Softeners for private wells in the Towns of Hartford, Erin and Addison
Hartford's city water comes from shallow wells too, but they are the City's five. Homes in the Town of Hartford and its neighbors that pump from private wells are a different case: neither the City's figure nor the state's samples describe them.
Call (262) 829-5961Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pmYour well is not one of the City's five
The 18 to 22 grain figure and the 390 to 450 milligram samples come from the Hartford Utilities system. A private well draws its own water, and its hardness is whatever that water measures.
Out in the Town of Hartford, the Town of Erin or the Town of Addison, the place to start is your well's own numbers.
Reading a lab report against the City's numbers
A lab result given in milligrams per liter lines up with the City's grains once you divide it by 17.1. The state's 390 to 450 milligram samples, run through that division, come to about 23 to 26 grains.
On the US Geological Survey's scale, very hard starts where a reading passes 180 milligrams per liter, so a well report is easy to place once it is in front of you.
Bring these to the call
Mention the well, how many live there, and which part of the house the water line comes into, old softener or not. If a lab has tested the well, read us the hardness line; we size the softener from it.
No lab results? The water still gets tested before any work, and your faucet gets rechecked afterward until it shows zero hardness.
A separate lab test for bacteria and nitrate
Bacteria and nitrate sit outside what a softener was built for. Wisconsin's DNR advises private well owners to test for bacteria at least yearly, and that test has nothing to do with buying a softener.
Wells can also carry iron. If your report lists it, mention it on the call.
Common questions
Is my well water as hard as Hartford's city water?
The City's numbers cannot tell you. Your well is a separate source; a lab report or the reading at your faucet is the real answer.
What does a softener change in my well water?
It exchanges calcium and magnesium, the minerals behind hardness, for sodium, or potassium instead if potassium chloride goes in the brine tank. It is not built for bacteria or nitrate.
How often should a well be tested for bacteria?
Yearly at the least, per the Wisconsin DNR. A state-certified lab handles that test, and it is not something a softener company sells.