Timer or demand: what West Bend's sewer ordinance asks of a softener
West Bend's rules reach past a softener's setting to the kind of softener it is. The City's sewer use ordinance, together with the state's rules, calls for softeners that regenerate on demand, and that matters most when an old timer unit is due for replacement.
Call (262) 829-5961Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pmWhat the ordinance and the state's rules call for
The City of West Bend's sewer use ordinance and Wisconsin's rules point the same way: a softener that regenerates on demand. That rule sits beside the sewer utility's 25 to 31 grain setting, one about the kind of softener and the other about how it is set.
For a household, the practical meaning is simple. When a softener is bought for a West Bend house on the city sewer, the demand type is the one the rules describe.
Timer and demand, side by side
A timer softener regenerates on a schedule kept by its clock, whatever the household used since the last time. A demand-initiated softener keeps count of the water passing through it and starts a regeneration when that count calls for one.
Either way, each regeneration rinses brine through the resin and out the drain line, which in the city means on to West Bend's treatment plant. That route to the plant, and the City's chloride reduction program, are the background to its sewer rules on softeners.
If the softener in your basement runs on a timer
The control or the manual will tell you: a timer model runs off a clock, while a demand model works from the water it meters. If yours is a timer unit and it still does its job, nothing on this page says it must come out tomorrow; the sewer utility is the place to ask what applies to a softener already in place.
Where the ordinance plainly matters is the next purchase. When the old unit stops keeping up, with spots and film back on glasses and fixtures, its replacement should be a demand-initiated softener.
What a replacement through this site looks like
Every softener we supply regenerates on demand, so a replacement arranged here is the demand type the ordinance names. It is sized from the sewer utility's setting or your well's lab report, along with the size of your household, and set from the reading taken at your faucet.
On install day the old unit comes out first; the replacement page walks through the rest of the visit.
Common questions
Do I have to replace a timer softener right away?
This site cannot answer for the City. For what applies to a softener already in place, ask the West Bend sewer utility; for a new one, the demand type is what the ordinance and the state's rules call for.
Does the sewer use ordinance reach a well home in Trenton or Barton?
It is the City's sewer use ordinance, so it speaks to homes on the City's sewer. A town home on a private well may not be on that sewer at all, and if you are not sure, the sewer utility can say.
How do I tell which kind of softener I have?
The control usually shows it: a timer model is set by a clock or a count of days, and a demand model asks for the water's hardness and counts the water used. If the label is worn away, the manual or the model number will settle it.
More for West Bend homes
- Water softener installation in West Bend, WI
- Water softener replacement in West Bend, WI
- Well water softeners in West Bend, WI
- West Bend, WI water hardness
- West Bend water guides
- About West Bend Water Softener Co.
- Water softener quotes in West Bend, WI
- West Bend's softener setting and the City's chloride program
- A West Bend address, but is it city water or a town well?
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