A water softener in Gilbert should be sized to the hardness of your own water, and the first step is finding that figure. This page shows where to look, how to turn the figure into a softener size and what to ask a pro before you buy.
Water Treatment Phoenix is an independent referral service, not an installer, plumber or water utility. When you send the form, your details go to an independent local water treatment pro who can contact you and prepare a quote.
Find your hardness figure
This site prints hardness figures only from a water utility’s own report, for that utility’s customers. Which provider serves each address in Gilbert, and its hardness, was not checked for this site, so no figure is given here. Look at your water bill for the provider’s name, then read its annual water quality report.
- Find the provider’s name on your water bill.
- Open its annual water quality report on its website.
- Look for total hardness, in ppm, mg/L or grains per gallon.
- Note the range, not only the average.
The USGS grades hardness in mg/L of calcium carbonate: 0 to 60 soft, 61 to 120 moderately hard, 121 to 180 hard, over 180 very hard. One grain per gallon is about 17 mg/L. For comparison only, the City of Phoenix 2025 report gives 172 to 302 ppm for its own customers; that is not a Gilbert figure.
A sizing worksheet
A softener has to remove every grain of hardness that enters the house. Fill in these lines with your own numbers:
| Line | What to enter |
|---|---|
| A | Hardness in grains per gallon, from the report or a tap test |
| B | Gallons the household uses in a day, from your water bill |
| A times B | Grains the softener removes each day |
| Softener capacity | Divide by the grains per day to see how many days between regenerations |
Example arithmetic, not a Gilbert figure: water at 15 grains per gallon and 300 gallons a day means 4,500 grains a day. A pro sizing a softener does this same sum with your figures and should show it to you.
Choosing the softener
Look for NSF/ANSI 44, the standard for residential softeners that use a regenerable cation exchange resin. As a general rule, choose a unit certified for what you want to remove. A salt-based softener adds sodium in exchange for the hardness; anyone on a sodium-restricted diet should ask a doctor.
Permits
The City of Phoenix list of projects that may require a permit covers Phoenix only, not Gilbert. Ask the Town of Gilbert, or the installer, what applies before the work starts.
Want a softener sized to your Gilbert water?
Questions to ask
- What hardness did you measure at my tap?
- Show me the sizing sum.
- Which model, and where is its NSF/ANSI 44 listing?
- Who handles any permit?
- What upkeep does the maker’s schedule ask?
For more on softeners, see water softeners in Phoenix and softener installation.
Reading the figure you find
Reports give hardness in different units. Utilities give the same measure in parts per million (ppm) or milligrams per liter (mg/L), and the City of Phoenix report compares its ppm figures directly with EPA’s mg/L guidelines. Grains per gallon are smaller numbers: divide mg/L by about 17 to convert. If your provider gives a range, size the softener for the harder end, or ask the pro to test at your tap and size to that reading. A softener set too low lets hard water through; one set to the right figure regenerates when it needs to.
Upkeep in a Gilbert home
Once the softener is in, the work is light but regular. Keep salt in the brine tank, follow the maker’s service schedule and test the kitchen tap for hardness now and then. If spots and scale return, the setting may need adjusting to your water, or the softener may need service; softener repair and service lists the safe checks. Keep the installer’s sizing sum with the unit, so the next person who services it can see how it was set up.
Drinking water
A softener is built for hardness, not taste. If you also want different drinking water, reverse osmosis at the kitchen sink is a separate system for one tap. Ask for both on one quote if you want both.
To ask for a quote in Gilbert, send the form with your ZIP code and what you notice. Your request goes to an independent water treatment pro who works in the Valley, who can contact you, test your water and prepare a quote. Asking is free, and you are never obliged to go ahead. If you are not sure which system you need, choose “Not sure” on the form and describe what you see when the pro can contact you. Have your water bill to hand, so you can name your provider.
Ask a local pro