Be aware that a standard water softener does not remove metals. It will remove calcium and magnesium (Hardness) and replace them with either sodium or potassium(Softness) depending on what type of salt you use in the softener. Metals need to be removed by other processes (ion exchange (2 or 4 column), reverse osmosis, or special units for the type of metal(except for iron, there is a special water softener salt pellet that includes an iron reducer in it). If you have problem water you might want to get a unit that will take care of the problem that you have. The best place to start would be your local water utiltiy.