Water softeners are a lifesaver, especially if your supply water is hard. Hard water needs to be softened because it’s basically useless around the house. If you have water softener system and are looking for ways how to maintain it and keep it running smoothly, then you’re at the right place.

Check The Salt Levels

Salt is the most important component used in a water softener. It is the main thing that makes the resin capable of softening water for maximum efficiency. There is a brine tank in a water softener, which is usually filled with salt. The levels of salt need to be maintained, otherwise, the water softener won’t be able to purify and soften water as much.

Usually, a good water softener has a brine tank that is filled almost halfway with salt. This is going to ensure that the softening process is done right and the water at the outlet is safe for use around the house. Another maintenance tip for salt is to get the perfect salt for your water softener. There are three types of salt, which can be used in a water softener and those are:

• Granular salt
• Tablet salt
• Block salt

Granular salt is more commonly used in a water softener, because it dissolves easily and it gets the job done, without clogging anything in the assembly.

Look For Salt Bridges In The Tank

This is a very common issue with water softeners and it can affect the performance of it as well. Salt bridges are basically the accumulation of salt around the walls of the brine tank. Salt bridges can cause inadequate mixing of the salt with the water, especially at a depth and that’s going to prevent the water softener from working properly.

You want to break those bridges and the easiest way to do so is to pour hot water on the walls of the tank. This is going to soften the bridge and make it easier to break. You can, then, use a broom or a large stick to break the salt bridges and then collect the salt at the bottom and dump it out of the tank.

The Right Time For Maintenance

Water softeners don’t need to be maintained regularly. They can go on for about 8 to 10 years without maintenance, but it’s good to have routine inspections of the tank just to make sure that everything is working.

You can look out for signs that indicate that the water softener is not working properly and it needs to be checked. Those signs include the water softener not softening water at all, leaks in the valves, salt deposition in the tank, and more.

Clean Up The Mush In The Tank

There can be salt and water, mixed together in a pile of, what could best be defined as, mush at the bottom of the brine tank. This causes the water to stay on top of the mush and doesn’t allow for mixing with the salt. This can lead to the water not being softened properly and you need to get rid of this hard salt layer at the bottom.

Using a flush of hot water to dissolve all of the salt is a good idea, but if the mush is soft, then you can use a broad stick and poke it in the mush to break it down and then you can scoop it up and remove it from the tank.

Scrub The Tank

Rinsing the tank is very important when it comes to maintaining the water softener. Along with salt accumulation, there might be small traces of metal which can cause problems in the softening chamber.

You need to empty the tank and scrub it really well with a soapy water solution. You can use a sponge and a long brush to go over the walls of the tank, to ensure proper cleaning. Once that is done, you can rinse the tank and fill it up with salt and water again and it will be good to go.

How To Clean A Tank?

If you’re looking for a way to deeply clean and disinfect the tank of your water filtration system Erie, then you want to use bleach. Bleach is a great way to get rid of all kinds of impurities which might be present in the tank and it’s also a foolproof way of cleaning the tank.

Just mix some bleach, about 4 to 5 tablespoons, in a large amount of water and clean the tank with this solution. Your tank will not only look clean, but it will perform better too.

Use Specific Cleaners

If you didn’t know this already, there are special liquid cleaners that are available to clean and flush out the water softener timely.

You can add the cleaner in the tank, after reading the label on the bottle, or there are attachments in different water softeners, which can take the desired amount of cleaner from the chamber when a maintenance wash is due. These cleaners will make your life easier and you will see the difference in your water quality.

Check The Valves For Leaks

The valves are also very important to inspect every once in a while. The most important one is the valve between the brine tank and the resin chamber. This is known as the venturi valve, which also comes with a nozzle. It can get clogged because of salt accumulation or something else, so it’s important that you inspect it from time to time and also check for any drips and leaks.

You will need to shut down the water softener and go over the instruction manual on how to check these valves safely.

Replace The Resin Bed

The resin bed might also need some looking over, especially if the water softener is using a lot of salt and not producing enough softened water. The resin bed is an integral part of the water softener and this is where the ion exchange process takes place.

There are many reasons why a resin bed can break down prematurely. Two of the most common reasons are excess chlorine and iron in the water. You can easily get the resin bed changed and your water softener will be good as new.

If you don’t change the resin bed, then it can lead to highly salty water and the hard ions will still be present in the water, which is a huge waste of time and energy.

Additional Water Filtration

This is not a maintenance tip per se, but it’s going to protect your water softener from excessive damage. Sometimes, the water you’re trying to soften might have sediments or sand particles in it and you don’t want this water to go into the softener, because that’s like asking for a disaster.

You can install a filter at the inlet valve, known as a pre-filter and that’s going to filter out unwanted sediments.

Conclusion

Maintaining a water softener is very easy and these tips will help you a lot in its efficient functioning and softening of water. If your water softener is old enough, consider new water softener installation Meadville.