By Nathan Prewett, sponsored content
What sets Aqua Systems of Alabama apart from others, in owner Chris Sims’ opinion, is that his company is easier to deal with, operating on a policy of no pressure on customers and working with a friendly staff.
Aqua Systems is a water softening equipment supplier based in Birmingham that services not only this city but elsewhere throughout the state, including Huntsville and Montgomery.
“We lean on customers choosing us as we work real hard to be easy to do business with,” he said. “Like when people call us and ask us how much, we give the prices over the phone. We’ll come out and test their water for free, see what it needs. We have plumbing evaluation to see where it goes, and all that is free of charge and under no pressure at all.”
With this information provided, customers can make decisions about whether or not to use Aqua Systems’ services.
“We work on their timetable,” Sims said. “A lot of other water companies – just about all water companies – don’t operate that way. Their salespeople are on commission. We’re not that way at all.”
There is probably little to no doubt that pretty much everyone knows about filtered water and its benefits. But what is it exactly about filtered water that has an advantage over the tap water that you can get from the sink or the shower?
Well, it turns out that tap water, sometimes known as hard water, in many houses is not the healthiest of things to be exposed to. This applies not only to one’s body but also to the home. This kind of water can cause problems for pipes and is not always good to drink.
“Tap water is not really made for anything past the foundation of the house,” Sims said. “Once it gets inside the house, even in a toilet, it can eat up the flappers. The chlorine in the water can dissolve and make them weak, leave stains and rings in the bowl, fade your clothes. It has chlorine in it, just like a swimming pool.”
Hard water gets its name from the fact that there is dissolved rock in it. According to the United States Geological Survey, water hardness is the amount of calcium and magnesium in water. This can also lead to stains on glasses and on other surfaces such as bathtubs and sinks.
“Our systems alleviate that problem and fix it,” Sims said.
The main water line inside of a building will feed water into a system that a technician will install before distributing it out to be used as shower water, drinking water, water used for cleaning clothes, and so on.
Filtration removes impurities from hard water, which can make it significantly easier on pipes. Hard water can also dry your skin out when you shower or bathe, so filtering it will help take care of that as well. And to top it all off, it can make water taste a lot better.
Aqua Systems began in 1999, now going on for 22 years. In the beginning, Aqua Systems was selling different brands with salespeople on commission. Later, Sims began implementing changes, which he said made it easier for customers to do business with the company.
With about 11 vehicles that carry equipment for installation in homes, Aqua Systems services around 10,000 customers currently.
In the last few years, Sims said that the customer service has doubled, especially in 2020 and now in 2021 with the COVID-19 pandemic, as people are using more water.
The company has several awards under its belt, including a top rating by HomeAdvisor and it was rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau.
A new product that has become quite popular with customers is SmartChoice Water Conditioner, a filter system that incorporates a computerized aspect, namely WIFI that will send notifications about service dates, among other functions. In fact, it has actually become the most popular product, Sims said.
Sims credits his employees with the progress of Aqua Systems, saying that he hires people based on good personalities before training them for the job.
“The people that we send out to homes, they’re just nice people,” he said. “They’re people that recognize that they’re not on a job site, they’re in a customer’s home. There are wives and kids and they have to be respectful. Even though someone has years of experience in the water treatment business, we wouldn’t even consider them if they weren’t good culturally and would represent us to the customers.”
Aqua Systems maintains a website at www.aquasystemsalabama.com where a great deal of information can be found on the company’s services as well as education on hard water versus filtered water. A blog can be found on the site that is regularly updated, providing tips and addresses questions that customers submit.
Aqua Systems is located at 2134 Pelham Parkway in Birmingham.