Softening Sussex water at 300 mg/L
The Village of Sussex publishes one hardness figure for its water: 300 milligrams per liter as calcium carbonate, or 17.5 grains per gallon. That puts Sussex in the middle of the Waukesha County range, and the middle of this county's range is still far past what the USGS calls very hard.
Call (262) 829-5961Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pm
What is included
- A whole-home softener with its brine tank, sized to Sussex's 17.5 grains or to your own well
- An RO faucet for drinking water beside the kitchen sink, which comes only as part of the whole-home system
- Plumbing work by a contractor who holds a Wisconsin license
- Hardness checked before the work and rechecked at your tap until it shows zero
- A single price, given over the phone; no one visits to make a sale
- Quote calls on weekdays, 7am through 5pm
Sussex water hardness
Source: Village of Sussex water utility published water quality report
Where 300 mg/L lands on the hardness scale
The USGS scale runs from soft, up to 60 mg/L, through moderately hard and hard, to very hard above 180. Sussex's 300 sits well beyond that last line. Divide it by 17.1 and you get the grains figure that softener settings use: 17.5.
For comparison, the USGS band for moderately hard water runs from 61 to 120 mg/L and the hard band from 121 to 180. Sussex clears both with room to spare.
You will see both numbers for the same Sussex water: milligrams per liter in the utility's report, grains per gallon on a softener's control head. They are one measurement in two units.
Harder than lake water, softer than Brookfield
Suburbs across the county line that buy Lake Michigan water run roughly half of what Sussex does. Brookfield's published figures run 23 to 34 grains. Sussex lands between the two, and between still means very hard.
Hard water is what leaves film on shower glass and spots on fixtures, and it builds scale inside water heaters. On Village water, every gallon your heater warms in Sussex carries 17.5 grains, whatever a town down the road reads.
A Sussex address does not always mean Village water
The Sussex name reaches past the Village. The Town of Lisbon shares it, and by the state's 2026 estimate Lisbon has 11,284 residents, close to the Village's 12,710.
For a house on the Village system, 300 mg/L is the published figure. If the house draws from its own well, in Lisbon or anywhere around Sussex, that figure does not describe your water. The number that matters then is the one from your tap or your lab report.
Iron rides along with the hardness here
Around Sussex, iron and hardness tend to come out of the ground together, from the same rock. On Village water, iron is the utility's concern. With a private well, it becomes your concern, and it belongs on the table before any system is sized.
If you have a well lab report, keep it handy and read us the iron line along with the hardness.
Common questions
Is 17.5 grains really very hard?
Yes. The USGS starts its very-hard band at 180 mg/L, the same as 10.5 grains per gallon. Sussex's published 300 mg/L works out to 17.5 grains, well over that line.
My mailing address says Sussex, yet the house sits in the Town of Lisbon. Which number is mine?
If your water comes from the Village of Sussex utility, 300 mg/L. If it comes from a well on your property, the Village figure does not apply, and the softener is sized from your well's reading instead.
Can the brine tank hold potassium instead of salt?
Yes. Load it with potassium chloride and the softener trades hardness minerals for potassium rather than sodium. Mention it on the call if that is your plan.
Do I need to know my hardness before I call?
No. Give us your address or tell us the house runs on a well, and the quote starts from the Village figure or your lab results. Hardness is also measured at your tap before any work starts and again after.
Does anyone come out to give an estimate?
No. Your price comes over the phone, and nobody knocks until the licensed plumber arrives on install day.