West Bend's softener setting and the City's chloride program
In West Bend, the sewer utility tells residents how to set a softener. Its 2026 newsletter names 25 to 31 grains, and the reason lies at the treatment plant, where softener discharge from city homes ends up.
Call (262) 829-5961Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pmWhat the newsletter asks for
In its 2026 newsletter, the City of West Bend Sewer Utility names 25 to 31 grains of hardness as the right setting for softeners in the area it serves. The number is meant for the softener's hardness setting, the figure its control works from for the water coming in.
It is a target, not a lab result for your house. The state's March 2026 samples of about 21 and 32 grains at two entry points come closer to that, and a test at your own faucet comes closer still.
Why a sewer utility cares how your softener is set
When a softener regenerates, it rinses brine from its tank through the resin and down the drain. On a city sewer connection that rinse water travels to West Bend's treatment plant, and the chloride in it is what the City's chloride reduction program is aimed at.
A softener set above what the water needs uses more salt than it has to, and that extra salt takes the same route to the plant. West Bend's sewer use ordinance, along with state rules, also steers new softeners toward units that regenerate on demand; the ordinance guide on this site covers that side.
Checking the setting on a softener you already have
The hardness setting usually shows on the softener's control or in its manual. If yours reads above 31 grains, it is set higher than the sewer utility asks for; if you have never looked, it is worth a minute.
Lower is not automatically better. A setting below what the water actually carries leaves the softener short between regenerations, and hard water can get back through to the taps. The surest reference is what comes out of your own faucet, which is why it is tested before any work.
Common questions
Is the 25 to 31 grain setting a requirement?
The newsletter presents it as the proper setting for the sewer utility's service area. The ordinance calls for softeners that regenerate on demand. Anything beyond that is a question for the sewer utility itself.
Does the setting apply to a well in Trenton or Barton?
It is written for the sewer utility's service area and the city's water. A private well in Trenton, Barton or the Town of West Bend has its own hardness, which a lab report or a test at your faucet will show.
Should I set my softener to 25 or to 31?
The right number inside that range is the one that matches the water at your faucet, which is why it is tested before any work. The state's two entry-point samples ran from about 21 to 32 grains, so the city's water is not a single number.
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
- A West Bend address, but is it city water or a town well?
- Timer or demand: what West Bend's sewer ordinance asks of a softener
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