900 |
| Softener + whole-home carbon | Softer water and less chlorine taste throughout the house | $2,500 |
| Softener + carbon + reverse osmosis | Everything above, plus a drinking-water faucet at the kitchen sink | $2,850 |
| XL softener + carbon | For city-water homes with eight or more people, or four or more bathrooms | $2,800 |
| XL + reverse osmosis | The XL build with a drinking-water faucet | $3,150 |
| Dual-tank city system + reverse osmosis | Separate softening and carbon tanks | $3,550 |
| Salt-free conditioner | For city water. Scale control without salt, with a carbon tank. It does not soften the water. | $3,050 |
| Dual-tank well system | For private wells. Heavy iron or a rotten-egg smell is quoted after a water test. | From $3,650, or $3,950 with tank reverse osmosis |
Military members and first responders take $100 off.
Most homes can find their starting number with three quick answers.
So a family of four on city water who wants a drinking-water faucet starts at $2,850. A family of eight on city water with the same wish starts at $3,150.
Ready for your own number? The instant quote asks a few quick questions and shows your installed price.
Some homes need a little extra. If yours does, we confirm it in writing before you book.
| Item | When it applies | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Catalytic carbon upgrade | City water treated with chloramine instead of chlorine. We check your supply first. | +$150 Standard, +$225 XL, +$300 dual-tank |
| Dual-tank upgrade | Separate softening and carbon tanks on a city system | +$700 |
| Attic tie-in | When the connection is made in the attic | $250 |
| Rock | When the install hits rock | $175 |
| Burying the system | Quoted from photos of the run to your house or garage | $400 to $1,000 |
| Pre-sediment filter | Private wells. City water rarely needs one. | $500 |
| UV system | Private wells only. Class B supplemental UV, for water already tested as safe. | $700 |
| Travel | Past the first 50 miles from our Des Moines office | $1 per mile |
If your install needs a trench, it is priced on the actual distance. A Standard system that needs one starts at $3,000.
Replacing an old softener? Any charge to take out and haul away the old one is confirmed in writing with your quote.
Have a written quote from another company? We match a dated written quote from a company licensed in our service area, for comparable equipment and installation, one system per household. See the price match terms.
Want to spread out the cost? 0% financing is available through a third-party lender, with approved credit, and the lender sets the terms. Our financing guide walks through it.
Des Moines Water Works softens your water before it leaves the plant. Fleur Drive and L.D. McMullen use lime softening, and Saylorville uses ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis. The utility aims to keep hardness under 150 mg/L, or 8.76 grains per gallon.
That still counts as hard. The USGS calls 121 to 180 mg/L "hard," and the three plants averaged about 8.5 to 8.9 grains in 2025, as our Des Moines water guide explains. Des Moines Water Works says hardness above its goal has no adverse health effects, but too much hardness can be tough on home plumbing.
The good news for your budget: the city's softening does not change your price. Your system size comes from the people and bathrooms in your home, and your free water test sets the softener to your own tap, since readings shift with the seasons.
Live nearby? Our published prices are the same across the metro, and each town guide explains where that town's water comes from: West Des Moines, Ankeny, Waukee, Altoona and the Polk County guide.
A water softener does not remove nitrate. It takes out hardness minerals. If nitrate is on your mind, ask about Whole-Home Nitrate Removal, which is a separate system.
Our free in-home water test includes a nitrate screening reading. For Whole-Home Nitrate Removal, we test for nitrate and arsenic at a lab first, choose the system from the lab results, and test again after installation.
On city water, Des Moines Water Works reports that its treated water has not gone over the 10 ppm nitrate standard since it began nitrate removal in 1992. On a private well, Polk County offers free well testing that includes nitrate and arsenic. Our nitrate guide has more.
Questions about your home? Call or text our Des Moines team at 515-709-4674. Cedar Rapids or Eastern Iowa? See our Eastern Iowa cost guide.
A softener on its own is $1,900 installed. With whole-home carbon filtration it is $2,500, or $2,850 with a reverse osmosis drinking-water system at the kitchen sink. The equipment, standard installation, the written warranty and sales tax are all included.
Installation is already inside our prices, so there is no separate install fee for a standard install. Extras such as an attic tie-in ($250) or rock ($175) apply only when your home needs them, and we confirm them in writing before you book.
Dual-tank well systems start at $3,650, or $3,950 with a tank reverse osmosis system. A pre-sediment filter adds $500, and Class B supplemental UV adds $700. Heavy iron or a rotten-egg smell is quoted after a water test. Polk County also offers free private-well testing.
Plan on salt plus optional service. We deliver salt in the Des Moines metro. For homes with reverse osmosis, the yearly visit is $199 with a tank system or $249 with a tankless one, and it includes the filters, a water test and a system check. When the media is finally spent, which can take up to 12 years, a tank swap is $1,000.
Yes. 0% financing is available through a third-party lender, with approved credit, and the lender sets the terms. Military members and first responders also take $100 off.
It depends on what bugs you. Des Moines water is softened at the plant, but the three plants averaged about 8.5 to 8.9 grains in 2025, which is still in the USGS hard range. If spots on dishes, scale on faucets or soap film bother you, a softener targets the minerals behind them. If your water already feels fine, our free water test will show that, and we will tell you so.
No. A softener removes hardness minerals, not nitrate. Our free in-home water test includes a nitrate screening reading. Whole-Home Nitrate Removal is a separate system: we test for nitrate and arsenic at a lab first, choose the system from the lab results, and test again after installation.
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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