Having a water softener is a total lifesaver for your hair and your pipes. However, it’s pretty easy to forget it even exists until something goes wrong. Taking just a few minutes to check on your system can save you from a massive headache later.
The Brine Tank Bridge Disaster
A salt bridge is a hard crust that forms across the top of the brine tank. It creates an empty space between the salt and the water down below. Because the salt cannot touch the water, the system is unable to create the brine solution it needs to clean the resin beads inside the main tank. Gently push a broom handle into the salt to break up the crust. Be careful not to poke a hole in the plastic sides of the tank itself. To prevent this from happening, try to keep your salt levels low and avoid filling the tank to the very top in humid weather.
Choosing the Right Salt for Success
Picking the wrong type of salt can lead to salt mushing. This happens when salt pellets break down into a salty sludge that clogs the intake valve at the bottom of your brine tank. High-quality evaporated salt pellets are usually the best choice. They’re very pure and dissolve cleanly without leaving behind a lot of dirt or minerals. If you use cheap rock salt, the small pebbles and impurities can build up over time and stop the system from regenerating correctly.
Cleaning the Resin Bed from the Inside
The resin beads inside your softener pull calcium and magnesium out of your water. However, they can get coated with iron and silt over time. The beads might become so dirty that they lose their ability to grab onto the hard minerals. Pour liquid resin cleaner into the brine well before the system starts its cleaning cycle.
Maintaining the Valve and the Drain
If the drain line becomes pinched or clogged with debris, the system will fail to flush itself out, and hard water will flow back into your home. Inspect the discharge hose to ensure it has an air gap and isn’t submerged in a floor drain or a puddle of water. Bacteria can travel back up a pipe that sits in dirty water.
Even the best-maintained systems can run into trouble eventually. Knowing when to ask for help is part of being a smart homeowner. If your water suddenly changes flavor or you hear the machine running constantly throughout the night, there might be a broken seal or a stuck motor deep inside the valve. A professional technician can take the valve apart and replace the small O-rings or clean out the injectors that are too small for you to reach. Schedule a professional tune-up every couple of years. When you need water softener services in Muncie, IN, contact Aqua Gold Water Treatment.