Water very commonly contains hardness elements such as magnesium and calcium, dissolved rock, hence the description of hard water. Soft water is when these minerals are removed through a process known as ion exchange. If you have hard water, you may see staining or scaling build up on your sinks, tubs, showers and clothing; scaling deposits on your glassware; and damage due to scale in your pipes and appliances. You will also notice less lather from your shampoos/soaps and a filmy dryness feeling on your skin. Often, types of skin irritations are tied to hard water. All of these are symptoms of the need for softened water. The average cost of a water softener is around $3000 for a base model, but some of the larger models the companies offer can cost as much as $8,000 or more. Your tech should test the water and measure the size of your home, check on the number of faucets you have and find out how many people there are in your household. If you have a larger than a normal house.