How to Easily Maintain Your Water Softener

Feb 28, 2023

The benefits of soft water are endless! Short-term benefits can include better-tasting water, which results in better-tasting drinks and food, too. Long-term benefits can range from improved skin and hair to enhanced plumbing and appliance performance. And just as with any other appliance, your water softener will need some maintenance to continue performing effectively.

 

Learning how to easily maintain your water softener is important if you want to keep getting all the benefits of soft water! With an in-home water softener or soft water service, there are only a few maintenance tips that you’ll need to remember. To maintain your water softener, add salt regularly, check the regeneration cycle, and clean the brine tank.

 

To maintain your water softener, add salt regularly.

For easy water softener maintenance, we recommend adding salt each month. The amount of salt and how often you add salt will depend on the water hardness level in your home. A family of four might start out by adding a 40 pound bag the first month and adjusting accordingly. 

 

Your water softener needs salt for the regeneration process. To remove the minerals that make the water hard, namely calcium and magnesium, your water softener needs sodium to displace them. That means the salt isn’t going into the water you drink, but rather contributing to the regeneration of softer water.

 

To maintain your water softener, check the regeneration cycle.

For easy water softener maintenance, get familiar with your regeneration cycle. When the sodium ions displace the calcium and magnesium ions, they’ve got to go somewhere! As the hard water minerals collect in your water softener, the regeneration process will flush them out. The regular process of regeneration keeps the resin bed active. 

 

Depending on the water hardness and water use, your water softener may regenerate every week, every two or three days, or even every day. It’s not recommended to use water during regeneration, since your water tank will fill with hard water.

 

To maintain your water softener, clean the brine tank.

For easy water softener maintenance, take a quick peek into the brine tank. If you have salt bridging or salt mushing, the tank could appear full of salt but remain unable to complete the regeneration process. Temperature changes or high humidity could result in a hard crust or empty space forming within the brine tank. If the tank appears full of salt but the water is hard, there may be a salt bridge in your brine tank. If you suspect a salt bridge, push carefully on the top layer to break it up.

 

If you apply pressure to the top layer of salt without any result, you could be dealing with a blockage in the brine tank. Salt mushing occurs when salt recrystallizes and creates a sludge on the bottom of the tank. If you suspect salt mushing in your brine tank, your water softener may need to be drained and have the salt replaced. 

 

Find the soft water system that works best for your home!

Our team is dedicated to finding a soft water solution that works for you! While most Americans have hard water in their homes, there aren’t many that have the time to maintain their own water softener. Our customers across North County including Oceanside, Vista, Carlsbad, and Escondido are a testament to our commitment to finding a water softener that fits your needs, lifestyle, and budget. Learn more about all the options we offer, including automatic water softeners, water softener exchange tanks, and whole house no salt conditioners.

 

We recommend having your water softener serviced at least once a year. We provide routine maintenance on and service most major brands of water softeners. And more than that, we are confident that we can provide you with the best service, too– thanks to our commitment to training, quality, and preventative maintenance.

 

Simply contact us today to explore water treatment options for your home or business or to schedule water softener maintenance.

Ready to talk to one of our experts about improving YOUR water?

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