Water Softeners & Filtration in Norcross, GA

Norcross no longer runs its own water; Gwinnett County took over in 2013, and the county lists its water at about 1.34 grains per gallon on average, which is soft. A softener is rarely the answer here. Call the number on this page to be connected with a local plumber in Norcross.

Norcross is a historic 1870 railroad town in southwest Gwinnett. Gwinnett County took over the city's water and sewer system in 2013, replacing city meters with county meters and moving billing to the county. Water now comes from Lake Lanier through Gwinnett's Shoal Creek and Lanier filter plants, chlorinated, with total hardness averaging 1.34 grains per gallon. That is soft water. The median home was built in 1990, and about 18% predate 1980, mostly near the town square.

What to do now

Skip the softener sales pitch. On soft county water, a softener rarely earns its salt. Test only if you see heavy scale anyway.
Fix taste with carbon. Chlorine taste is the most common complaint and carbon handles it.
Look at the hot side. Rust or grit only on hot water means the water heater.
Check your service line. Gwinnett's lookup is at GwinnettCounty.com/ServiceLines.
Plan for permits. Norcross requires a permit to replace a water heater and for fixture work that alters piping, with documents uploaded to the city's ePlan portal.

Call now to be connected with a local plumber in Norcross.

(404) 637-2993

Symptom and likely cause

Symptom	Likely cause
Chlorine smell from every tap	Normal county disinfection
Grit in aerators	Heater sediment or nearby main work
Rust at first draw in an older house	Aging supply pipe
Slick, salty-tasting water	A softener running on soft water
Weak flow after a filter install	Clogged or undersized cartridge

Cost factors

Under-sink versus whole-house carbon
Removing an unneeded softener
Heater replacement if the tank is the source
Permits for work that alters piping
Cartridge replacement over time

A faucet or toilet swap with no piping change doesn't appear to need a Norcross permit, and neither does a filter that screws onto a faucet. Anything cut into the supply line is a different matter, so let the plumber confirm. Gwinnett owns the meter and the pipe from the main to it; everything past the meter belongs to the homeowner.

In the older blocks around the town square, a visit that starts as a filter question sometimes ends with a recommendation to replace a stretch of supply pipe or a tired water heater instead. In the newer parts of Norcross, the job is usually small: a carbon cartridge under the kitchen sink and, where an inherited softener is running on soft water, putting it on bypass so you can see whether you miss it.

Water Softeners & Filtration questions in Norcross

Is Gwinnett County water hard or soft?

Soft. Gwinnett lists 1.05 to 1.87 grains per gallon, averaging about 1.34, so Norcross homes rarely need a softener.

Does installing a softener or whole-house filter need a permit?

Norcross requires permits for fixture work that alters piping and for water heater replacement. A treatment install cut into the main likely counts; ask your plumber.

Will a whole-house carbon filter remove the chlorine taste?

Yes. Gwinnett uses chlorine, and carbon reduces it at every tap or just at the kitchen sink.

Why does my water sometimes look rusty or cloudy?

Hot-only discoloration points to the water heater; first-draw rust on both sides in an older Norcross home points to the pipes.