In St. Peters, many homes that run a softener still want one cold tap that delivers water the way it came in. A separate unsoftened tap does that. It is a cold outlet plumbed ahead of the softener, so it carries the water as the city or well supplies it, with the hardness and minerals that local reports describe. Whether you need one depends on what you use the water for, not on whether softening is a good idea overall.
What the tap is, and what it is not
An unsoftened tap is a plumbing choice, not a treatment method. Softening swaps hardness minerals for sodium, and it does not remove most of the other things a water report lists. Public reports for the St. Peters area describe hard water, and they also list chloride and sodium, along with disinfection byproducts such as TTHMs and HAA5. A softener adds sodium and does not reduce chloride, and it does not remove TTHMs or HAA5, so a separate tap does not change those either. It only changes what comes out of the outlet you choose.
Who usually keeps one
- Households that drink or cook with cold water and want it to carry the local mineral profile instead of added sodium.
- Homes with an outdoor hose bib or garden line, where people want water for plants without softened water. Check what your yard and plants need before you change how you water.
- Homes where someone tracks sodium closely and wants a cold source for pet water or an ice maker that does not draw softened water.
- Homes on a private well, where an unsoftened outlet gives you a clean sampling point.
Where the tap goes
The usual spot is the cold line ahead of the softener inlet, with a tee on the main and a valve so you can shut the branch off. Kitchen sinks are a common choice because they handle drinking and cooking. An outside hose bib is the simplest for watering. Any change to supply lines should be done by a licensed plumber, and the work should be checked against local permit rules in St. Peters before the lines are covered up.
Private well homes in and around St. Peters
If your water comes from a well, the unsoftened tap is also your best sampling point. Shallow wells in areas with septic systems can carry E. coli bacteria. Deeper aquifers can contain naturally occurring radium and uranium. The area near the former Weldon Spring chemical and ordnance site has a documented uranium hotspot in alluvial groundwater. A store-bought home test kit can show some basic results, but it is not a substitute for a certified laboratory test. Draw the sample from the unsoftened tap, since softened water changes the chemistry you are measuring. Ask the lab which tests cover your well's depth and location.
Setting it up step by step
- List which taps you use for drinking, cooking, plants, and pets.
- Pull the latest public water report for your address and note the hardness, chloride, sodium, TTHM, and HAA5 entries.
- Decide which outlets you want left unsoftened, and mark them clearly.
- Have a plumber add a valve and shutoff on each line you choose.
- Label the valves, and retest your drinking outlet on a regular schedule if you use it for drinking or cooking.
A separate tap is a small, reversible change. It keeps your softened water where it does its job and leaves one outlet as the water came in. If you are unsure which tap fits your home, start with the kitchen cold line and the outdoor hose bib, then adjust after a month of use.