Get a well-water system designed around the results you want: fewer stains, less odor, softer water and filtered drinking water. Kind Water Co combines your free hardness, iron, TDS and nitrate screening readings with relevant certified-lab results to select suitable equipment. Start with our main Des Moines team for Central Iowa, our Marion team for Eastern Iowa, or the local contact for your Southern Illinois service area.
Every well has its own water chemistry and household demand. Your test results help us decide whether a softener alone fits, or whether sediment, iron or sulfur treatment should be added. That lets you compare a treatment plan built for your water and space.
Most private wells share a familiar set of issues, and the good news is that all of them are treatable once you know what you are dealing with. The most common culprits are:
Iron. The reddish-brown rust staining on sinks, tubs, toilet tanks, and laundry is the classic sign. Iron can also leave water with a metallic taste and stubborn orange streaks that ordinary cleaning will not lift.
Sulfur and hydrogen sulfide. That unmistakable rotten-egg smell, often strongest at the hot-water tap, usually points to hydrogen sulfide gas. It is unpleasant rather than dangerous at typical household levels, but it can make your whole home feel less than fresh.
Sediment and grit. Sand, silt, and fine particles that cloud the water, wear out fixtures, and clog aerators and appliances.
Hardness. The same dissolved calcium and magnesium that plague city water, only often more concentrated in well sources, leaving scale on fixtures and spotting on glassware.
Specific water concerns. Certified-lab testing identifies bacteria, nitrate and other contaminants you want to address. Bring recent results so we can explain suitable treatment options. For nitrate, we have your water tested for nitrate and arsenic first, choose the system from the lab results and test again after installation.
Nitrate deserves its own mention in farm country: you can't smell or taste it, and a well has no city treatment plant between the field and your faucet. That's why the Iowa DNR recommends testing every private well at least once a year for nitrate and coliform bacteria — and Iowa's Private Well Grants Program makes lab testing free for well owners. Our free in-home water test is an easy first step, and we'll help you line up the free lab test too, so your system starts from real results.
| What you're noticing | Iron filter | Water softener |
|---|---|---|
| Orange or rust-colored staining on sinks, tubs, and laundry | Yes — built to remove iron, which can start staining fixtures at levels as low as 0.3 mg/L, the EPA's aesthetic (non-health) guideline for iron | Not reliably — Penn State Extension recommends softening alone only when dissolved iron stays under 5 mg/L, and red, oxidized iron fouls the resin |
| Rotten-egg smell, often strongest at the hot tap | Yes — an iron and sulfur filter removes the hydrogen sulfide gas behind the odor | No — a softener doesn't treat sulfur odor |
| Metallic-tasting water | Yes — metallic taste is a classic sign of iron, per the EPA's secondary standards | Only at very low iron levels — it's not built for the job |
| Scale on fixtures, spotty glassware, dry skin and hair | No — an iron filter doesn't soften water | Yes — our softeners are built from NSF/ANSI 44 certified components to remove the calcium and magnesium behind hardness |
| Staining and scale together | Runs first, protecting the softener from iron fouling | Runs second to handle hardness — pairing the two is common here, because rural Eastern Iowa wells often show both iron and hardness in our free in-home tests |
When your results call for more than one treatment, we design stages with a defined job for each. Sediment, iron and sulfur filtration can support softening and drinking-water treatment. Your water results and the selected equipment determine the required stages and their arrangement.
When your results call for multiple stages, we arrange them so each treatment can do its job: capture sediment, address iron and sulfur, soften the water, and add kitchen RO for drinking and cooking. Exact equipment and order depend on water chemistry and the selected models. Our Class B UV option provides supplemental treatment for an already-safe water supply; lab results and the well assessment guide any microbial-water treatment plan.
We select filtration media, softener resin and controls for the job, then check household demand and plumbing access. Your quote identifies the equipment and installation scope, so you can understand the treatment stages and compare the complete plan.
Follow the care plan for your selected equipment: replenish softener salt, check sediment cartridges and keep scheduled filter, media and any UV lamp maintenance. Water results and use affect service intervals. We walk through access, settings and the maintenance schedule at installation.
We walk every homeowner through their specific schedule at install, so there are no surprises. And because we know wells can shift over the years, we encourage a re-test if you ever notice a new taste, smell, or stain. Your system is backed by our best-in-class warranty: lifetime parts, five years on media, and one year on labor. Flexible 0% financing is available too, so the right well system fits your budget, not just your water.
Kind Water Co is family-owned, founded in 2021 by Ryan Brunton, and built around residential water treatment for the regions we serve: Central Iowa, Eastern Iowa and Southern Illinois. A lot of the homes we help are rural, on acreage and farmland where private wells are simply the way of life, and we know that terrain well. That includes well water treatment in Polk County, Story County and Sioux County, along with the acreages that sit just outside the municipal boundary in Polk City and Johnston, where one neighbor is on city water and the next is on a private well. For those metro acreages, Des Moines-area well water service is handled by our Des Moines office. Acreage owners around Ankeny, Waukee, Altoona and West Des Moines can start with their town page, which covers both city water and nearby private wells. We also design well systems for private wells around Eldridge and across Scott County, Iowa, and for private wells in rural Rock Island County, Illinois.
Every installation is handled by licensed, insured local plumbing professionals we vet, schedule, and stand behind. We arrange the work personally, and we are fully insured and bonded, so the person who designs your system is accountable for how it performs. Our name is our promise, and on a private well, that promise means treating your water as carefully as we would treat our own family's.
Your results and priorities decide the equipment. We explain what each stage does, why it is included and how you will care for it. If a simpler configuration fits your water, compare it with the complete package. If your concern needs additional lab information, we help connect those results with a suitable treatment plan before finalizing equipment.
The equipment depends on your water results. Some wells need sediment or dedicated iron and sulfur treatment alongside a softener. Our Class B UV unit is an optional supplement for an already-safe supply. We use the water-source assessment and relevant lab results to explain appropriate options for your home.
Ready to improve your well water? Request your free in-home water test. For Central Iowa, call the main Des Moines team at 515-709-4674. For Marion and Eastern Iowa, call 319-319-6566, or email hello@kindwaterco.com.
A softener removes hardness minerals. Sediment, oxidized iron, sulfur odor or other specific concerns may need an additional treatment stage. We review the type and amount of iron, water-source information and relevant lab results before selecting the equipment. Each stage has a defined job in your plan.
That odor is usually hydrogen sulfide gas, and it is often strongest at the hot-water tap. At typical household levels it is more of a nuisance than a hazard, but it can make your whole home feel less than fresh. The fix is a treatment stage built specifically to remove sulfur and hydrogen sulfide, which we size based on your water test results.
Yes. Start with hardness, iron, TDS and nitrate screening readings from our free in-home visit, plus certified-lab results for bacteria, nitrate and other specific concerns. Iowa DNR recommends annual bacteria and nitrate testing for private wells. Those results help us choose suitable treatment and confirm the scope before installation.
Your care plan follows the equipment and water results. Replenish softener salt, replace sediment cartridges as needed and follow the selected RO filter schedule. A fitted UV unit needs routine lamp and sleeve care according to its instructions. We explain the schedule at installation; annual service helps keep the equipment performing. Whole-home packages include lifetime parts coverage, five years on media and one year on installation labor; see the written terms.
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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