Replacing an old softener on Pewaukee water
Whoever set up your old softener had to pick a hardness number. Pewaukee has two City figures and a Village range, plus whatever a private well reads, so a replacement is a good moment to make sure the new unit is set for the water your house actually gets.
Call (262) 829-5961Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pmMatch the new unit to your system's figure
The City publishes 338 mg/L for the East Side and 345 for the West Side and Highlands, about 19.8 and 20.2 grains. The Village's own measurements ran from 16.4 to 22.2 grains. If you know your old unit's setting, mention it on the call; a big gap from your system's figure is worth talking through.
Either way, the new softener is not set from the old one: the plumber reads your tap first on install day, and that reading is what the replacement is set to.
A replacement on the Waukesha sewer
If your house drains to the Waukesha sewer, the new softener counts like any other softener in use under Waukesha's salt program. Optimization falls to a company on Waukesha's approved list, and Waukesha says that company may charge for the visit.
That charge is separate from our price. Mention the sewer at the start of the call, so the plan includes it from the beginning and not after the old unit is gone.
What happens to the old softener
The plumber disconnects the old softener and its brine tank and pulls both out, then sets the new pair in the same area by your service line. From there it is the usual sequence: bypass, a drain line ending at an air gap, then the reverse-osmosis drinking tap for the kitchen sink.
Hardness is checked at your tap before the swap and again after it, and the visit is not over until the second check reads zero.
Common questions
Is pulling the old softener part of the job?
Yes. Right after the first hardness test, the plumber unhooks the old unit and pulls it out, and the new tanks go into the space it leaves.
Will the new tanks fit in the old one's spot?
That spot is the first choice, because it is already by the water service, which is where a softener belongs. Let us know how much room there is and whether power and a drain are close.
What should I have ready for the call?
Start with your address, since it tells us which Pewaukee utility serves you, or word that the house has a private well. Then the head count in the house, where the service line and the old softener sit, and whatever lab results the well has.