Water softeners for Gilbert's water
The Town of Gilbert tests its water daily and reports a town-wide average with a low and a high. The average sits just inside the very hard range.
Gilbert water hardness by area
Figures published by Town of Gilbert Public Works (Water). The dial setting is the number to enter on your softener.
| City or area | How hard | Range (grains per gallon) | Softener dial setting | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gilbert | Very hard | 6.6 to 17.5, average 10.8 | 11 | Town of Gilbert Public Works (Water), annual water quality report, 2026 (2025 data) |
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2. How many people live in your home?
What the dial setting means
Every softener has a control valve on top with a setting for your water's hardness, usually labelled "hardness" or "grains". Enter this number there. It tells the softener how hard your water is, so it knows when it is full.
"Recharging" (some manuals say "regenerating") is the softener cleaning itself: it rinses its resin beads with salty water to flush out the minerals they have caught. With this setting it happens on its own, about every 9 days in your home, usually at night.
Set the number too low and hard water slips through before the next recharge. Set it too high and the softener recharges early, wasting salt and water.
Gilbert publishes a town-wide average; individual readings ran from about 7 to 18. Source: Town of Gilbert Public Works (Water), annual water quality report, 2026 (2025 data).
We don't make, sell or install water softeners or filters, and no company pays to be listed or ranked.
How this figure was measured
Who published it
What the figure is
How we use it
A daily-tested average
Gilbert’s water division runs its own extra monitoring every day at its treatment plants, beyond what regulations require. Its 2025 report turns that into one town-wide average, 10.79 grains per gallon, with a low of 6.61 and a high of 17.54. Because the range is wide, the water at your tap on a given day can be noticeably harder or softer than the average.
Two rivers and a backup of wells
Gilbert’s two water treatment plants take canal water from both the Salt River Project, which carries Salt and Verde river water, and the Central Arizona Project, which carries Colorado River water. Wells are used to top up supply during peak demand and when canals or plants are down for maintenance.
Sizing for a Gilbert home
At the 10.79 average, a family of four needs a 24,000-grain softener recharging about once a week, on around 9 bags of salt a year. Five people move up to 32,000 grains and about 12 bags. If your own test reads nearer the town’s high of 17, size up: the calculator does this when you enter your result.
Gilbert next to its neighbors
Gilbert’s average is lower than Chandler’s (16.5) and Mesa’s Eastern and Southern Zones (about 16), and close to Mesa’s City Zone (about 12). Softeners sized for those cities will often be larger than a Gilbert home needs.
Common questions
- How hard is Gilbert water?
- The Town of Gilbert's water quality report for 2025 gives an average of 10.79 grains per gallon (184 mg/L), with readings from 6.61 to 17.54. The average is very hard, just above the 10.5 line.
- Where does Gilbert's water come from?
- Mostly surface water from the Salt River Project and Central Arizona Project canals, treated at the town's two plants. Up to 20 town wells add water at busy times and during maintenance.
- Gilbert's website says 8 to 10 grains. Which is right?
- The town's undated questions page gives 8 to 10; its 2025 report gives a 10.79 average. We use the newer report. If your softener is set to 10, setting it to 11 is a small change that covers the newer figure.