3 Things To Try When Your Water Softener Isn't Performing

Posted on: 13 December 2022

Many homes are connected to municipal water sources that provide hard water. The trace minerals in hard water can accumulate on the interior surfaces of pipes and contribute to the formation of clogs over time.

Installing a water softener is a great way to eliminate trace minerals from your home's water supply. A water softener utilizes specialized salt to help purify your water.

When your water softener isn't performing properly, you are putting your plumbing system at risk of suffering from exposure to hard water. Here are three things that you can try to troubleshoot your water softener in the future.

1. Check the Brine Tank

The salt that a water softener uses to remove trace minerals is housed in a brine tank. Two-piece water softeners will have an independent brine tank, while single-unit water softeners will have the brine tank incorporated into the overall design.

It is common for a salt bridge to form inside a brine tank. A salt bridge is essentially a hardened chunk of salt that bridges from one side of the brine tank to the other. Salt bridges don't allow the water coming into the brine tank to be treated properly.

You can eliminate salt bridges by gently banging the outside of the brine tank with a rubber mallet or using a long object to gently break apart the salt bridge.

2. Complete a Manual Regeneration Cycle

Contaminants that find their way into the salt used in your water softener can wreak havoc on the performance of this appliance. Over time, salt contaminants can start to clog the tank injector and mesh screen that allow water to move into and out of your brine tank.

Performing a manual regeneration cycle allows you to access the resin tank injector and screen to complete a thorough cleaning. 

3. Replace the Resin Beads

There are resin beads inside your water softener that are responsible for attracting trace minerals from your water supply and replacing them with sodium from the brine tank.

If the resin beads in your water softener sustain damage or become too old, the ion exchange responsible for softening your water can't occur.

Resin beads are most susceptible to damage in homes with high iron levels in their water supply. You can replace the resin beads with a fresh supply to ensure your water softener is capable of eliminating all trace minerals from your home's water supply.

For more information, contact a company like American Services.

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