This would usually be done with a normal cleaning solution. This can vary. Jennifer is a mother of 2 and has always been a careful shopper, determined to make the best buying decisions for her family. Water Softener Maintenance: 7 Key Tips #1. Taking steps to regularly maintain the performance of your water systems helps prevent larger issues down the road and ensures everything is functioning as it should be. Water softener maintenance cost should be minimal if you immediately address any issues. If you come across some issues that you can’t fix, always reach out to a water softener professional. Not in a normal water softener, although there is a control valve that could need cleaning. Your water softener may already have a pre-filter, but if you don’t have one, you should, as it will save you time and money down the road and plus extend your softener’s lifetime. If only hot water is softened, try making coffee using hot tap water only, drawing it even before it's hot. of salt. Salt mushing happens when the dissolved salt recrystallizes and forms a sludge at the bottom of the brine tank. The good news is that if you’re using a water softener to help with your hard water problem, modern water softener systems for hard water are largely automatic. ” O Lemons says: October 8, 2020 at 9:13 am. Commercial water softener servicing maintenance repair One of the most important things regarding commercial water softeners, is having regular maintenance service work carried out on them. Some can taste the difference between softened and unsoftened water and in fact, thus choose to leave cold/drinking water untreated, using it for houseplants and such. If you’re fed up with your current water softener and you want a system that’s more along the lines of set-it … You can use a resin cleaner like Rust Out to help flush out the iron and other contaminants. Using your broom, gently break up the bridge. Cleaning your tank takes some time, but the process is simple once you know what to do, and it will save you money on expensive repairs in the long run. If you try to regenerate immediately after adding new salt to the brine tank, the resin may not be completely cleaned. Simply unscrew the valve cover (dont worry, there are no special tools required) and remove the internal parts, giving them all a good cleaning in soapy water. Then, make a few liters of dishwashing soap and water,  pour it in the tank, and scrub it with a long-handled brush. Use a water hose to rinse the inside of the tank. There are tons of manuals available on the internet. This is also the time to talk about quality salt. Every four to six weeks, checking inside the brine tank with the rule of thumb is an effective one to do. If you don’t clean it regularly, salt can form into sludge, which is a huge mess to clean up (more on that in a bit). Some water softeners regenerate on a timed schedule. Learn more about us. Rock salt (coarse salt) is cheap but contains more impurities, which decreases efficiency and dirties your tank, requiring more frequent cleaning. 1.1 Pre-Tip: Read your Water Softener’s Manual; 1.2 Tip #1: Check your System’s Salt Levels; 1.3 Tip# 2: Clean your Brine Tank Yearly; 1.4 Tip #3 Break up Salt Bridges; 1.5 Tip #4 Dissolve Mush; 1.6 Tip #5: Add a Pre-filter if You Don’t Have One; 1.7 Tip #6: Know How to Clean Your Resin Tank Pouring hot water over the bridge makes it easier to break. For some people, a water softener is a vital household appliance that removes the minerals causing water hardness. A salt bridge is the name of a hard crust that often forms in the brine tank of a water softener. A good rule of thumb is to ensure the salt is at least three inches above the water line. Almost all well water in the US contains sulfur. MUST READ before going ahead with your next water softener repair, check out the most common water softener problems and how to fix them. The salt needs time to sit in the brine tank to begin dissolving before regeneration can take place. Water softener is not meant to, nor able to get rid of sulfur. But there are some things that should be checked regularly on a Kinetico water softener are the brine tank float assembly, and the sediment pre-filter if you have one. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. When you consider all of the complexities of average water softeners, it’s easy to see why most people put off cleaning their systems. There is sulfur in your water. Few Things Taste Better Than Clean, Filtered Water! Water softener manufacturers, predictably, claim that it is a serious problem to have any trace of mineral hardness in water, and they argue that even"slightly hard" and "moderately hard" water should also be softened. You many need to input a schedule for the machine to operate by; consult your manual for that. This way you can be sure there's no build-up of residue. These substances can cause clogs or damages. My softener uses 80 lbs of salt a month. If you notice signs of hard water, like cloudy films on your glassware or soap that won’t lather, that may mean your salt level has fallen too low. There are some simple reasons why a water softener malfunctions, but before getting into the fixes, first let’s briefly review how it works. All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published, This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. As commercial water softeners are installed to remove hard water lime scale build up, and protect the hot and cold water systems, it is vital that they are working to there maximum performance. A Kinetico water softener is designed to work with no regular maintenance required. Push the valve to the bypass position, then turn off power to the water softener. If you use block salt, it may be best to have a technician raise your water level to submerge the block completely. Watch for Salt Bridges and Salt Mushing. Here we provide an owner's guide to water softener controls, what they are, what they do, how to set them - for water softener or water conditioner maintenance, including water softener adjustment of the regeneration or backwash cycle frequency and the water softener salt dose. If it is too heavy, you may need to either scoop out existing salt or use a wet/dry vacuum to remove it. Your manual will let you know what type of salt to use, how often to clean your system, and provide you with the information you should know in keeping your water softener well maintained. Set the water softener to regenerate, and you’re good to go. The softener manual should instruct you on the ideal salt level. Typically, an annual service costs between $40-$100; however, that number does not include repairs, if necessary. A process known as regeneration refreshes the resin beads which in turn soften the water. In addition, if you notice low water pressure, leaking around the tank, loud noises from the system, or that the system runs constantly or not at all, it’s time to start troubleshooting, because something is not working right. After it sits, scrub it once more with a brush, dump the water, and rinse it out. Check the website of the manufacturer of your water softener; most have manuals for your specific model online. These are all effects of hard water, meaning that your water softener is not doing its job by removing the minerals that cause these issues. Water softener maintenance is simple and could save a lot of time and money on possible repairs later. Regular water softener maintenance is especially important in places in greater Phoenix, where water hardness levels are often as high as 17 grains per gallon (GpG) in residential areas. Some systems regenerate more often than others, but there should be some regularity. Make sure the salt levels always remain a few inches above the water level. Cleaning the brine tank should also help. Water Softener Operating & Maintenance Instructions: How to set & adjust a water softener or water conditioner. You can remove the salt plate and clean it with cold water and dish detergent. For customers whose water softener warranty has expired, ask about our Total Care plan which will warranty your softener for both parts and labour from just £9.95 per month. Learn more... Abrasive 'hard' water contains high levels of calcium and magnesium, causing lime scale buildup and interfering with soap's ability to clean. By using this service, some information may be shared with YouTube. "After I read this article, I understood clearly about maintenance the softening system. Although much of the care and maintenance of a water softener system can be handled by homeowners themselves, if you have questions about maintaining a water softener, have an emergency, or need to purchase a new water softener, please contact ClearWater Well & Pump. If you have any issues troubleshooting your system please feel free to contact us. There will be a button or knob on the control panel that will allow you to switch the system to automatic. How much water should I add and where should I add it after cleaning a tank and adding new salt? Conceivably, yours could even be clogged with hard-water deposits. To dissolve salt mush, you will need to drain the softener, dig out all the old salt, and replace it with fresh salt. There are three types of water softener salt: rock, solar, and evaporated. Evaporated salt is more expensive, but it is the most highly effective at treating hard water. Use a screwdriver to start the manual regeneration and purge the wastewater. Our water softener's intake once clogged with sand when our well had a "collapse event", which reduced pressure dramatically. About once a year, empty your water tank and scrub it with soapy water. Jason’s Water softening systems are easy to install and set-up. With only a few steps, you can maximize the lifespan of your system and keep your water safe and soft for years to come. To locate the bypass valve, look for two pipes that are connected to the water softener. How to Maintain Your Water Softening System, http://blog.watertech.com/how-to-maintain-a-water-softener-brine-tank/, http://blog.watertech.com/what-type-of-salt-should-i-use-with-my-water-softener/, http://blog.watertech.com/how-to-clean-a-water-softener-brine-tank/, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb1j-JVpNVk, darle mantenimiento a un sistema suavizador de agua, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Check salt levels at least once per month. If you have repeated problems with bridging, use less salt, and let the salt drop lower between refills. A good water softener can last years without professional attention, especially if you keep up with the maintenance. A water softener protects your home from hard water by eliminating calcium and magnesium ions from the water. Please help us continue to provide you with our trusted how-to guides and videos for free by whitelisting wikiHow on your ad blocker. You should only really need to refill your water softener’s brine tank (which is where the salt goes) every two months. This process should be done twice a year to keep the wa… References. Over the average 10-to-15-year life cycle of your salt-based water softener you will also incur three primary expenses: salt bags, routine maintenance, and the additional cost of paying for your water twice (once as it enters your home and once as it exits). Share this post: Twitter Facebook Pinterest LinkedIn Email. Most problems that lead to repairs are ones that you can prevent with regular maintenance: an empty brine tank, a jammed valve, or parts that need cleaned. This small unit creates the suction to move brine from the brine tank into the resin tank. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/c\/c4\/Maintain-Your-Water-Softening-System-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Maintain-Your-Water-Softening-System-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/c\/c4\/Maintain-Your-Water-Softening-System-Step-1-Version-2.jpg\/aid3111352-v4-728px-Maintain-Your-Water-Softening-System-Step-1-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"