Your water softener, like any other household item, needs regular maintenance. Because water is continually flowing through the system, rust and other debris may build up if not cleaned and serviced periodically.
While a water softener specialist should maintain your system regularly, there are other things you can do to keep it running well. Regularly testing salt and water levels may help identify and resolve concerns. In other circumstances, cleaning or replacing system elements before they create major difficulties saves time and money.
Simplified Water Softener Maintenance
1. Check the Salt Regularly
In general, you will only need to replace your water softener’s brine tank every two months. Checking in more regularly than that, however, is still recommended. Now and again, open the brine tank lid and check whether the salt has been soaked and coated with water.
Salt should be refilled in the brine tank when the salt has run out and the water level seems below.
If your water softener is more than ten years old, it is vital to check the salt level periodically.
You’ll need to undertake the only water softener maintenance right here. However, by following these suggestions, you may extend the life of your system.
2. Use Good Salt
Be careful to use high-quality salt when replenishing your water softener’s brine tank. Fortunately, salt for water softeners is reasonably priced.
Evaporated salt pellets, which are the purest, are the best option. Except for block salt, which should be avoided unless expressly stated differently by your water softener manufacturer, most salts will work.
3. Know-How to Clean a Water Softener Brine Tank
Maintaining a water softener by learning how to clean it and using that information regularly is an excellent preventive maintenance method.
There are several ways to do this. Scoop out any residual rocks from the brine tank when it is almost empty of salt. The salt will seem more like sludge if your softener is especially unclean.
Light probing with a stick or broom handle should dislodge any caked-on muck from the brine tank’s bottom.
Once the sludge has been removed, use detergent, water, and a brush to clean the tank. You may use mold remover if mold has developed on the bottom.
After you’re done, clean the tank, add salt, and let it regenerate overnight.
4. Water Softener Resin Tank Cleaning Knowledge
A brine tank requires no special attention since you’ll be opening and replenishing it around every two months anyhow.
It’s a skill that you may not need very frequently, but knowing how to clean a water softener resin tank is a nonetheless valuable one.
Resin beads are included inside your water softener. This procedure will remove any buildup from the beads, but when the beads are near the seven-year mark, the regeneration process becomes less successful in eliminating buildup.
The most straightforward method of dealing with this is to have a professional replace the beads for you. This may be rather expensive, with beads and a professional’s time costing between $100 to $300 in the broad range.
However, it’s important to remember that you’ll only need to do this once every seven years or so.
Nonetheless, a do-it-yourself alternative entails washing the beads using an iron-cleaning method to restore part of their effectiveness.
5. Know-How to Spot Trouble
A soap that does not lather correctly is one of the unmistakable signs of a water softener.
Checking the brine tank is a great approach to eliminate one probable source of an issue in the event of a problem.
However, you don’t even have to open the softener to detect anything wrong. You may look inside.
Water that is too hard to lather interacts with soap to make it difficult to lather effectively. This is a fundamental and straightforward method of regularly checking the state of your water softener.
Other things to keep an eye out for are:
- a scale is a piece of paper (buildup in pipes, sinks, and bathtubs)
- noticeable changes in the taste of the water
- Laundry that is too stiff
6. Watch Out for Salt Bridges
A salt bridge is a layer of crust that accumulates in your tank and separates the water from the salt. The system is unable to function correctly as a result of this.
By adhering to high-quality salt, you can prevent this situation. Even so, it’s a good idea to check for salt bridges regularly. If you come across one, poke it with a broom, and it will give way after a short period.
7. When in Doubt, Hire a Pro
It is relatively simple to do routine maintenance on a water softener. For most of the time that a decent softener is in service, you should not encounter many problems that need the services of a professional.
However, if issues remain even after you’ve gone through the necessities, like cleaning the windows, it’s time to hire a professional.:
- letting the softener grow back
- You checked the salt level.
- Salt bridges that appear need to be cleaned up.
- Getting rid of or replacing the resin beads
When it comes to your water softener’s electrical components, you don’t want to mess with them if you don’t know what you’re doing.
Bottom Line
Having your system maintained regularly can assist in keeping problems at bay and supply you with the soft water you want. Water softener maintenance is best left in the hands of an expert. Contact Clearwater Concepts if you have questions about your water softener and need assistance with troubleshooting.